Relaxing Father’s Day Party Ideas

Time to Plan Your Relaxing Father’s Day Party

With Father’s Day slowly approaching (it’s June 17^th), it’s definitely time to start planning a fun party.  To show the special Dad in your life just how much he means to you, plan a nice, relaxing Father’s Day party.  Because you have a lot of time to plan (at least, you have a lot of time if you start planning now), you can choose from a wide variety of parties.  Generally, most people plan a fun backyard barbecue for Father’s Day. This year, try pulling out other ideas—look at your dad’s favorite sports.  No matter what sport he follows the most, there are all sorts of party ideas buried.

Relaxing Father’s Day Backyard Barbecue

The standard fun party idea for Father’s Day is a cookout.  While dads are usually the grill men, give him the option this year.  Either let Mom cook, or (if he wants to) give Dad his place at the grill.  The catch this year is that Dad has to wear a chef’s hat and an apron decorated by his loving family.

When you start planning what food will be appearing at your Father’s Day backyard barbecue, think about your dad’s favorite foods.  Pick his favorite main dish, a few of his favorite sides, and make his favorite dessert.  If he wants to be a part of the food preparation (if he maybe has a new seasoning he wants to try or something along those lines) and the cooking, let him.  Don’t refuse to let him be a part of the fun.  It’s his day; he can do whatever he wants!

Father’s Day Sports Party

If your dad wants to just sit and watch sports for awhile on Father’s Day, let him!  Suggest that he invite a few other dads and guys over to join him!  However, after a few hours, try to remind him that he needs to get up and about, maybe go outside and get some fresh air.  The catch is: while he’s been sitting inside watching sports with his friends, you and the kids have been outside, maybe conspiring with the families of the friends he’s watching sports with, and decorate your backyard before beckoning Dad outside.  Watch his face when he walks into a backyard sports party!  Whether his favorite sport is baseball, basketball, football, golf, or racing, he’ll be shocked to see his backyard transformed into a Father’s Day party place!  Even within each of those Father’s Day party themes, there are other choices to be had: use his favorite team as a jumping-off point; pick either car racing or the Kentucky derby; you can even plan activities for the party!  Remember, though, it’s your job to make sure it’s a relaxing day for the dad in your life as well as a chance for you and your family to show him how much you love him.  Happy Father’s Day party planning!

Big Heads, Big Sports Trend, Big Fun

The biggest trend in college basketball student sections is really B-I-G.  Three feet tall, big head cutouts, numbering 150 strong at some schools are waved as an attempt to distract visiting players when shooting free throws.  Whether they are effective is debatable, but it’s clear their popularity has taken off.

“The big heads are very popular during the NCAA tourney. Those watching the games from parties at home or in bars wave personalized big head cutouts of their guests to produce a few laughs, while cheering on their favorite teams,” remarks Jacquie Downey, Director of Sales and Marketing at Shindigz, a leading national party supply company.

Making a BIG Impression

High schools are enjoying the action, too. Administrators and parents create big head cutouts to recognize players and coaches during games. “It was the highlight of the night and the talk of the town,” says one mother who used them during her sons’ final high school football game.

Cheering families of marathon runners find the big head cutout’s huge three feet size make a huge impact when their runner turns the corner and sees themselves larger than life.

“They’re not just for sporting events anymore. We get many orders for milestone birthdays.  Big head cutouts showing the guest of honor as a child and an adult really makes a big impression,” adds Downey.

About Shindigz

Since 1926, Shindigz has been a part of over 22 million events and delighted customers with creative party ideas, supplies, and decorations.

Celebrate the Season with a Baseball Themed Bash

Hang a personalized baseball banner at your baseball party

Baseball season is underway! If you have sports fans in your home, it’s time to throw a baseball themed bash to get this season off to a fun start.

Baseball fanatics will be happy you’ve decided to celebrate America’s past time. For the next big game, invite all your buddies over and have them wear their favorite team’s jersey. Decorate your home with baseball banners cheering on your favorite players.

You can also hang up decals of baseball bats and gloves to get your fans into a festive mood! Streamers of your team’s colors, or mylar balloons shaped like baseballs, are also a great choice.

If you want to throw a barbecue to celebrate game day, why not purchase some green grass mats to turn your backyard into a baseball diamond? You can even host a pick-up game for the kids at your bash.

Maybe you have a family member, neighbor or friend who plays on a baseball team? You can personalize a banner, invitations, or party favors to make the player in your family feel like an all-star.

Make your next party a grand slam – throw a baseball party this summer!

Hit a Grand Slam with a Summer Baseball Party

After selecting this theme for your party, choose a slogan to use in your invitations, and to use in tying in decorations and personalized favors to your super sports theme.  Try one of the following, or brainstorm with the birthday boy or girl to come up with the perfect slogan for your party:

• ”Corey’s Home Run Happenin’!”
• “Grand Slam Gathering!”
• “Hey now…You’ll be an All-Star at Jaysen’s Party!”
• “We’re gonna have a BALL at Taylor’s Baseball Bash!”

Invitations:

Choose one of the following invitations to let your young guests know what a grand slam time they will have at the party:

• The Championship Baseball Ensemble and Major League Baseball Party Ensemble contains an invite that is perfect for this theme. Address each envelope to “Big Hitter Josh” (each child’s first name.)

• Treat the kids to an invitation that will transport them straight to the 7th inning stretch at Yankee Stadium or Wrigley Field.  Start with a design invitation, which can be imprinted with your slogan or logo, and any wording you wish.  Attach a box of Cracker Jack to the invite with curling ribbon, and you could paraphrase the wording to “Take me out to the Ball Game!” to create a very clever invitation.  For example, “Take me out to Cameron’s Birthday Ball Game….Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack, etc.”

• Be sure that the invitation notes that kids should come dressed to participate in sporting activities, including the right kind of footwear.

Transform Your Party into a Big League Event with Baseball Decorations

You won’t have to wait for the World Series to experience the thrill this baseball party is sure create!  We’ve gathered everything you’ll need to decorate and celebrate grandstand style, and to guarantee all-star action for everyone!  Decorating for this party can be fairly simple, because typically this party will be held at a ballpark, schoolyard, backyard, or gym and the focus will be on playing the game.  Try to greet guests with a festive welcome, and create over-the-top tables for eating, and for food and gift display!

Outdoor decorations:
• Line a walkway with red shimmer star cut outs, writing each guest’s name on a star.  Tape the stars with masking or duct tape to the sidewalk, walkway or exterior walls leading to the site of the party.  The stars can also be used on the food table and as place cards.
• Attach a bouquet of helium filled balloons to a light post or mailbox so there will be no mistaking where the fun will be that day!

Indoor Decorations
• Start your decorating with our Championship Baseball Party Kit or Major League Baseball Party Kit. This ensemble contains balloons, streamers, curling ribbon, a cascading centerpiece, pennant cutout, molded baseball candles, and even a Baseball Piñata to match your theme!
• Our orange cheer phones (sport cones) are great for running drills, and they will also add a great splash of color to any party location!
• Stand life-sized stand ups of sports heroes around the table…Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriquez or Derek Jeter would all be welcome guests!
• Pay tribute to your child’s favorite pro team by adding logoed pennants, caps, bats, or autographed balls…anything you have around the house.
• Balloons can economically transform any room or yard into a festive space in a matter of minutes by using some of the following ideas:
-Use a helium tank to fill balloons.  Tie Curling Ribbon to balloons, and group them together. (Odd numbers look best: 3, 5, or 7) Place groupings of balloons around the party site.
-Tie a bunch of helium filled balloons to the birthday child’s chair, or tie one balloon to the back of each chair.
• If your party is indoors, or if you are eating in a separate room, streamers offer an economical way to splash lots of color around the site of the party.  Create a fun and colorful effect by draping printed streamers from the center of the ceiling to the walls on each side of the room.  The streamers can be twisted after they are anchored to a ceiling wall or table for a more dimensional look.  They also look terrific hanging from doorframes or cascading vertically down walls.

Table Decorations:
• Setting a table with the party ware, including the tablecloth, cups, plates, napkins, and cutlery is the fastest way to create a focal point in a room.  Start by setting your table with all the goodies in the Championship Baseball Ensemble, creating a place setting at the table for each birthday guest.  Setting the table with all the tableware creates a much more dazzling effect.
• Add one or a few of the following touches to personalize your tables:
• Cover the gift or food table with either grass green floral sheeting vinyl to create a clever surface that resembles a ball diamond.  Use white athletic tape to create the bases, home plate and foul lines.
• Place a diamond shaped piece of the “infield” (same material as the table cover grass) under each plate as a placemat on the table where the kids will eat.
• Hang personalized vinyl pennants down the back of each chair around the table.  A treasured pennant will hang in the birthday boy or girl’s bedroom for many years to come!
• Set a personalized cheer phone at each place setting as a place card.
• Turn well-washed batting helmets upside down, and use them as serving bowls for dry snacks such as chips, pretzels or Cracker Jack.
• Display your birthday cake in the center of the table…the kids will love the close up view!
• Add other personalized items, such as a stadium cup, to each place setting to let the birthday boy or girl know just how special he/she is.  These items will stir fond memories of the “best birthday ever” for many years to come.

Food Ideas for a Ball Park Baseball Party

The kids will be root, root, rooting for more when you serve baseball cake and ice cream!  A Sport Ball Cake Pan includes easy-to-follow directions, and can be modified to create a terrific baseball cake.
To make the cake a real standout, cover the food table with either grass covering creating a clever surface that resembles a ball diamond.  Place the baked and cooled cake in the center.  Decorate the cake, and then use white athletic tape or white piped frosting to create the bases, home plate and foul lines.  The other food can then be placed on the table around the cake.
If you are serving more people than can be accommodated by one boxed mix, which is what this pan calls for, we recommend that you simply bake extra cupcakes, or an extra rectangular cake.  All can be frosted in matching frosting, and cut and served behind the scenes.

Food:
• As the excitement is so high at children’s birthday parties, most children under the age of 10 will eat very little, and the waste can be disheartening.  If you are entertaining a younger crowd, schedule your party during a time when parents will not expect that their children will eat a meal…and serve only cake, ice cream, and a few other munchies such as Cracker Jackstm, peanuts in the shell (provided that you’ve checked with parents about allergies), grapes, or Baby Ruth Candy Barstm.
• If you are serving a meal, serve typical “sports spectator” concession stand food – hot dogs, nachos, soft pretzels, pizza, chips, popcorn, and snow cones.  Use die-cut shimmer stars to label each dish with a creative name.  Dugout Dogs (hot dogs), Homerun Hamburgers, No-hit Nachos, Strike Out Snow Cones, Pop Fly Pizza, Catcher Corn Dogs, and Grand Slam Grapes would all be fun to serve and eat!  Turn well-washed batting helmets upside down, and use them as serving bowls for dry snacks.  The leftover shimmer stars can be used to create place cards for each all-star at the party!