Hello, Goodbye

HELLO, GOODBYE
JUICE UP A TRADITIONAL BIRTHDAY PARTY THEME WITH
THESE FABULOUS INVITES AND FAVORS

While a fun activity, yummy food and a great cake are usually enough
to make your child’s birthday enjoyable for your party guests, it’s those
special little touches that establish the party’s theme, setting your soirée
apart from the rest. Even if you go for a tried-and-true theme, you can
jazz things up with invitations that set the tone and then seal the deal
by sending your guests home with an equally appropriate favor.

Below, find suggestions for adding add a little extra panache to a classic children’s party theme.

Transportation Theme

Hello

Goodbye

Boatman Geller’s “Cars” invitation is ideal for your favorite anything-with-wheels enthusiast’s party. We love its bright colors and graphic, slightly cartoonish design. ($80 for 25, visit www.boatmangeller.com for dealers)

Send your guests home with Boatman Geller’s “Cars” luggage tag. The design matches the invitation and the fact that it’s a luggage tag perfectly corresponds with your transportation theme. If you’ve got younger guests, give each child a My Fire Truck Friends, My Race Car or My Photo Safari push play sets from Aurora World. ($12 for two Boatman Geller Cars luggage tags, visit www.boatmangeller.com for dealer and around $18 for each push play set, visit www.auroraworld.com for dealers)

Monkey Theme

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For a super-simple, yet completely adorable invitation, run these charming monkey flat cards through an inkjet printer or just hand write the party information onto the cards. Slip them into the included envelopes and release the party animals. ($11.50 for 10 invitations, www.papersource.com)

Send your guests home with a barrel of monkeys—literally—with these plastic monkey game key chains and pop-ups. The kids will love their happy neon colors and you’ll love the price. ($2.39 and $2.59 for a set of 12, respectively, www.partyoptions.net)

Music Theme

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Put a fun spin on a music party by throwing a Latin-themed extravaganza (complete with kid-friendly quesadillas and chips and salsa) for your rockin' guy or gal. These Black Maracas magnetic invitations will get everyone excited to move to the beat. ($32 for a box of eight, www.plumparty.com)

Send each child home with a pair of colorful maracas—a festive, yet easy-on the-ears noisemaker, as well as, a bag of chili pepper-shaped gummi candies. ($16 for a set of four, www.plumparty.com and $5.95 for 54 pieces, www.orientaltrading.com)

Princess Theme

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There’s no escaping the girly-girl nature of a princess party, so why not yield to it completely? These perfectly pink and purple invitations can be customized with a photo of the birthday princess herself. ($1.89 each, www.invitingsmiles.com)

Send each member of the royal court home with a princess lollipop and her very own tiara. ($5.95 for 12 and $7.95 each, respectively, www.orientaltrading.com)

Looking for the ultimate princess party complete with precious invites and fabulous take-home tiaras and sequined purses in addition to the requisite plate, napkins, ballons and thank you cards? Check out the Butterfly Princess set from Posh Party Box—it's instant-glamour for your little queen.
($200 for eight, www.poshpartybox.com)

Sports Theme

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Goodbye

Choose an all-sports themed invitation for your little all-star. This bright design features a baseball, a baseball bat, a football, a soccer ball and a basketball. Bold lines, stars and stripes in primary colors will get those competitive juices flowing for your sports party. ($25 for 20, www.funandsassydesigns.com)

A sports-themed wristband and referee rubber duckie will keep each of your guests reliving the action of your party way after the festivities are over. ($6.95 and $5.95 per dozen, respectively, www.orientaltrading.com)

—Chelsea Kaplan

Need a good laugh? Click here to read all about Chelsea's life with child—and one on the way—in her blog, “I'm Somebody's Mother?”