How to Decorate for a Birthday Party at Home

Co-authored by Ivy Summer

Last Updated: February 2, 2023 References

Birthday parties at home are great fun and don’t have to be much work. If you’re lacking inspiration, pick a theme to help you choose decorations. Be creative and embrace the party-spirit as you decorate. Use streamers, garlands, balloons, and food to transform your home into a party zone.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Creating a Theme

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Decorate your home with rainbow colours for a young child's party. A rainbow theme is a fun and easy way to style a party. Use as many colours as possible to create a rainbow feeling. Where possible, arrange the colours in the order of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet).^{[1]
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- Use different coloured balloons and streamers to add colour to your home.
- Purchase disposable plates and cups that have rainbow pictures on them.
- Use chalk to draw rainbows on the driveway.
2
Display jungle decorations for a kid’s birthday party if they love animals. Animals are incredibly popular with kids making them a great choice for decorations. Choose decorations that have animal patterns, such as leopard or tiger print. Decorate the cake with a picture of an animal.^{[2]
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- A safari party or a zoo party are also great animal themes.
- Place plants in hanging baskets to create a jungle feeling.
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3
Create a monochromatic theme for an elegant affair. Pick a colour and use it to create a monochromatic theme. If it is a child’s birthday, let them choose their favourite colour, or pick classy colours such as black, gold, silver, or white. Purchase decorations that are all the same colour.^{[3]
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- For example, have a pink tablecloth, pink balloons, pink streamers, and pink cups.
4
Use the birthday guest's favourite movie as a theme for a fun, film-inspired party. This theme works well for any age group. Pick a favourite movie and choose decorations that relate to the film. For example, if you choose a football movie, hang football memorabilia on the walls, have a football game on the television and make a ball-shaped cake.^{[4]
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- If you choose a children’s movie, look for disposable cups and plates that have pictures of the characters on them.
5
Create a royal theme if the birthday guest loves royalty. This theme is a fun and easy choice for both adults and children who love to dress up. Tell the party guests to come dressed in their favourite royal costume. Consider buying crowns for all the party guests to wear. Choose balloons, streamers, and tableware in royal colours; silver, blue, purple, and gold are great options.^{[5]
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- Consider watching a prince or princess movie in the evening.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Decorating for a Young Child’s Party

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Purchase disposable tableware that fits your theme. Choose tablecloths, napkins, cups, and plates that are related to your theme. For example, if you're hosting a jungle-themed party, pick plates, cups, and napkins in various animal prints.^{[6]
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- Purchase disposable tableware from a party supplies store
2
Hang up lots of streamers to create a festive feeling. Streamers are a cheap and easy way to decorate your house for a party. Cut lengths of streamers that are the height of the door and use sticky tack to attach them onto the top frame of your front door. When children enter your home it will feel like the party has already started. Alternatively, use sticky tack to hang lengths of streamers from the ceiling to create a fun atmosphere. Be creative!
- If your children want to be involved, let them choose what colours to use.
- Purchase streamers from a party supplies store.^{[7]
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- If you are hosting the party in the backyard, wrap streamers around the tree and hang them from branches.
- If you are having a rainbow themed party, use lots of different coloured streamers. If you are having a monochromatic theme, use streamers that are the colour of your theme.
3
Use bright coloured food on the table as decorations. Place brightly coloured foods, such as watermelon, grapes, chopped carrots, fairy bread, or cake with bright icing on the food table to add colour to the party. Place different coloured foods next to each other to create contrast. For example, place red watermelon besides green rock-melon, and yellow cake. Children will be drawn to the bright colours.^{[8]
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- If the weather is good, consider having the food table outside. This will save your floors from getting dirty from dropped food or drink.
- Assemble the food in a rainbow shape if you are having a rainbow themed party.
4
Hang a pinata up to set a party atmosphere. Pinatas are a great way to create a fun and colourful focal point to a room. Purchase a pinata that fits with your theme and fill it with treats. Tie the pinata to an exposed ceiling beam or a ceiling hook. Try to hang the pinata somewhere central in room so that children won’t hit the wall when they try and open it.^{[9]
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- Purchase a pinata from a party supplies store.
5
Set up a pin the tail on the donkey display. This is a great way to decorate a wall and is also a fun party game. Choose a display that fits your theme. For example, if you are having a princess party, you could choose a pin the crown on the princess display. Attach the pin the tail on the donkey display onto a blank wall or fence. Keep a blindfold on hand for when it’s time to play the game.^{[10]
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- Buy a pin the tail on the donkey display from a party supplies store or get crafty and make one yourself.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Choosing Decorations For a Party

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Place blankets and pillows on the ground to create a picnic look. Picnic style seating is a popular and trendy look. Ask guests to bring a picnic blanket or use your own blankets. Even if the party is inside, this can still create a fun, picnic atmosphere. Place pillows on the blankets and around coffee tables to help encourage people to sit down.^{[11]
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- Avoid using your favourite pillows in case they get food on them.
- This isn’t the best option if you’re hosting a formal party. However, if you’re hosting a casual gathering, this idea will work a treat.
2
Blow up lots of balloons to create a festive atmosphere. Join clumps of 6 balloons together to create feature pieces. Hang these up on curtain rails to give a festive feeling to the house. Another option is to secure a string from one end of the room to the other and tie the balloons along the string. If you feel creative, sprinkle colourful confetti into clear balloons to create an elegant look.^{[12]
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- Purchase balloons from dollar stores, grocery stores, or party supply stores.
- Pick a colour scheme for your party, such as black and gold, and purchase balloons of those colour
- Avoid using balloons for young children’s parties as the popped balloons will be a choking hazard.
- If the birthday guest is turning a significant age, purchase a helium balloon with their age printed on it.
3
Hang up a photobooth backdrop. Guests love to take pictures at parties to remember the night by. Hang the backdrop in a well lit area where the guests will linger throughout the party. The living room and the courtyard often work well. Choose a backdrop that fits the theme of your party. For example, choose a sparkly gold backdrop if you are having a royal or monochromatic theme.^{[13]
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- Purchase a photobooth backdrop from a party supplies shop or get creative and make your own. If you decide to make your own, consider hanging streamers, tinsel, paper chains or ribbons on the wall.
4
Hang up decorative lights to create a party atmosphere. Lights are a great way to set the mood for a party. Hang festoon lights or fairy lights in the trees, from the rafters, or over exposed ceiling beams. If you don’t have any decorative lights, ask a friend if you can borrow theirs or hire some from a party supplies store.^{[14]
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- If possible, use LED lights as these won’t burn party guests if they accidentally touch the bulbs.

Expert Q&A

Question

What's a fun way to display old birthday cards at a birthday party?

Ivy Summer
Certified Wedding & Event Planner
Ivy Summer is a Certified Wedding Planner and the Owner of Voulez Events. Ivy has over 10 years of experience consulting, planning and coordinating weddings around the globe. She has also created a DIY online wedding planning workshop for couples, called "Plan Your Wedding Like A Pro." She currently resides in Greece where she continues to work with a worldwide network of planners and wedding professionals.

Ivy Summer

Certified Wedding & Event Planner

Expert Answer

You can frame a doorway with the old birthday cards. That way people can go back and read each handwritten note and relive the memories.