Firetruck Birthday Party Ideas

Most children, both boys and girls, are fascinated by fire trucks and the kind of work that firefighters do. Play up to this by incorporating the theme into everything from the decorations to the games and activities. You may be able to go the extra mile and teach about fire safety as well in a fun way.

Use bunches of red and yellow balloons and get matching plates and cups for the food. Red and yellow streamers can help enhance the firehouse effect. Cover your table with a white tablecloth and scatter red hots on it for decoration. A fire truck party wouldn't be complete without a matching cake, so check out the selection at your local bakery or get ambitious and create your own. There are many websites dedicated to making your own cakes for different occasions and many of them come with step-by-step instructions.

Check with your local fire station to see if they offer tours for children. Often, these tours also come along with a lesson about fire safety as well as a chance to sit in the fire truck. A dalmatian is the quintessential firehouse dog. If you know someone with a friendly dalmatian, ask her to bring it by for the kids to see.

Collect cardboard boxes in the weeks before the party and allow each child to decorate his own "fire truck." Most party stores carry inexpensive plastic fire hats if you want to enhance the effect. Create an obstacle course or have the children run relay races to "put out the fire" (pop red balloons). If your running space is a bit more limited, have the party guests play pin the hat on the fireman, or get a fire truck piñata.