Bubbles, Balls, and Balloons Party

Need an inexpensive, easy, and fun birthday party or summer playdate idea for your toddlers?  Three years ago, we hosted our first “Bubbles, Balls, and Balloons” party for my then two-year-old and her friends.  The birthday girl was still shy at that age and so we wanted a simple party at home with minimal fuss.

We started with this invitation:

We then carried the invitation’s blue and green color scheme into the decorations.  We hung round paper lanterns (balls) from our pergola, tied balloons to the chairs, and filled blue planters with lots of greenery:

We created our own ball pit with an inflatable green kiddie pool and two bags of plastic balls:

A bubble machine provided appropriate ambience:

The blue and green color scheme reminded me of the colors of the Aegean Sea during my vacation to Greece and Turkey.  So, to please the parents, we served Mediterranean food: dolmas, hummus, pita, olives, spanokopita, feta, roasted red peppers, a spinach artichoke dip, tabouli, and tzatziki, along with plenty of fresh fruit and kid-friendly snacks:

The cupcakes (which are a bit melty in these pictures --- it was hot!) were decorated with little bubbles of blue and green frosting:

Favors were simple --- no goodie bags here! --- just bubbles in turquoise and green bottles and a single balloon for each child to take home.  The kids also got to keep the turquoise-and-green sippy cups I purchased for the occasion.  

It certainly wasn't a professionally styled, magazine-cover-worthy event, but the kids were content with the simplest of pleasures: bubbles, balls, and balloons.  For a two-year-old, it was perfect.

We’ve since repeated this party several times for summer playdates, although given the heat, we now include a swim and call it, "Bubbles, Balls, Balloons...and Bathing Suits!"

Shopping Sources:

Invitations: Tiny Prints

Round Paper Lanterns: World Market & Paper Lantern Store

Kiddie Pool, Plastic Balls, Bubble Machine, Sippy Cups, Tableware: Target

(sharing this post with Design Dazzle and Tip Junkie)