Your daughter loves everything about Walt Disney’s Frozen. She dressed up as Elsa for Halloween and “Let It Go” is her favorite song. It is no surprise to you that she wants to have a Frozen-themed party for her birthday. Ditto for little boys who are also Frozen fans. Unfortunately, a quick look at your budget does not leave much to work with. Don’t worry. There is no need to spend a fortune to make your child’s dreams come true. These budget-conscious ideas will allow the birthday child and friends to enjoy an afternoon of games, crafts and other Frozen-themed activities without breaking the bank.
It’s a Party
Start with the Invitations:
Punchbowl.com is a free online invitation site that offers five options for Frozen invitations. Simply fill in the party details, insert the guest emails and press send. Paper invitations can be found at various retailers or online at Amazon.com for $4 to $6.
What to Serve:
A simple Frozen-themed lunch includes baby carrots and ranch dip, pretzel sticks, blue gelatin cups and sandwiches cut in the shape of a snowflake. Snowflake cookie cutters can be found in craft stores and online for as little as $1. Instead of an expensive store-bought cake, any mom can make a trifle. Add food coloring to a white cake mix to create a blue cake. Crumble cake into a glass bowl or trifle bowl and layer with whipped topping. Repeat layers until all cake is used. Top with the last of the whipped topping and decorate with blue sprinkles and a Frozen candle.
Create a Photo Booth:
Give the kids something to do as the guests arrive. Printable photo booth props are available on Etsy.com for $7 to $10. You can print out the images from your home printer, then cut out and attach a dowel rod or branches from the yard. Snap pictures of your guests posing as Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Sven and Kristoff and share the pictures with their moms. For a backdrop, pose guests in front of a blue sheet attached to a wall with icicle lights, your cut out snowflakes or even different sized cotton balls threaded onto string to look like falling snow.
Set the Scene:
Dedicate one area of your home as the party space and create a Frozen wonderland by hanging white icicle lights and large snowflakes hanging from the ceiling that you and your kids cut out of plain computer or construction paper. Around the room and on the entry door place Frozen posters. Insight Editions’ Frozen: The Poster Collection (March 2015, $24.99, available on amazon.com) poster book contains forty 12” by 16” full-color, removable and frameable posters displaying the beautiful snowy scenes, official movie posters from the film and beloved Frozen characters. After choosing which posters to hang, have your child select a poster for each of the guests and roll them up, tie with ribbon and label with the guest name. Give each child their poster to take home and here’s your instant and easy “goody bag.” Assigning posters and rolling them up so kids see what they get when they get home saves arguments over who gets what poster.
Game On
Try these fun and economical games to keep the crowd entertained and focused.
Antler Ring Toss:
Order an inflatable antler toss game ($5) from the Oriental Trading website (orientaltrading.com). The guests will enjoy taking turns trying to get their rings on Sven’s antlers. While the game comes with inflatable rings, it might be fun to dim the lights and use glow stick necklace rings purchased from the Dollar Store.
Build an Olaf Game:
Disney.com has a free printable of Olaf in pieces at disney.co.uk/frozen/downloads/ frozen-activity-build-olaf.pdf. Print out a sheet for each player and have him or her cut out the separate pieces. Using a single die, play a game similar to the Cootie game. Instead of building bugs, you are building Olaf. Assign numbers to each part and collect his snowman parts as you roll. The pieces can be glued to the front of a blue gift bag (Dollar Store, 2 for $1) to be used as each kid’s goody bag.
Melting Snowball:
Have the kids sit in a circle and pass a Styrofoam ball around while the Frozen soundtrack
plays. Like Hot Potato, when the music stops, the child holding the ball is out. To avoid hurt feelings, the birthday
child can offer a Frozen sticker to each of her friends as they get out of the game.
Creativity Reigns
These crafts can bring a touch of creativity to your party.
Make a Frozen Hair Tie:
Purchase elastic hair ties from the Dollar Store. Attach blue, white or snowflake patterned ribbons to the elastic by folding the ribbon in half and then slip the looped end of the ribbon behind the elastic and then pull the ends through the loop to attaches around the elastic. Embellish the ribbons with beads attached to elastic thread or yarn and attach in the same manner.
Elsa’s Gloves:
Let the kids decorate inexpensive white or blue gloves. Use white glue to draw basic snowflake shapes and cover with glitter. Add more bling with gems and beads for gloves worthy of a princess.
Trolls:
Use gray clay or homemade playdough to craft Cliff, Bulda or the other trolls. Decorate with google eyes, craft moss hair, gray felt ears and small rock noses.
Goody Bags:
As your guests leave the party, make sure their homemade goody bag includes their glitter gloves, hair ties and trolls. Hand each child their rolled and labeled Frozen poster or finish the bag with other Frozen items like a Frozen party cup ($1), stickers (24 for $1.75) and pencils ($2.99 for a dozen), all found on the Oriental Trading website.
More Time?
These activities should keep your guests occupied, but if you have more time or are planning a sleepover, why not end the party by settling down for a screening of, you guessed it – Frozen!
Pam Molnar is a freelance writer and mother of three. She enjoys planning, hosting and writing about themed parties for kids and adults.
