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January Birthday Party Ideas for Kids

Don’t let your party planning skills go cold at the end of the busy holiday season. Use these ideas below to throw a birthday bash for your child whose birthday falls at the first of the year!

Ringing in a New Year

Throw a New Year’s Eve inspired bash to ring in your little one’s new year!

  • To Eat: Unfortunately, popular New Year’s fare like black-eyed peas and greens aren’t typically a big hit with little ones. However, other traditionally luck-bearing foods like noodles, fruit and cake can easily be remixed to create kid-friendly dishes.
  • To Do: Create a photo booth with dress up props and a chalkboard where kids can write birthday wishes to the guest of honor. This doubles as a fun activity and the perfect way to commemorate the event! Then, count down to the big birthday moment—blowing out candles—and toast to the girl or boy of the hour with glasses of sparkling grape juice!
  • Party Favors: Send children home with copies of their funny photo booth pictures!

Party Backwards

Get ready for giggles! Flip a traditional birthday party on its head with backwards signs, games with reversed rules and treats with unconventional assembly.

  • To Eat: Make food inside inside out! Pizza? Place the toppings on the dough, cover them with cheese and top it with sauce! Finger sandwiches? Put the bread on the inside and meat and cheese on the outside. Pineapple upside down cake is the perfect finish to your quirky spread—or the perfect start if you reverse your menu! Don’t forget where to put the place settings—under the table, of course!
  • To Do: How about pin the donkey on the tail? Or seek and hide, where one guest hides and children must race to find him or her. The last person to crouch quietly beside the hidden child is the next one who is “it!” Kids will get a kick out of singing “Happy Birthday” in reverse, but be sure to write the words out to guide guests through the song!
  • Party Favors: Say “hello” as you send guests on their way with goodie bags filled with silly string, funny glasses and party poppers. Label each bag with your guests’ names—spelled out backwards!

The Book Nook

Gather all of your little book worms for a page-turner of a celebration!

  • To Eat: Serve up foods popularized on the pages of your child’s favorite books like green eggs and ham, everlasting gobstoppers or butterbeer! Kids will be delighted to see these unique creations hop off the pages and onto their plates.
  • To Do: Ask children to come dressed as their favorite book character, and give a prize for the most creative costume. After the contest, divide the tiny literary characters into teams, and let them come up with their own tales they can act out using props.
  • Party Favors: Pick up some popular books from your local dollar store, and allow children to grab one on their way out the door, or give each budding wordsmith a notebook and pencil to start writing their own tale!

Get kid’s birthday party ideas for other months of the year, too!