January parties are sometimes the hardest as money may be tight from after the holidays but your special munchkin deserves the world! Especially when their birthday lands at this time of year. Many family and friends like to ‘double’ their gift as a Christmas/birthday duo leaving the child feel left out.
Luckily, there are some amazing party ideas that only happen in the winter to make their party feel *extra* special.
- Outdoor Skating Party
Check with your local municipality website when the local outdoor skating rinks are ready to use. They will post weather needed for coming weeks and how much it costs to rent the rink for a specific time. I previously rented the rink in East Farris (North Bay) for less than $60 for 2 hours. I also secured an indoor room for that period of time, which I used for cake, presents, and putting skates on!
- Carnaval de Quebec Theme
Have this theme by itself or add a skating, sledding, or snow fort party!
You don’t have to speak French to enjoy this fun winter themed party! Have activities and games surrounding snowmen such as teams racing to dress a teammate with snowman items. Have hot chocolate taste testing, make candy snow globes, use white clay to have ‘snow’ sculpture competition, and one of my favourites, maple syrup in the snow!
Fun Tip: ‘Bonhomme’ the mascot means ‘good man’ in English
- Sledding/tobogganing Party/hot chocolate
Ask the parents to drop off their children at a local hill and have a sledding party! Ask parents to bring a sled if possible to maximize everyone’s turn down the hill. Open the back of the van and have a hot chocolate and hand out cupcakes instead of cake. Take it a step further and take a few children to the professional sledding hills such as the one in Barrie, Snow Valley.
- Snow fort party
If weather permitting, have the party at a local park where tons of snow has landed. Divide into teams, bring some beach sand equipment (shovels and buckets), and let them build the greatest castle! Like in the sledding party, open the back of the van and serve hot chocolate, cupcakes and pizza. Make it an extra cool party with spray bottles filled with food coloured water for the children to decorate their castle with.
- Hockey Party
This is a very popular idea during the winter. Simply visit the local skating rink and ask to rent the rink for an hour. The rink usually comes with a party room where you can get undressed and serve cake, pizza, and hot chocolate. Invite a balloon twister or face painter along for the 1-hour party to ensure all guests go home happy 😉
- Winter Wonderland
Much like the Carnaval birthday theme, have activities surrounding winter with a white crayon and watercolour paintings, making snowmen, and cutting out crazy snowflake designs. Put a spin on classic party games with a penguin theme; musical ice cubes, pin the beak on the penguin, penguin says, and penguin charades. Have a jar full of marshmallows and have the children guess how many are in it for a prize! Don’t forget to serve hot chocolate and vanilla ice cream.
- Winter Olympics (every 4 years) – This past year! Relive it!
When the children first arrive, have them head to the registration table where they are given a bib with their name and favourite number to wear throughout the party. Depending on how many children come, you can assign a specific country to each child or divide the children. Get the children involved in the country’s history and get them to design either their country’s flag or a new design for the events. Have an obstacle course with a cup of Cheetos that the children run to one another without spilling! Watch with the children some of the current or previous years’ Olympic best moments. For each ‘event’ give an award and have the top three win medals for their achievements. Some games to include are; tabletop curling, musical chairs figure skating, pin the puck in the net. If you have a Wii or Xbox, find a cheap winter sports game to play.
- Frozen/ Ice Princess
Make magic wands, crowns, and capes, decorate their own cupcakes, and watch the movie frozen! Make sure to serve ice cream cake and ensure each guest addresses one another as ‘princess’. For games, have a ‘do you want to build a snowman’ contest with two teams wrapping one child with toilet paper! Fastest one wins. Do some sugar cookie decorating with coloured icing and sparkles. Teach the girls basic ballroom dancing and table etiquette for quality princess fun. Face painting packages also available.
Got another great idea or threw a party like this? Comment below and share your story 🙂 Share this post with your friends and family having January parties or print it off for yourself! Join the exclusive e-newsletter for upcoming deals, free balloon locations, monthly blog posts, ideas and more! Sign up on the right side.
Let’s make your child’s party the best yet! Call or email Tickled Teals at 705-825-2833 and services@tickledteals.ca and I’ll take care of the rest!