HAWAIIAN PARTY

 

INVITATION IDEAS
Look for party invitations with a Hawaiian theme at a party store.
Or make your own, by placing Hawaiian stickers and writing a greeting, such as; “ALOHA, Come to a Hawaiian Birthday Party for _______”, on the front of a small index card. Then, write the details of the party on the back of the card.
 
FAVOR IDEAS
Leis – Give each child a real or paper lei.
Grass Skirts – You could also make grass skirts for everyone out of green tissue paper or newspaper.
Drum Cups – Take paper cups and fill with candies. Cover the top with waxed paper and tape around the top of the cup to hold it in place. Children can drum on the top of their cups and then later, poke their fingers through the waxed paper to retrieve their candies.
  
DECORATIONS
A long low table works great for this type of party. Children sit on pillows on the floor next to the table.
Decorate your table or room with large paper flowers.
  Set real or paper pineapples on your table.
 
FOOD IDEAS
Banana Popsicles – Peel bananas and cut them in half. Stick a popsicle stick in the cut end of each one in the middle. Dip the bananas in a solution of ¼ cup lemon juice and ¼ water (or just use lemonaid) to keep the bananas from browning. Then roll the bananas in graham cracker crumbs. Place on waxed paper and freeze.
Fresh Fruit – Serve sections of fresh pineapple to the children. Or make a fresh fruit salad, with bananas, pineapples, and other tropical fruits.
Coconut Cookies – Serve your favorite coconut cookies.
Pineapple Sherbet- Serve pineapple sherbet in small cups or bowls.
Hawaiian Punch
 
CHILD INVOLVEMENT ACTIVITIES

Making Leis - Cut 2” paper flower shapes from construction paper. Punch a hole in the middle of each flower shape with a hole punch. You will need approximately 8 paper flowers per child. Give each child 8 flower shapes, a large plastic straw, and some scissors. Show the children how to cut the straws into approximately 1” sections. Finally, give each child a 14” piece of yarn with a straw section tied on one end and a piece of tape wrapped around the other end for a needle. Show children how to thread on a straw section, then a paper flower, then another straw section, until all of the flowers are on the lei. Help children finish off their leis by wrapping tape around the two ends to secure them in place.
Hawaiian Dancing – show the children simple hand motions for words, such as water, rainbow, love, come, etc. Play some Hawaiian music and let the children make up their own hula dances with hand motions.
 
PARTY GAMES
Go to Party Station Home Page and click on Hawaiian Party Games.

 
HAWAIIAN PARTY GAMES

PASS THE COCONUT
Have the children sit in a circle.
Hand a coconut to the birthday child.

Turn on some Hawaiian music and have the children pass the coconut to the child on their right side.

When the music stops, the child holding the coconut receives a small gift, but must leave the circle.
Continue the game, eliminating a child whenever the music stops.
The last child in the game, should receive a slightly larger prize.
 
MUSICAL PILLOWS
If you used pillows for your Luau, you can also use them for a version of musical chairs.
Put pillows on the floor in two rows, side by side, with one less pillow than the number of children.
Have the children march around the pillows while you play some Hawaiian music (or beat on a drum).
When the music stops, every sits down on a pillow.
The child who cannot find a pillow is out of the game. Again give him a small token gift and continue the game.

The last child on a pillow wins a prize.
    
COCONUT RELAYS

Set up teams and run a relay race, handing off a coconut.

Or have a coconut rolling contest.