Add Some Kick With A Soccer Birthday Party For Kids
Guest post by Silvia Savage.
Part 1 of a 3-part series on hosting a soccer birthday party in Vancouver.
Thinking of hosting a soccer birthday party in Vancouver? No wonder! 2010 has been an exciting year for sports fans. With the Winter Olympics right here in Vancouver, we experienced first-hand the thrill of world competition. Just when the excitement seemed to settle down, it was time for the FIFA World Cup. If you have young soccer fans in your family, you know how exciting it was to watch the world’s best soccer teams play. So isn’t this the perfect year to hold a soccer birthday party for your young Vancouver soccer enthusiast?
How many and what you need
The ideal number of guests at a soccer birthday party for kids is between 12 and 16, though the party can be modified for more or less children.
What you will need:
- 2 soccer balls
- 12 yellow and 8 red disk markers (available at any soccer store)
- 2 adults (or older siblings) to act as referees
- 2 whistles for the referees
Where to hold the soccer birthday party
There are many choices, but some good places to start:
- Your local community park. Phone your local district to book the picnic area. This will allow you to have food and cake after the soccer games, all in one spot.
- Your local elementary school field. If you are walking distance from an elementary school with a soccer field, you can have the guests dropped off at your house, then walk to the school field for the soccer birthday party, and walk home for cake and presents.
- A gym at your local community recreation centre or church. During the winter months this is your safest bet. There are many gyms available to rent in your neighbourhood, the majority from $20 to $30 per hour.
Planning the soccer birthday party
- Before sending out the invitations, have the birthday child choose what countries he or she would like represented in the World Cup. This will be the exciting part, and your child will be able to help you plan the perfect party!
- Next, divide the guests into four equal teams (of either 3 or 4 children per team, depending on the number of guests). This step is key to ensure success. You do not want a team that is a lot stronger than the rest. The birthday child can help with this step as well, and it will be a lot of fun to plan it together. Your son or daughter will know who the stronger players are, and with his or her help, make sure you put players that are more skilled on different teams.
- Decide together with your child what colour t-shirts each team will wear.
- Now it’s time to invite the guests. On the invitations, tell your guests that this is a soccer party, and soccer games will be the main activity. Encourage them to wear comfortable clothes (especially footwear) to play soccer in. For each guest, include the team that they are on and what colour t-shirt they need to wear. For example, if Italy was chosen as one of the teams, let the three or four children on the “Italian” team know they will be on Team Italy and to wear a blue-coloured t-shirt (or Italy soccer jersey if they have one).
Check back next week for what to do on party day, to help you plan a soccer birthday party for kids in Vancouver!
Silvia Savage is the owner of The Party Treasure and mom to her four kids. The Party Treasure provides quality, themed birthday party kits for 3-8 year olds, with everything you need for a fun, unforgettable party.
