Don’t little kids just love anything that is messy? So why not give them a party where EVERYTHING is messy!!

Who?

I think 5 and under would be the perfect age and this party is suited to all genders!

Where?

Of course this would be best OUTSIDE and in the SUMMER !! Have your little guests come in their swimsuits and bring a towel. Be sure to note in the invite that they will get MESSY. We hosted this party in a small fenced backyard, but you could also host it at a park as long as you had access to water (not just for fun, but for cleaning up!).  Around 2-3 hrs is an ideal length.

Invitations:  

I think the best invite would be a fun painting session with your little one where you can sneak some cool photos of them at their messiest. Upload these to your Evite or grab a fun easy-to-download template on Etsy and voila! a messy invite!  Here is an example for some inspiration:

Activities:

Let you imagination run wild! Paint, sand, water… what does your child love?

Here are some ideas to get you started, but get creative!  Remember, the more things to play with & make a mess with, the better!

Paint Station:

• We taped large sheets of paper on the back fence.  A flat surface would work too – perhaps a driveway or patio (something that can get messy and cleaned easily with a hose)
• Paint brushes and sponges (the cheap chunky ones from Home Depot were awesome!)
• Washable paint. I bought the biggest bottles I could find (it seemed cheaper that way!) and poured them into plastic cups for little hands to hold
• An easily accessible hose or a big tub of water where the kids can wash their hands (and bodies!) as needed

Sand Station:

• If you don’t already have a sand box then buy or borrow a cheap plastic swimming pool and fill it with sand! Sand can be pricy, but you don’t need a lot. Just enough for some fun.
• Sand toys & shovels (haul out your beach supply), cooking items (think Dollar store pots, pans, ladles, sieves, measuring spoons), trucks, diggers, even old plastic tea-sets! You get the idea !!

Water Station:

• A few more of those cheap plastic swimming pools filled with water
• The same idea here – buckets, cups, scoops, spoons, jugs, boats & toy animals! Whatever you have that can get wet and the more things that scoop and pour, the better!

Pudding or Shaving cream station:

• If you feel a little adventurous – consider adding a shaving cream or pudding station!
• I opted to make many bowls of pudding and the kids were FASCINATED by this station!
• You will need a nice flat surface for them to finger paint, body paint, skate and smooooosh!!!  I used a fold-up table flat on the grass for this and it worked well. A big, sturdy table cloth pegged into the grass could work too!
• Definitely lots of water close by for cleanup!

Waterballon fun:

• We brought these out as a fun activity around the middle the party.
• These go VERY FAST in little hands, so try to make at least 4 per kiddo! 
• If they are old enough they pair up and throw to each other or see how many times they can throw the balloons up in the air and catch them without breaking.
• Although it took FOREVER to fill these, it was definitely one of the favorite activities of the day!

Cupcake decorating station:

• Bring this station out when you are ready to sing and serve the yummy stuff and let the kiddo’s decorate their own… it is a messy party after all 😉
• We kept it simple with lots of small bowls of frosting and sprinkle varieties with popsicle sticks (instead of knives)
• For the main cake, just add lots of colors and sprinkles!!

Goodies to take home:

• No real need for goodie bags, but here are some ideas that go with this theme, if you can’t resist:
  • so many cute slime options on Etsy!
  • a simple pack of glitter glue or paint

So many fun options for this theme! Just remember: when planning – don’t fuss, just have fun!

~ Linda