Celebrate the snowy season with some adorable arctic animal friends! This birthday party or playdate idea is perfect for animal lovers and their arctic friends like the arctic fox, seal, penguin, or polar bear! This icy cool party is filled with snowflakes, fun winter activities and even an arctic animal rescue center. There is something for every child and you'll create extraordinary memories with your kids and their friends this winter!
To create this arctic wonderland, I mixed the classic arctic color combination of blue and white with mint and light pink. The combination of these colors worked perfectly with our iridescent elements scattered throughout the party.
First, I set the table with an iridescent sequin table cover. If you don't have a sequin table cover, a White Paper Linen Rectangle Tablecloth will also work.
Down the middle of the table I used strips of Blue Snowball Tulle to create a table runner I added a Snowflake Garland, Light-Up Plush Snowballs and an assortment of painted sisal trees to fill out the table runner.
Get the kids to help you with the table settings by having them create their own polar bear plates using simple White Paper Dinner Plates. I created a very basic traceable template for the kids using a cut up polar bear favor box. They traced the nose & ear shapes onto card stock then cut them out and stuck them on the plates. Then they used a hole punch to make the eyes and a sharpie to draw on the mouth. A white chalk pen was perfect for adding a glint to the eyes and nose.
Once the plates were done I put them on top of Light Blue Square Paper Dinner Plates and added them to the table along with mint spoons and forks wrapped in Winter Animal Bandannas. These bandanas double as gifts the kids can take home. Secure the bandanna in place using white cord and a White Yarn Pom-Pom.
Next, I glued Iridescent Snowflake Christmas Ornaments to Clear Stemless Plastic Wine Glasses and placed them on Happy Bear Beverage Napkins. I don't know about your kids, but mine love getting special glasses!
I always like to add treats and entertainment to the table to keep the kids' attention, so I added sweet treats to these adorable Winter Animal Favor Boxes. Penguin, walrus, and polar bear faces are included in each favor box set of a dozen.
A Polar Bear Stress Toy makes the perfect little friend for each party guest during lunch or dinner.
Set the scene for party guests & your little animal lovers with a gorgeous DIY Winter Icicle Backdrop behind your dining table. Get all the steps on how to create this stunning backdrop for your wall or as a snow cave in your fireplace opening HERE. Be sure to pair your icicle backdrop with these especially cute Winter Animal Stand-Ups!
Above my mantel I hung a deer head and decorated it with a Snowflake Garland and a strand of Light-Up Plush Snowballs. I added a few strips of pink and mint tablecloth to make the white garlands pop!
I also spray painted a variety of Iridescent Snowflake Cutouts and Glittery Snowflake Shapes pink and added these across the back wall.
I always like to create a cute birthday sign for the guest of honor. This one is very easy to make and can double as wall art after the party. First, paint a DIY Slat Sign mint, then cut out a fun birthday message in pink vinyl. Attach a few pink painted snowflakes to the sign. Finally, cut the polar bear face from one of the Winter Animal Favor Boxes and use it as the focal point of the sign.
I placed the sign on the mantel along with a selection of pastel painted DIY Ceramic Christmas Trees, white DIY Unfinished Wood 3D Stand-Up Trees and more Light-Up Plush Snowballs.
Adoption centers and take home stuffed animals are always a popular addition to any kids' party. An arctic animal rescue version seemed like a great fit for this polar party. I made another sign as a focal point for the rescue center. This time, I painted it pink, used mint vinyl & snowflakes, and added the penguin face to the center of the sign.
The kids were able to "rescue" from a selection of Winter Stuffed Animals and Mini Arctic Friends that I'd placed inside a large basket. Going by the ooohs and aaahs I can safely say these were a hit and have found wonderful homes!
The other thing that always works well at kids' parties is a station with a good selection of crafts and activities. Mark the crafty spot with a Cardboard Penguin Stand-Up! I created a cute "Craft Time" flag for him to carry by re purposing a Small Paper Celebration Flag.
On the craft table I put the supplies for the kids to create their own animal plates; including traceable templates I made from the favor boxes.
I also added a "Make Your Own Snow Globe" activity. The essentials for this activity were Craft Snow, sisal trees, DIY Snow Globe Jars and a selection of pastel painted Zoo Animal Action Figures.
Next, I added cute Winter Animals Googly Eyes Spiral Coloring Books, Winter Animal Pencils and a selection of mini erasers for the kids to have some fun with or take home after the party.
Short Jars are perfect for holding these fun favors, so they can be seen and easily accessed.
I used the Tall Jars for holding a selection of Winter Animals Bouncy Balls. These make for some super fun games!
Speaking of games, I also put out the Arctic Animals Bean Bag Toss Game for the kids to play. Bean bag games are always fun and I love how they work both inside and out.
What better way to send the kids home than with a Winter Animals Drawstring Bag? They look super cute hanging over the kids' chairs and this way the kids can add their take home gifts and completed crafts to the bag as the party goes on.
Which one is your favorite? I think I'd be chillin with the penguins!
Don't forget to get the step-by-step tutorial to make your own DIY Icicle Backdrop to bring your winter themed party to the next level!
