Reading is the key to succeeding.
Invitations
Make a short book about the guest of honor. Include the party information in the “table of contents”. Copy and send as an invitation. If the child is able, allow him/her to design the book cover.
Decorations
Use books as balloon anchors and tape a tab onto the bottom of one chair at each table. Person in that seat gets to take the book home as a prize.
Place bifocals and reading lamps on tables with stacks of books
Draw a few large covers of popular books onto foam board. Prop them up or hang them around the room and have children travel through ‘storybook land’.
Party Favors
Home made bookmarks…they can be silver, rope cord or a simple drawing on a paper. Have the guest of honor draw his/her favorite pictures on these bookmarks.
Send everyone home with a different “golden book” – you can find these at your local library’s book sales or thrift stores.
Cake and Food Ideas
Place gummy worms so they look like they are emerging from cupcakes
Loud food that you could NEVER eat in a library (hard pretzels, popcorn, pop rocks)
Games
Card cataloging – divide party goers up into teams. Give them pictures of animals/colors/school utensils, etc. – these should be all scrambled up and turned over. On the count of three they have to organize them alphabetically. First team to put them in the correct order in a box wins.
How quiet can you be when opening a box wrapped in cellophane, when chewing on pop rocks or a hard pretzel, when folding tin foil OR walking acrosse bubble wrap.
Whisper down the lane – children line up in a circle and you start with the person to the left of the birthday child. You whisper a quote or saying into their ear and they have to say it to the child to their left. The saying gets whispered into everyone’s ear and the last person (birthday child) has to say what they heard out loud. Each player can only state the saying once…the next player has to relay what they heard
Examples of sayings:
“The bird flew over the coocoo’s nest at midnight”
“Eating peanut butter and jam can be a sticky situation”
“I enjoy reading books, they captivate me with their twisting plots”
Shhhhhhh – give each child 5 saltine crackers. On the count of 3 they eat the crackers as fast as they can and try to “shhhhhh” – let the laughter begin!
Crafts / Other Activities
Bookmarks - Have the children create their own bookmark. Place crayons or markers on a table with a few pieces of paper cut into 2” by 5” pieces. Punch a hole in the top and have yarn available for them to tie through these holes once they are finished decorating.
Create your own book – take 4 regular sheets of white paper and staple them in the middle. Have children create their own story and illustrate their own book.
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Book Worm Party