Gather Around the Pool with Pool Party Invitations

Make a big splash this summer by hosting a cool summer lovin’ party for kids of all ages!

Whether you have access to a swimming pool, or you just want to pretend you’re at the beach, there’s no better time than the lazy days of summer to invite the gang over for a soaking good time!

To ensure that you won’t have any no-shows, send out one of these clever invitations!:

Send a brightly-colored Frisbee with all of the details written on the top! For best results, use a paint pen!

An inexpensive beach ball invite is always fun. Write the party details in permanent ink and deflate for mailing. Your guests will surely know that this party will be a ball!

Attach a computer generated tag to a pair of sunglasses. Use curling ribbon, raffia, ribbon, or pipe cleaners to attach the note.

If traditional paper or imprinted invites appeal to you, consider sprinkling some palm tree or fish confetti inside the envelope for a fun surprise!

Create a Summer Oasis with Pool Party Decorations

Create festive fun with these summer themed decorations for your pool party! 

Decorations:

Hang a weather resistant Pool Party Banner in the area where guests will enter the party. The banner includes plastic tabs or metal grommets for ease in hanging.

Attach a bouquet of helium filled balloons to a light post or mailbox so there will be no mistaking where the party is!

Because your party is centered on the pool setting and the water, decorating for this party will be very simple. Create spectacular brightly colored tables with a Pool Party Ensemble and you’ll make short work of your decorating. This ensemble contains balloons, streamers, curling ribbon, a beach ball mylar balloon, a sun centerpiece, a 3-D sun banner, a hanging sun and more to match your theme.

If you are hosting your party in the evening, string twinkle lights all around your pool area…they aren’t just for the holidays anymore!

Balloons can economically transform any room into a festive space in a matter of minutes by using some of the following ideas:

*Tie curling ribbon to helium filled balloons and group the balloons together. (Odd numbers look best: 3, 5, or 7.) Place groupings of balloons around the party room.

*If you choose not to use helium, tie balloons to varying lengths of curling ribbon and hang from a porch ceiling or from a light fixture over the party table. Mix a few Fun in the Sun Swirls amongst the hanging balloons.

Streamers offer an economical way to splash lots of color around the site of the party. The streamers can be twisted after they are anchored to a ceiling wall or table for a more dimensional look.

Table Decorations:

If you are serving a sit-down meal, 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 party area. Start by setting your table with all the goodies in the Pool Party Ensemble, creating a place setting at the table for each guest.

If you are serving your food buffet style, place the tablecloth over the buffet table, and arrange all the party ware from the Pool Party Ensemble at the beginning of the buffet line. The decorated buffet can then serve as the focal point in your party area.

Beach towels with bright stripes make great table covers!

Place your pool party cake in the center of your table as a centerpiece…the kids will love the close up view!

If you wish to have assigned seating, use small beach pails or beach balls and write names on them with a paint pen. Place one pail or ball on each plate to serve as a place card.

Scatter sand and a few shells across your tables like confetti.

Pool noodles and inflatable pool toys in varying shapes make great decorating props. Lay a couple of pool noodles down the center of the table, or prop inflatable pool rings over chair backs.

Tie helium filled balloon sprays to pairs of brand new flip-flops as creative balloon weights.

Sprinkle individually wrapped white Life Savers on your tabletops just as you would use confetti.

Place a pair of sunglasses at each place setting and tuck a napkin and cutlery in the fold of the glasses – instant napkin ring!

Activities for a Splashin’ Pool Party

Splishin’ and a splashin’ with friends in a cool pool is a fantastic way to spend a summer afternoon - what could be better? The main activity, of course, will be swimming, but here are some other activities that are fun for any age!

• Have contests to see who can hold their breath the longest.
• Have a “sunken treasure” contest where you toss items in the pool and all at once the guests dive to find the surprises.
• Have a rubber ducky race. Each player gets their own duck and has to swim behind it and push it along using only their nose!!
• Dump in several buckets of ice cubes into the water all at once. Have a contest to see who can retrieve the most cubes onto dry land. The catch here is that they can only use their toes! The laughter that is produced is half the fun!
• Play tried-and-true pool games like Marco Polo, Tug of War, water volleyball, and water basketball.
• Set up your sprinklers and play “Musical Sprinkler.” You must have a few helpers that can turn the water off and on to make this work. Have your guests run around in the back yard jumping from sprinkler to sprinkler. Randomly turn off the water to one hose and whoever was dancing in that mist is out of the game. The last one in wins a water toy!
• Play volleyball using two sheets and water Balloons. Each team member holds a side of a large sheet. Each team tries to lob the water balloon over the net to the other side. The other team tries to catch the balloon using their sheet and without getting wet! This game is great for older kids and teens!
• Have a major squirt-gun war. These inevitably turn into an all-out bucket water fights!
• Wet sponge football is always a really ‘cool’ time!
• Before the party, fill several water balloons with water and a small toy favor. Freeze the balloons solid. On the day of the party, remove the balloon from the solid ice and what you have left is a fun ice ball. Have a contest to see who can get their ball melted the fastest and retrieve the toy inside the quickest!

The following activities may not create a soak, but they are sure to provide a flood of smiles and summer fun!

• Lay a sheet of Poly Vinyl out in your lawn. Bring in a truckload of inexpensive sand and have lots of beach toys ready for a sand castle building contest.
• Garden-hose limbo, a hula hoop contest, or beach blanket bingo are activities that have provided laughs for decades and are still great ideas for this theme party!
• Set up a rowdy badminton tournament!
• Never underestimate the power of music to set the tone for your party. You’ll almost feel the warm ocean breeze if the sounds of the Beach Boys, Bob Marley or Jimmy Buffet are filling your backyard. Kids of all ages will want to dance well into the evening!
• After dark, settle the crowd down with a bonfire and a sing-along.

Kids will love making their own magnets with a sunglasses and flip flops magnet kit. Let us know what pool party activities you enjoy!

Pool Party Favors for Summer Fun

Pool Party Favor Packs include an awesome selection of treats at prices that will fit any budget. Favors are no longer the parting gifts they were in the parties of yesterday. Use different components in your decorating, for party activity prizes, and to adorn your waterlogged guests and the party will take on a life of its own.

Personalized Stickers are a big hit…and they make a great scrapbook keepsake!

Life Savers, sunscreen, lip balm, beach balls, beach towels, sun hats and pool toys all make terrific pool party favors.

Pictures taken at parties make terrific party favors. Whether they are ready to be shared when the party ends or need to be mailed or emailed at a later date, they’ll be treasured. Try a Pool Party Standee for hilarious commemorative photos.

Kids will love decorating foam visors and wearing them around the party!