Sharks are some of the largest, most fascinating creatures in the ocean.  

It’s no wonder these awesome sea creatures have inspired numerous books and movies.  There is even a whole week dedicated to sharks each summer. 

Whether you’re looking for some family friendly activities to do during Shark Week, or you are planning a shark birthday party, these DIY Shark Party Games are sure to get the kids smiling and having fun.  

You may also want to check out some of these other shark games for kids.

Affiliate links have been provided below.  See my full disclosure policy here.

Do you know a child that loves sharks?  

Like so many boys his age, my son loves sharks.   He has even had a shark-themed birthday party, complete with a variety of  shark party games  and a “Jawsome” DIY shark cake.

If you are looking for shark party ideas, these games are a great place to start.  

DIY Shark Party Games

These 4 simple DIY Shark themed Games are perfect for a shark birthday party.  They’d also be fun to play during Shark Week in the summer.

Feed the Shark Game

Start by creating your very own game of “Feed the Shark.”   

Use a large piece of cardboard to create this simple ball toss game. 

Simply draw a basic shark head and cut out the mouth.  You can even add in some pointy teeth with white construction paper.  

(Want to see more detailed directions on how to make your own cardboard ball toss?  Check out our Feed the Monster game.)

To feed your shark, tape tissue paper tails to some plastic ball pit balls to make fish.  You could also use bean bags, or you could even use rolled up socks.  (Sometimes simple is best!) 

Put your “fish” in a bucket, and have kids take turns tossing the fish into the shark’s mouth.  

Kids of all ages will have fun “feeding the shark.”  

Have older kids stand farther away from the target.  Younger kids can stand closer to it.  

What’s great about this game is that once you are finished playing, it makes a fun picture opportunity! 

It’s perfect to print out and hand to party guests as a fun souvenir.

Related post:  The BEST Shark Books for Kids. 

Keep the Shark Away

Another very simple party game is “keep the shark away.”  

Use a permanent marker to draw shark faces on blue balloons.  

Cut several pool noodles in half.  

Have kids try to keep the balloons in the air, and not let them touch their bodies, while only using the pool noodles pieces to keep the “sharks” away.  

Walk the Plank

A wood board makes a fun pretend plank for this game.   

Turn it into a kids shark game by placing a blue plastic tablecloth under the plank to serve as your ocean. 

Create shark fins by cutting large triangles out of cardboard. 

Cut a slit in the bottom of the triangle and slide a smaller rectangle of cardboard into the slit to make your triangle fin stand up.  

Place the fins around the plank.  

The object of the game is to walk the plank and not fall in to the shark-infested water.    

Save the Sea Animals Game

Looking for one more shark themed party game? 

Have kids save toy sharks and other sea animals in the Save the Sea Animals game.

There you have it, simple and fun shark party games, just in time to add to your Shark Week activities.

You may also like:

• Educational Shark Themed Games
• Wacky Water Wing Game
• Fun Games for Kids 
• Super Awesome Camp Crafts
• How to Have an Awesome Star Wars Party on a Tight Budget

Originally published June 20, 2015.

The post Shark Party Games — Perfect for Shark Week or a Shark-Themed Birthday Party first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

What I found was tons of sites suggesting using a special cake pan and pictures of finished cakes with no directions.  I didn’t want to disappoint him, but I also didn’t want to spend a bunch of money on a cake pan I’d only use once.

So I got out the cake pans I had, traced their shapes on paper, cut and pieced them together until I came up with my own Star Wars-inspired DIY Darth Vader Cake.

Affiliate links have been used below.  For my full disclosure policy click here. 

Have your own Star Wars fan at home?

This DIY Star Wars cake is sure to be a big hit at any Star Wars party.  

These Storm Trooper Cupcakes are a fun addition if you’re looking for cupcake ideas, too.

Darth Vader Cake

Materials Needed:

• 9 Inch Square Cake Pan
• 9 Inch Circle Cake Pan
• Serrated Knife  (I used my bread knife.)
• Black Cake Icing (I used 2 packages of this one.)
• White Decorating Icing 
• Your Favorite Cake Mix (1 box)
• Wax Paper (optional)

How to Make a Darth Vader Cake

Bake cake mix as directed, pouring half the batter into your circle cake pan and half into the square cake pan.

Allow cakes to cool completely and remove from cake pans.  

Pop the square cake into the freezer for one hour so it is easier to cut into pieces without crumbling issues.

Once you remove the square cake from the freezer, cut triangles off from opposite corners of the cake.

To make your triangles the same size, simply cut one, flip it over and use it as a guide to cut your second triangle so they are mirror images of each other.  (My triangles were 7 inches at the longest side and close to 5 inches on the side facing out.)

Position these at an angle from the circle cake as shown in the picture below.  

Next, cut another triangle from the bottom of your square cake.  This will form Darth Vader’s chin.

Cut the remaining portion of the square cake in half.  

Use one piece of this to fill in the area above Darth Vader’s chin.

Use the other half to cut pieces to fill in gaps you have left.  (Hint:  If you slide a piece of waxed paper under those spaces you can use a pen to draw the shape onto the wax paper, cut it out and use it as a pattern to cut the cake pieces.)

Use a bit of frosting to hold the pieces of the cake puzzle together.   Then cover in black cake frosting.

I couldn’t find black in the canned frosting I usually buy, so I bought 2 of these decorating icing packs.  You could also use chocolate frosting and add a bit of black food coloring.

Once your cake is covered in black frosting, use white decorating icing to add facial details.

This Darth Vader cake was a huge hit at my son’s 7th birthday, and it is sure to be a hit at your party, too!

You may also like:

• Recycled R2-D2 Inspired Craft
• DIY Lightsabers
• Shark Birthday Cake
• Tractor Cake and Cupcakes

Originally published on May 21, 2016.

The post DIY Darth Vader Star Wars Cake first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

When it comes to movies, my son is a HUGE Godzilla fan.  He loves all the classic movies, where the monsters are played by actors in suits.  He has even had not 1 Godzilla birthday party, but 2.  

With the new movie coming out this summer, I thought it was the perfect time to share some of our favorite Godzilla party ideas for kids. 

Summer is also perfect for these shark party games.  

This post contains affiliate links.  See my full disclosure for more details. 

Do you have your own Godzilla fan at home?

These kids party ideas are perfect for celebrating the “King of Monsters.”

Godzilla Party Ideas for Kids

Start off with the perfect cake idea. 

Then find some fun homemade games for your child’s party, and of course, ideas for party favors to thank each of your guests.  

Godzilla Birthday Cake

Cupcakes are perfect for kids’ birthday parties.   

For one thing, they allow you to serve up cake much faster than having to cut a large cake into pieces.  They eliminate the need for silverware, and they help you avoid the whole, “His piece is bigger than mine” drama.  

To make your Godzilla cake, start with your favorite cake mix, using the option to make 24 cupcakes.  

Once the cupcakes are baked and cooled completely, cover 22 cupcakes with Black Decorator Icing.  I used the decorator tip and kept the icing a bit bumpy to give the “King of Monsters” a little texture.  You could also use black fondant for a super smooth look. 

Cover one cupcake with white frosting.  Add a small dot of black icing  in the center to form an eye.

Arrange the 23 cupcakes on a table or large tray as shown to form the shape of Godzilla’s head.  (If your cake mix made 24 cupcakes, now’s a good time to taste that extra one…for quality control purposes, of course!)

Once the cupcakes are arranged, cut 2 blue triangular spikes from construction paper.  Tuck them under the cupcakes at the back of  the monster’s head.  Add some blue paper flames shooting from his mouth to complete your Godzilla cupcakes.

Godzilla Party Games

Every great kids birthday party has fun games.  

Squirt guns and water balloons are always big hits for warm weather parties.   Give them a monster twist by creating targets with some of the monsters you find in Godzilla movies.  

You can easily find pictures of the monsters online.  Print them out and hang them to use as targets.  You can even laminate them to make them last a little longer.

Or, if you are feeling artistic, grab some large pieces of cardboard and draw your own monsters.  Attach them to posts and create a fun monster battle site.

Kids will have fun squirting the targets with water guns, or get a pack or two of blue water balloons for them to toss at the monsters.  (Blue, like Godzilla’s breath weapon, of course!) 

Another fun monster party game is “Build a Monster.”

For this game you will need:

• Colorful Rolls of Crepe Paper 
• Cheap Plastic Headbands
• Pipe Cleaners
• Construction Paper
• Masking Tape

Before the party, twist pipe cleaners to the headbands to create antennae.  (They could also become eye stalks during the game.)

Cut out a variety of eyes, mouths, and noses from the construction paper.  

To play the game, divide kids into groups of 2-3.  Each group will have 5 minutes to turn one member of their group into a monster.

Each team should have one roll of crepe paper. 

They will start by wrapping colorful crepe paper around their future monster.  They can wrap it around the player’s arms and chest, around their legs…wherever they wish, but they must use the entire roll.  

Then they can add antennae, as many eyes, noses, and mouths as they like.  They may even come up with a few of their own ideas — like using masking tape to create “claws” or taping eyes to the tops of the pipe cleaner antennae.  

When the 5 minutes are up, be sure to snap a picture of each group’s creation.  

Party Favors for Godzilla Birthday

For a fun and simple DIY party favor, print out several pictures of Godzilla breathing fire.  (We used this Gozilla Coloring Page. )

Then wrap clear plastic wrap around sticks of blue rock candy  and tape the candy to the picture to make it look like Godzilla’s fire.

Your child may even want to write, “Thanks for coming!” to create a fun thank you card to give guests.  

Looking for more favor ideas?

Try colorful monster finger puppets (AKA Godzilla monster friends) or mini stuffed monsters. 

Whether your child is a long-time fan, or is inspired by this summer’s movie, these Godzilla party ideas for kids are sure to be monster hits. 

You may also like these posts:

• Star Wars Party Ideas
• Shark Party Games
• How to Make a Dragon Cake
• Games for Kids

The post Godzilla Party Ideas for Kids first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

With the new Star Wars movies and cartoons that have come out, Star Wars birthday party ideas have been very popular lately.  Recently we celebrated my son’s birthday with DIY Storm Trooper cupcakes and other budget-friendly ideas.

Kid parties don’t have to be expensive.  If your child is a Star Wars fan, you can have an awesome kids Star Wars party on a budget.

You can also use these simple ideas to celebrate Star Wars Day on May the 4th.

My son has caught the Star Wars fever, and this year we planned a super fun Star Wars party for 10 kids that cost less than $40, using many of these fun and inexpensive party ideas.

Budget-Friendly Star Wars Party Ideas

• Party Cups — Stickers are awesome when it comes to budget-friendly birthday party ideas.   Instead of spending 3-4 dollars for a pack of Star Wars cups, we used stickers to decorate plain black cups we found for a dollar.   We also turned plain plastic bags into Star Wars goody bags with just a few stickers.
• Goody Bags — When it comes to stickers they are great for filling goody bags, too.   Not only can you add stickers to the goody bags, but we bought a pack of 12 mini bubbles from the dollar store and used stickers to make them match the theme of the party.   (Much cheaper than the 40 cents per bubble container we found at the party store.)
• Invitations — I love this printable Star Wars Darth Vader Party Invitation from Hale Grafx
• Decorations — Check the recyclables and make your own R2-D2 for the table.  Toy Star Wars spaceships also make quick and thrifty decorations.

Star Wars Party Games

• Pool Noodle Lightsaber t — I love doing crafts at kids parties.  This one is a guaranteed hit at any Star Wars party.  Plus, the kids can take it home as part of their goody bag.  Win-win.
• Light Saber Training —   Once each child has made their own lightsaber, it’s time for a Star Wars party game:  lightsaber training!  Use a black permanent marker to draw simple storm trooper faces on white balloons.  Challenge the kids to use their lightsabers to keep the balloons in the air.  You can have them each try it with their own balloon or have them work in pairs.  So much fun!
• Obstacle Course — Another fun, and super cheap party game is an obstacle course, reminiscent of Luke Skywalker’s Jedi training with Yoda.  No need for the little green Jedi master to be present.  Check out what you have on hand that can be used.  Use sidewalk chalk to make a hopscotch for the start of the obstacle course.  Have kids jump over boxes, balance on a board, or crawl under a chair.
• Death Star Beanbag Toss — Recycle a large cardboard box into your own Death Star and see who can “blow it up” by getting their beanbag in the hole.  (Check out these directions for making a DIY ball toss.)
• Star Wars Themed Nerf Games from Frugal Fun for Boys

Star Wars Party Treats

• These Lightsaber Pretzels from Two Sisters Crafting inspired one of our favorite party snacks.  We rolled ours in colored sugar before letting them cool so they sparkled.
• Star Wars Party Mix from Lemon Lime Adventures
• Darth Vader Cake —  There’s no need to spend money on a fancy bakery cake.  You can easily make your own Darth Vader cake at home, using cake pans you already have.
• Storm Trooper Cupcakes — Cupcakes make life easier at kid birthday parties, and these Star Wars themed cupcakes are super easy to make!
• Princess Leia Cupcakes from Paintbrushes and Popsicles (Because girls like Star Wars, too!)
• Dagobah Punch — This was so simple and a huge hit with the kids.  Just take 5-6 scoops of rainbow sherbet, cut it up into small pieces and pour your favorite lemon-lime soda pop on top.  (We used 7-Up for ours.)  

With these simple and fun ideas you can throw a Star Wars party on a budget that your child will remember for years to come.  

You may also like these kids’ party ideas:

• DIY Frozen Castle Cake
• DIY Dragon Pinata 
• Shark Party Games
• Games for Kids 
  
  

Originally posted June 2, 2016. 

The post How to Have an Awesome Kids Star Wars Party on a Budget first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Now that I’m a parent, I love coming up with games and activities to go with whatever theme my children have chosen for their party.  I’ve made Halloween party games for my daughter’s Halloween themed birthday, hunted down the best Star Wars party ideas, and even built a dragon pinata.

This year my daughter asked for a Monster High birthday party.  Since her birthday is in October, it meant plenty of spooky party items could be found in the dollar store.  (I love the spiderweb paper plates we found.)

When she asked if she could have a pinata for her party, I had a peek at a few in the stores.  I just couldn’t justify spending $20 on something that is supposed to get torn up in just a few minutes.

Thankfully making a paper bag pinata is super easy, and this DIY Monster High pinata can be made in about an hour.

This simple paper bag pinata would be fun at a Monster High party, or even as a cute DIY ghost pinata for a kids Halloween party.   (Yes, I know it’s supposed to be a skull, but on a rectangular bag it makes a pretty convincing ghost.)

Depending on the ages of your child, you could even make this a fun activity to do together.

Monster High Pinata Tutorial

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Materials:

• Large Paper Bag (We used one from the grocery store.)
• Craft Glue
• Scissors
• White Tissue Paper
• Pink Tissue Paper
• Black Tissue Paper (optional)
• Pink Construction Paper
• Black Construction Paper
• Yarn or Cord (to hang pinata)

Before you start building your paper bag pinata, place the candy, toys, or other small filler items inside your bag.  Fold the top 2 inches (5 cm) of the bag down, and thread a length of yarn or cord through the fold, creating a way to hang your pinata when it’s finished. Seal the bag shut, over the yarn, with glue or tape.

Cut 2 inch (5 cm) wide strips of white tissue paper.  (You will need enough strips to cover your entire paper bag.)

Use scissors to cut fringe into strip.  To lessen the chances of tearing, cut the fringe so it is at least 3/4 inch (2 cm) wide.   Also, I have found that it is easier to cut tissue paper if you are cutting several layers at once.  Don’t worry about making perfectly straight lines or having them all the same size.  Once it is put together no one will notice.

Starting at the bottom, glue the white tissue paper strips to your bag pinata.  Be sure to glue just the top of each strip (not the fringe part).

Go around the entire bag: front, back, and both sides.  Once you have one row of tissue paper finished, do the row above it, allowing the fringe of the top strip to overlap the one below it.  Continue until the entire bag is covered in white tissue paper fringe.

Next, cut out eyes and noses from black construction paper.  To make 4 identical eyes all at once, fold your paper in fourths, draw your eye shape with pencil and then cut out all 4 at one time.  Glue eyes and nose on the front and back of the pinata.

Use pink construction paper to make 2 large bows to glue on the upper corner of your Monster High pinata.

Now to make that bow really stand out.

Cut 1 inch (2.5 cm) squares of pink tissue paper.  To glue them on, stick your finger in the middle of each square and wrap the tissue paper corners up around the tip of your finger (or the end of an unsharpened pencil).  Work in small sections, covering the construction paper with glue and then just pressing the center of the tissue paper square to it.

You can do the same with black tissue paper for the eyes and nose if you wish.  Our homemade pinata was made the day before the party, and I didn’t have black tissue paper on hand, so I left it with the construction paper face.

Your paper bag pinata is ready to hang once the glue completely dries.  Since it costs almost nothing to make, your wallet won’t take a beating as the kids have fun whacking the heck out of it to get to all the goodies inside.

A Monster High pinata is the perfect addition to a Monster high birthday party or a kids Halloween party.  

You’ll also like:

• Vanishing Ghosts — Super Simple STEM Activity 
• Go on a Ghost Hunt! 
• How to Make a Tea Pot Birthday Cake and Tea Cup Cupcakes 
• Shark Party Games
•  

The post Super Simple DIY Monster High Pinata first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.

Whether you’re planning your own Star Wars party, or you’re just looking for the perfect dessert to have while watching the movies with your kids, these Star Wars Storm Trooper cupcakes are sure to bring smiles.

(Related Post: DIY Darth Vader Cake Idea)

Affiliate links have been used below for your convenience.  See my full disclosure here. 

What I love about these Star Wars cupcakes is that they are so simple to make.  They’d be perfect to send in to school for your child’s birthday.

Materials Needed:

• Your Favorite Cake Mix  (We used this gluten-free one.)
• White Cake Frosting
• White Cupcake Liners
• Marshmallows
• Black Edible Food Marker 

How to Make Storm Trooper Cupcakes

Bake cupcakes as directed on package.  Once cupcakes are completely cooled, frost them with white icing.

Using your black edible marker, draw simple Storm Trooper faces on your marshmallows.  My kids have only seen the original Star Wars movies so far, so we went with the classic Storm Trooper look:  black band around the top of the head, triangular eyes, upside down curve mouth and a few lines for vents or dots to be bolts at the bottom of the helmet.  For a more modern Storm Trooper look you can connect the black band to the eyes like these cupcakes over at Spaceships and Laser Beams.

Once you have your Storm Trooper marshmallows are finished, simply place one on top of each cupcake.  You will have your own delicious army of Storm Troopers in no time!

These cupcakes were a huge hit at my son’s Star Wars birthday party this year.

Honestly, they are so simple to make, you could easily whip up a few Star Wars Storm Trooper cupcakes for your own Star Wars fan any day of the year.  They’d be perfect for Star Wars Day!

More posts you’ll like:

• DIY Darth Vader Cake
• DIY Pool Noodle Lightsaber
• Recycled R2-D2 Craft
• Tipped Tractor Cupcakes
  
  

The post Storm Trooper Cupcakes — Perfect for Star Wars Party first appeared on There's Just One Mommy.