Is your child asking for a Dora party this year? Dora the Explorer and her monkey sidekick Boots are one of the most popular kids' birthday party themes. Here are some ways to bring the Nickelodeon characters to life on your child's special day.
- Take some tips from a Cinco de Mayo party, such as decorating your house in red, white and green, hanging colorful piñatas and serving Latin American or Mexican food.
- Sew sock monkeys and give them to the guests as favors.
- Set the kids on an adventure during the party. Give them a clue that will lead them to one destination, where they will find another clue. Continue the clues until they've arrived at the final location, where the birthday cake or favors await. You might want to incorporate a map (say map! say map!) in this activity or require them to solve a riddle told by an adult dressed as the Grumpy Old Troll.
- Speaking of Map, the party invitations could be maps rolled up in white paper. You'll probably want to include the phrase "Come on, vamanos!" somewhere on the invites.
- Depending on the time of year (and color of your carpets), ask the guests to wear boots to the party.
- Sew or buy each child a small purse or pouch and cut out stars from construction paper ahead of time. Have the birthday kid decorate the stars with glitter and paint before the party. As the guests complete the various games and activities during the party, hand each child a star for their star pockets.
- Bake a cake in a Dora-shaped pan (compare prices) or make edible Dora figures using fondant, like this Dora cake from Linzi's Cakes in Ontario, Canada.
- Play pin the tail on Boots.
- Ask your birthday kid whether she'd like to follow the lead of a girl in California, who, in lieu of gifts, asked guests to bring backpacks filled with school supplies that were later donated to children in need.
What ideas do you have for a Dora party?