Pirate birthday party for young kids

How to host a pirate party

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by

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This year for the boyโ€™s birthday we gently guided them a pirate party theme.ย  Mainly because I found some super cute pirate invitations clearanced.ย  And, I had some fun party game ideas. All in all, the pirate birthday party was a huge hit with fairly little work on our part.

Pirate birthday party

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Pirate birthday party favors

What is a party without a few favors, and I prefer to give party favors that aren’t an annoying little plastic thing you’ll be annoyed at having later on.

Pirate birthday party for young kids

Pirate birthday party favors I made


I only made scarves for them.ย  Very simple, I took some nice shiny knit fabric (that Iโ€™m guessing was swimwear, I mainly noticed it was $2 a yard), and cut it into squares and rectangles.ย  I figured out that 24โ€ square was a little big for preschoolers, but the 18โ€ square was a little too small.

Purchased Pirate Party favors

Hey, quick jump in from Future Ticia 2022, these aren’t exactly what I bought, but I wanted to find items that still existed, and this will end up with you having lots of leftovers, but it’s having leftovers means you have them either when you throw this again OR lots to share with friends.

Other potential party favors

All of the accessories were tied up in the scarf and when each kid got there they were outfitted as a pirate, so theyโ€™d be ready for the treasure hunt.

Next, the games, or rather game.ย  Iโ€™ve figured out for this age, one game is about the limits of their focus.ย  We had a treasure hunt!

Pirate birthday party game: treasure hunt

We wrote our clues on pieces of canvas, and had a guest reading the clues for kiddos.

Here are a sampling of the clues we had:

  • Walk forward 20 steps
  • Look up for the key
  • cross the red stones
  • find the pile of red stones
scavenger hunt for the pirate birthday party

Can you tell theyโ€™re crossing the path of red stones to find the gate?

We hid the key to the padlock up in the tree, and they had to search to find the key, and then use it to get in the backyard.

pinata at pirate birthday party

Eventually the hunt led them to the treasure chest up in the tree.ย  We had filled it with bags of chocolate coins and some little pirate toys Iโ€™d found at a party store.

Other games you could play:

guess the number of coins in the treasure chest (for older kids); dress like a pirate relay race (using adult-sized clothing), these can be really fun; Pin the parrot on the pirate.

Pirate birthday party cake

pirate themed cake for pirate birthday party

I’m simple with my birthday cakes. The boys wanted chocolate, so I made a simple sheet cake, and with a little bit of the extra cake after I leveled the cake made one side slightly higher.

I frosted it with blue all over, then made some yellow frosting for a sandy beach. I picked up a simple Playmobil pirate set and used that to make my cake look much more impressive than it actually is.

Super simple, and very popular with my kids. And bonus after they eat the cake they get to play with the toys.

Closing thoughts

In case you canโ€™t tell I like party themes that arenโ€™t as tied to a cartoon character, because there is more opportunity for interesting party favors and games.ย  While my kids may love the parties where they get lots of little favors, I personally donโ€™t like them as much, because I know those will be played with for a little while, and then Iโ€™ll find them in little pieces later on.ย  Iโ€™d rather spend a little more and do one big nicer party favor.ย  So far our party favors have been: swords and shields, capes, and tutus.ย 


Comments

18 responses to “How to host a pirate party”

  1. I'm with you with the cartoon character theme but I think that I am going to go with one for my daughter's birthday in a few months. I wanted to do a ladybug theme but my husband thinks I should do Dora because then she will be really excited. I love the treasure hunt and the party favors.

  2. Arrrrrr- ye should have had the wee ones swab the deck….Arrrrrr…

  3. ~Vivian Avatar
    ~Vivian

    You are so amazingly creative. I love this. The kids look adorable and you definitely seem to have the party logistics down for little ones. I'll have to consult you when we start doing more interactive parties for her in a few years!

  4. Debbie Avatar
    Debbie

    Great birthday theme! Love the treasure hunt!

  5. Awesome party. We wish we could be there ๐Ÿ™‚ Parents are not very brave here (this includes us). Almost all parties we went to were done in rented spaces such a Pump-It-Up or Little Gym. There is an hour of running around and then a cake/pizza. My favorite was actually the one in the pottery studio. It looks like the boys enjoyed their special day.

  6. An Almost Unschooling Mom Avatar
    An Almost Unschooling Mom

    Treasure hunts are the best! And, I agree about party favors – they're so much fun to get, but such a pain after the party is over.

  7. Myrnie Avatar
    Myrnie

    What a fun party! I've already started coaching Ernie about the “flower fairie” party we're going to have. I've already started planning ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. Adriana Avatar
    Adriana

    You did a great job! Looks like a great party! We did a pirate party for Diego in December too. I totally agree with you about the character themed parties. They are so limiting. Diego kind of wanted a Transformer party but I talked him out of it.:) The year before we did a dinosaur party and next year I think that we will do space.

  9. What a neat party! Looks like everyone had fun and you did a fantastic job.
    Tank you for linking up with Try and Tell. ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. Valerie @ Frugal Family Fun Blog Avatar
    Valerie @ Frugal Family Fun Blog

    What great ideas, and it looks like such a fun party! I'm sure the kids had a fabulous time! Very creative!

  11. What a fun party! I love the treasure hunt idea!

  12. The Household 6 Diva Avatar
    The Household 6 Diva

    What a FUN idea!!! I have two little pirates who would love some of these ideas! Thanks for sharing!

    (Stopping by from Try and Tell Tues)

  13. Kristie Avatar
    Kristie

    What a fun birthday theme! I hope my little guy gets into pirates enough to want a pirate birthday one day. For now he's stuck on firetrucks, tractors and LEGOS! ๐Ÿ™‚

  14. Together We Save Avatar
    Together We Save

    Wow – looks like a fun party!!

  15. SkylarKD Avatar
    SkylarKD

    Fantastic ideas! I especially love the scarves – they add a great touch!

  16. Joyful Learner Avatar
    Joyful Learner

    How creative! Love the costumes! I have no idea what to do for our daughter's birthday in May! Any ideas??

  17. Mama Jenn Avatar
    Mama Jenn

    What great ideas!!!

  18. The pirates looked like they had fun!! ๐Ÿ™‚

    Love all the tips and ideas!!

    Thanks for linking up!!

    Hugs,
    Bird

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