Ahoy Mateys! Nothing’s more fun than a Pirate party where little buccaneers can dress up and let their imaginations go wild.
Planning a pirate party is lots of fun and will fit any budget; all it takes is a little imagination and some planning. Online sites like Partybell.com, and Shindigz.com and Paperstyle.com have budget friendly party décor, favors, and more.
We hosted my grandson’s 6th. Birthday at our neighborhood park. The wide open grassy area was a great venue for the swashbuckling party games and activities. The park had picnic tables in a shady area and was a great place for all the Pirate Grub. Clean up was a snap, no need to worry about spills and crumbs, no one had to swab the decks! When the pirates went home we loaded up all our trash and tossed it in the rubbish bins.
Kids’ parties are easy to host, all they really expect is food and games, not necessarily in that order. When hosting a themed party the most important thing to remember is that everything is centered on your theme, from invitations to décor to food and to activities. Here are a few ideas we used in our Pirate Party.
Invitations were a snap when created and ordered from Vistaprint.com. They have many templates to choose from you just fill the details: Name, date, venue, etc. My grandson choose this one. We added a note that asked guests to arrive in comfy clothes so they could be “pirate-ized”. Invitations that match your theme definitely sets the stage!
We also ordered a lawn sign, banner, and labels from them. They have so many fun things at reasonable prices it was hard to resist.
We set the stage with the lawn sign and banner. Added Pirate Flags, balloons, Pirate Ship Centerpiece, a treasure chest , Pirate Cake, Pirate Grub and brews and voila we had a Pirate Party!
As guests arrived we led them to the area where they could be “pirate-ized”. We provided eye-patches, pirate hats and bandanas, clip on hoop earrings, and tattoos. Each child was allowed to choose the items he or she wanted to wear during the party. We had swords for them as well, but to keep the party from getting too wild at the onset we decided to “arm” them after the food was served.
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| Pirate Costume Chest |
When the pirates were dressed and pressed it was time to play the first game.
What Pirate Party would be complete without a Treasure Hunt? It was a great way to start the party, they had to find the treasure chest that held all the prizes for the day. We divided them up into 2 teams with an adult “Captain” to read the clues. We hid two sets of clues (rolled up scrolls) in each place the teams would retrieve a scroll and the adult helped them read and decipher them. It was fun creating the clues using Pirate lingo. We dug up a few Halloween props to help hide clues like “Dead Men tell no tales, but this one holds the clue in his thick skull” We put the scrolls in the skull skull that was positioned by a tombstone. Insert Photo of hunt. The team that found the chest got to choose a prize each. FREE PRINTABLE CLUES FOR TREASURE HUNT CLICK HERE!
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| Getting the First Clue for Treasure Hunt |
After the hunt it was time to feed our hungry buccaneers. We labeled food and drinks with Pirate sounding names and had most of them in easy to serve individual containers. Food labels were cards mounted on sticks to look like sails. We used a combination of Pirate themed and solid paper goods.
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| Food Labels |
Menu:
“Parrot Wings & Legs” in clear plastic cups (chicken wings and carrot sticks) served with “Bilge Sauce” (Ranch dressing) in a metal pail.
“Quicksand Dip” (Hummus) in clear plastic shot glasses served with “Pieces O’Eight” (round crackers)
“Buccaneer Piggies” (pigs-in-blankets) with ketchup & mustard in metal pails and pastry brushes to apply the condiment
“Peg Leg’s Pancit” – fried noodles
“Sea Monster Sticks in Swam Goop” – Fishsticks in tartar sauce served in clear plastic cups
“Swashbuckler’s Cannonballs” (melon balls & grapes on sword picks) served with “Calico Jack’s Dip” (honey yogurt)
“Shark Bait” – Goldfish crackers
“Pirate’s Treasures” – assorted cookies
Pirate Brews – 4 types of Kool Aid in small water bottles each labeled with a Pirate Brand
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| Pirate Grub |
After lunch it was time to get into some serious games to work off all the not so healthy treats.
Games:
Here Comes Captain – game of Simon Says but it’s “Captain Says” – last one surviving goes to the treasure chest.
Cannon Ball Pop – Give each child a balloon to pop, they can stomp it or sit on it. A slip of paper is in each balloon. If it says something like “Pirate’s Gold” the child gets to choose a prize from the treasure chest. “Walk the Plank” means no prize.
Walk The Plank – We marked off a strip and said it was the plank. The children have to walk across it without falling off. Those who fall off are eliminated. It gets harder as the ranks decrease – walk backwards, eyes closed, etc. Last one to survive wins a trip to the treasure chest.
Pirate Ship Race – We took took large boxes and made them into rowboats with the Pirate Flag attached. Kids form 2 teams. Pairs of children race down the course – on child in the box the other pushes. They exchange places on the return sail. Team who wins goes to the treasure chest.
Pirate Duels – Using bread sticks for swords the kids pair off for their duels. The ones whose breadsticks end up shortest are eliminated. The winners square off until there is one winner. As each child is eliminated he was awarded his sword.
Shark Attack – 8 sheets of newspapers are islands scattered in the ocean. The kids swim around the islands until the adult shouts “shark attack” the children must get to the safety of the island. Those who don’t make it are eaten by the shark. An island is eliminated with each round. The last island gets smaller and smaller. Last survivor wins.
Tug of War – classic game winners go to treasure chest.
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| Walking the Plank |
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| Pirate Ship Races |
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| Pirate Duels |
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| Shark Attack |
Then it was cake time! It was a shame to have to cut into the beautiful Pirate ship cake! But it was yummy!
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| Birthday Boy |
Favors & Prizes:
Treasure Chest was filled with Pirate Booty (package from Oriental Trading has 50 pieces of assorted toys)
Favor bags – telescope, pirate prism, gold chocolate coins, gold Hershey nuggets.
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| Pirate Loot |
Planning your own Pirate Party? Let us design custom party stationary for you! We design everything from invitations to menu cards specially for you!
Order your personalized invitations from my Esty Shop! We can design it and send you the files so you can print it yourself or if you prefer we can send you finished cards that are ready to send! Savvy Nana Crafts check it out!
