Plan the Sweetest Candy Party

Here’s a way to celebrate your little one’s birthday in super sweet way: plan a candy birthday party! Think sweets and treats to pull off a candy themed party that everyone will remember. 

Don’t worry about cavities! You won’t need a lot of actual candy for a candy party theme! Focus on candy themed party ideas, like candy decorations for parties. Here are a few candy birthday party ideas to get you started:

• Invitations: Stick to the theme and send out invitations that are candy-related. These can be in the shape of candy or have pictures of your favorite candies on them. Use playful fonts, such as those with swirly lettering. Bright colors will also add a fun flair to these invitations.

• Guest list: For a kid’s birthday party, feel free to include guests both young and old! Family friends, neighbors, schoolmates and their parents are all great to invite to a celebration with a candy party theme. The more the merrier!

• Decorations: Think candy! That's right, create decorations from actual candy items. For example, creatively hang candy necklaces around the party space. You'll be able to give these to the kids on the way out as a favor. Also, stick large lollipops into colorful pails filled with sand to create a fun table decoration.  

• Food and Drink: Make sure you have some candy handy! Fill large glass canisters with your child’s favorite candies. You should also choose those that are lower in fat and sugar, like gummis and dark chocolate. For dessert, you can create beautiful candy cupcakes. These are just like regular cupcakes, but have candy-coated tops like M&Ms, gummi bears and crushed candy bars. A fun idea for candy parties is to create food that is inspired by real food, but is actually made out of candy. For example, you can make candy “sushi.” First, make homemade rice crispy treats (or buy them at a store) and cut them into small pieces. Next, wrap them in pieces of fruit leathers or Fruit by the Foot. Top each one off with a Swedish Fish and voila! To balance out the sugar rush, make savory tea sandwiches, like ham and cheese, tuna salad and cucumber with herb spread. As a side, put out vegetables and dip. This way, you’ll mix some healthy food in with all of the sweets!

• Activities: Great games for candy parties are those that are clearly candy themed, like Candy Land. If you have bigger groups, try something like a piñata! To get people moving, create a candy themed obstacle course. This can include a kiddie pool filled with wrapped confections or towers of candy wrapper posters that they can jump over. Get creative! Lastly, have the kids try to build a "house of cards" out of candy bars.

The most important thing to remember for a candy party is that it should be fun! This is a great party for someone who likes baking and arts and crafts because there is so much you can make yourself. It’s also sure to be a crowdpleaser!