Ask
most children what they want to be when they grow up and a good
majority of them will say ...firefighter!
After all,
there is the cool uniform and gear they get to wear, the fire
truck they get to drive, and a chance to achieve real superhero
status when they get to save the day!
If your child
or toddler daydreams of one day becoming a firefighter, let their
imaginations run wild with a cool firefighter theme:
Invitations
Draw it
yourself or print out fire
truck clip art or images of a fire hydrant, a dalmatian,
or a firehouse for your own homemade firefighter party invitation.
On the front, put something catchy like "You're invited
to a five-alarm party!" On the back, include all pertinent
information like date, time, place, and RSVP details.
Decorations
Find a
refrigerator box or other large cardboard container and turn
it into a fire engine. Cut out two of the long sides so that
the kids can climb in and out of it. Make two holes on each
side so that the kids can pick up the box and move around and
use their imaginations!
Take clear
cellophane and color it with yellow, orange, and red flames.
Then tape to the windows and front door to add to the "fiery"
party theme.
Activities
Play "pin
the firefighter on the ladder". Draw a fire engine with
its ladder extended on a piece of cardboard and use firefighter
stickers. Since every sticker will have a guests name on it
this makes for a great souvenir for the birthday boy or girl.
If your
party is outdoors and the weather is warm enough, ask your guests
to bring bathing suits. Give each child a chance to put out
a fire! Where is the fire? In the house! Which house? The house
that each child gets to pretend to be! All the children need
to do when they are pretending to be the house is to raise their
hands over their heads to make the roof.
Let the
kids bring home their very own dalmatian.
Give them precut dog shapes and let the kids glue on the dots
using different sized black pom-poms.
Attach
some flame colored tissue paper or crepe paper to a hula hoop
and let the kids jump through a ring of fire!
Place stuffed
animals inside the balled up tissue paper around the room. Announce
that there are animals in danger and must be rescued at once!
You can even have a ladder available that, with adult supervision,
the children can climb to reach an animal stuck on a bookcase.
Make sure you have enough stuffed animals for each guest to
rescue one and let the finder keep it.
Most fire
departments will be more than happy to give a tour of the fire
house to your party guests. The firefighters usually will let
the children get a close look, or try on some of the gear that
they actually wear. Then they get to sit in the fire truck!
(A real fire truck!) Be sure to call ahead of time and arrange
it.
Party Foods
and Favors
Depending
on the ages of the kids, spicy salsa and chips are a fiery party
food. Kids love jiggly food so make some red, orange, and yellow
jello for dessert.
Firefighters are also famous for their chili,
so why not have some at your own party. Mix it up with some
5 alarm chili for the adults and some milder chili for the kids.
The stuffed
animals that were rescued earlier are a great party souvenir.
You can also include plastic fire helmets or a toy fire truck
filled with candy to send your little firefighters home happy!
If it's age appropriate, print out kid-friendly
fire prevention tips to include in goodie bags for a fun
AND educational party.
More about firefighter party ideas around the Web:
Fire
Truck Party - Birthday Party Ideas
- Lots of visitor-submitted ideas for kids or toddler party fun
including tips for do it yourself decorations, invitations.
A
Firefighter Birthday Party - Great ideas for invitations,
decorations, party games and food including recipes for a firefighter
birthday cake and dalmatian cookies.
Ask
most children what they want to be when they grow up and a good
majority of them will say ...firefighter!
Activities