First Birthday Party Ideas: Multicultural Kid Blogs’ Virtual Birthday Party and Giveaway!

This post is part of the first anniversary celebrations on Multicultural Kid Blogs. For more details about today’s virtual party and giveaway, see the end of this post.

As my sweet Baby Monkey is (shockingly) crawling his way towards his first birthday, today my other baby (Multicultural Kid Blogs) is celebrating its first year.  I have been so blessed this past year to connect with such amazing moms and dads (and grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, and educators) all over the world.

Today MKB is having a virtual birthday party (see details below), so I thought it would be fun to share some games you can play at a baby’s first birthday party.

Let’s be honest: first birthday parties are mainly for everyone else.  Not that the baby won’t enjoy it, but in all likelihood he would enjoy rolling around on the floor chewing on something he found under the couch just as much.

No, first birthday parties are more for the family and friends, as a way to celebrate the magical fact that this precious little one has come into their midst and changed their lives in 12 brief, mind-boggling months.

On a serious note, in many countries reaching a first birthday is a real achievement, so first birthday parties are a very big deal.  Luckily, in the US we don’t have this worry hanging over us, but nonetheless first birthday parties are still a special celebration of life.

And a time to just plain be silly.  At least I think so.  So here are some fun games that your little one and her admirers can all enjoy.

Count the Cheerios

Cheerios are that tried and true snack of a child’s early life.  So as a twist on the “guess how many” game, fill a container with dry cereal (make sure to count them first!) and have guests try to guess how many there are.  Prize to the one who comes the closest!

Sippy Cup Decorating

Another ubiquitous token of early childhood is the ever reliable sippy cup.  Get guests into a baby’s mindset by making them use sippy cups, too!  Set up a decorating station and let them go crazy with Sharpies and stickers.  Most stores now sell packs of disposable sippy cups, so you can buy a bunch without having to spend too much.

Old MacDonald Had a Hot Potato

For this game, I brought together two childhood favorites: the song “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” and the game hot potato.  Have everyone sit in a circle.  You can either pass a ball around the circle or roll it to each other across the circle.  Everyone starts singing and passing the ball from one person to the other.  When you reach the part of the next animal, whoever is holding the ball at that moment has to come up with an animal and do the animal sounds for the rest of the verse. (“Old MacDonald had a …. cow!”)

Keep passing the ball, and as each new animal is added, those that have already taken a turn continue to contribute when it is their turn in the verse.  (“Old MacDonald had a … chicken!  E I E I O!  With a bock bock here—”  “And a moo moo there…”)

Nothing gets kids (and grownups!) laughing like seeing grownups act silly, plus they love animal noises!  (Who doesn’t??)

Baby Bottle Bowling

And of course, there is also baby bottle bowling.  Again, you can usually find cheap ones in bulk to use just for this purpose, or you can keep them later to use with dolls.

Hope you had fun with these silly games!  For more ideas you can also look at our annual birthday book, and the birthday time capsule we do on a child’s first birthday, for him to open on his fifteenth birthday.

Now let’s see what everyone else has been up to!  Read below for details on our virtual party and how you can enter to win one of our prizes!

It’s a party, y’all!

Multicultural Kid Blogs is officially one year old as of today. To celebrate we are hosting a virtual birthday party and YOU are invited!

The Party

Be sure to visit the participating blogs (see list at the end of this post) to see what they are bringing to the party, plus link up your own posts on the MKB site!

The Giveaway

Like any good host, we don’t want you to go home empty handed, so we are offering some great prizes to three lucky winners. See the end of the post for details on the prizes.

To enter, visit the MKB site to:

1) Link up a birthday-related post or

2) Comment on the MKB site to tell us your wish for the coming year!

Party Hosts

Creative World of Varya
Dad’s the Way I Like It
MommyMaestra
SpanglishBaby
For the Love of Spanish
Spanish Playground
the piri-piri lexicon
Expat Life with a Double Buggy
Kids Yoga Stories
MarocMama
All Done Monkey

Party Favors

Prize #1

Digital download of Más Canciones en Español from Music with Sara

Prize #2

Set of 2 books from National Geographic Kids – US Shipping Only

Treasury of Egyptian Mythology

How to Speak Dog

Prize #3

Lively Spanish immersion program DVD recommended for children ages 2-7 from Whistlefritz

Now it’s your turn! Visit the MKB site for a chance to win one of these prizes by linking up your birthday posts or commenting to tell us your wish for the coming year!