Let your little scallywags have the time of their lives with a Pirate Party. With the romance of the sea and the adventure of hidden treasure Pirates are never far from the daydreaming thoughts of youth. Why not make these dreams a reality by making your little land lover into a pirate for the day, on his (or her) birthday?
Key Points of Throwing a Pirate-Themed Party
- The age group is everything here. What is fun and exciting for little ones might be boring or too easy for older kids. In truth, any kid other than about 12 is not going to be excited by a pirate-themed birthday party.
- Sword fights will most likely break out. Instead of stopping the duals, get pool noodles, nerf guns, and water guns to set up an amazing competition to see who is the bravest scourge of the seven seas.
- If your teenage child wants to throw a pirate party, be mindful of any activities or party favors they might have planned for the evening.
Thanks to the scads of blockbuster movie hits featuring brave buccaneers Pirates are all the rage with kids of all ages. Your youngest sea fairer will be most apt to enjoy pirate-themed games and goodie bags. Older, savvier pirates will enjoy the simplicity of a huge booty of junk food and a private screening of their favorite pirate crew’s latest flick.
Be aware that a pirate-themed party may never go out of style, but if you have tweens or teenagers you might want to let them plan their own party. At a certain age, kids will crave independence, and if you suggest an idea they will probably want nothing to do with it.
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of Pineapple Juice?
Rum, while it is a true pirate’s drink of choice, might not be the best choice of beverage for a child’s party. Instead, you can serve tropical drinks. A virgin Piña Colada or Mango nectar are great pirate-themed drinks!
As for food, while it's true that pirates ate mostly salted pork and hardtack. Try a treasure chest filled with candy treasure. Jolly ranchers, or another variety of hard multi-colored candy for jewels. Chocolate coins wrapped in golden foil are a given at a pirate party and can be used in the games, or party favors. Anything made with coconut is a welcome part of pirate cuisine, as any marooned swashbuckler will tell you.
Cake off the port bow!
The cake presents limitless opportunities for creativity. Try hiding a small toy in the cake as you bake it. Frost and serve this unassuming confection and see who unearths the hidden treasure. If the mysteries of a hidden treasure cake seem too plain Jane, try tinting any flavor of white frosting blue. Ice the cake with the blue frosting and create a seascape around the edges. Crown this ocean with a plastic pirate ship. Your child will love it.
Dance, me hearties, dance!
All pirates love buried treasure. What could be more fun than a treasure hunt? The youngest treasure hunters can seek together. The clues should also be simple and direct. Avoid riddles; the effort to create elaborate riddled clues is wasted on children younger than about 7.
For a crew older than 7 or 8, riddled clues are a great way to heighten the fun and turn blah to brilliant. To up the anti even more divide the crew into more than one group. Nothing inspires the spirit of fun and mischief in a pirate more than the elements of competition and treasure.
The very oldest pirates, 15 years or so will likely plan their own party and all you will need to do is host. As mentioned before, they will want to do the whole party by themselves and will not want your input. This is around the age that teenagers may start to try the true pirate's favorite drink. It's vital to be aware of what is happening at a party with kids of this age. You can rest and let them plan it but you will have to keep a watchful eye out for any shenanigans that might land them in the parental brig!