Ahoy! Have a swashbuckling pirate party that will be a hit with all the kids, complete with a bounty of treats, games and a promise of buried treasure -- all without spending excess coin.
First, some starter tips to keep costs down:- Invite 8 kids or less
- Have the party at your home
- Make your own cake and snacks
Invitations
Savings Tip: Find free printable invitations
Print out these pirate invitations for free. For more fun, you could even take a few empty plastic bottles, write guests' names on address labels to stick on the outside, and put the rolled up invitations inside as "messages in a bottle."
Decorations
Savings Tip: Start with old Halloween decorations
Dig into your closet and see if you have any skull-and-crossbone items -- if so, put them out. Or if the time is right of course, see if you can pick some up at a post-Halloween sale.
Pirate flags also make great decorations for the walls. Try using these printables against black construction paper; or, you could make them out of fabric.
Finally, what about decorating the kids? Draw beards on each guest with black eyeliner pencil, and give them each a bandana and eyepatch to wear (sold in bulk at party stores, a set of eyepatches should run less than $5, and a set of bandanas about $10).
The Table
Savings Tip: Use plain black and silver tableware
Use a black tablecloth with plain silver or gray plates and utensils. Toss some gold candy coins and any costume jewelry you have onto the table, and you're on your way. This shouldn't set you back more than $15 or so, if you have to buy the coins and tableware.
Activities
Savings Tip: Buy just one "treasure" and keep them guessing
Half the fun of being a pirate is looking for your treasure -- which means that you don't have to spend a fortune buying different goodies and equipment for activities. Just one good prize is enough as the reward after a long treasure hunt.
Some other great (and cheap!) pirate activities include:
- X Marks the Spot: Draw a "treasure map," blindfold and spin each guest around, and
have them mark it; whoever marks closest to the "treasure" spot wins!
- Scavenger Hunt: Sink a toy in the pool, like a ship or toy pirate; fill the pool
with other toys and then have the kids look for the original item.
- Pirate Hats: Make simple pirate hats out of construction paper and string and have the kids
decorate them.
- Walk the Plank: Lay a board across your pool (or over blue tarp on the ground) and have the kids walk across, go backwards, balance on one leg, etc. without falling off.
Food
Savings Tip: It's all in the name
Serve whatever you want, but give your snacks clever names to punch up the pirate factor. Meatballs? Call them "cannonballs." Chicken nuggets? Those are "golden nuggets." And strawberry punch? That's "shark's blood!"
And, every pirate party deserves a festive cake. Here are some great ones you can make yourself:
Party Favors
Savings Tip: Look for great dollar store finds
Raid your nearest dollar store to put together goody bags filled with loot. Things like candy coins, temporary tattoos, and pirate-themed stickers are all inexpensive but fun.
