If your birthday boy or girl loves the Bob the Builder character (from books or videos) or just loves big construction trucks- this Bob the Builder Birthday Party might be perfect for them! It was the first of many kids birthday parties we threw at home, and we learned so much from this experience! Read on to see why!
Okay- so let me just set the scene. My oldest son was about to turn three years old, and I couldn't wait to celebrate with a full-on birthday bash (notice that I said “I” couldn't wait- I am not even sure that Kyle was asking for a party)!
It didn't matter that I had a 20-month-old, and a brand new baby (3-month-old) AND that we had just started a renovation project on our house to add on two additional bedrooms- I was having this party!
Kyle was a fan of Bob the Builder, and since our front yard was already “decorated” with construction equipment, this seemed like a good theme for our party.
True to my hyper-organized self, I created a detailed week-by-week timeline outlining all of the things that I needed to accomplish in order to pull off this party. It looked something like this (I know, because I actually saved it, in case I wanted to follow it as a guideline for all of my future parties!):
My Planning Timeline (Note: Do NOT follow this!)
5 weeks out:
- Create and send out the invitations
- Call rental company and order tables and chairs
- Come up with ideas for the party games
- Make signs for the party games to hang up in the game area (obviously, my post-partum brain wasn't registering the fact that 3-year-olds can't read!)
- Make and test tattoos (umm… yeah- I couldn't find Bob The Builder tattoos, so I actually purchased tattoo paper for my color printer and MADE the tattoos)
4 weeks out:
- Make the fishing pole and find a bucket for the “worms” for the “Bob the Builder Fishing Hole Game”
- Make the cut-out for the “Pin the Wrench on Bob” game and find a blindfold
- Test the toolbox craft idea and make a sample to show the kids
3 weeks out:
- Make the racetrack for the “Roley's Race Track” game
- Assemble the toolbox craft
2 weeks out:
- Make chocolate lollipops (as prizes for the games- no plain old store-bought candy for my big boy and his pals- no way!)
- Write up activities for my party helpers (a.k.a Grandmas and Grandpas- because clearly, this party was so detailed, it required hand-written instructions for anyone involved!)
1 week out:
- Shop for ingredients for lunch and cake
- Write guest's names on hats, bags, aprons, toolboxes
- Follow up on RSVPs
- Follow up with the rental company
- Choose serving pieces for snacks (I envisioned serving them in cleaned out toy cars and dump trucks, but eventually gave up on this idea when I couldn't get the boys to stop playing with them!)
- Make prize bags for “winning the games” (fruit snacks and graham crackers)
A few days before the party:
- Bake and decorate cakes
- Buy fruit and cheese
- Tables and chairs delivered- clear out furniture and set up “party rooms” (formally known as the living room and dining room)
Day of the party:
- Cover the tables, set out paper goods, set up a staging area for crafts, and food service
- Cook chicken nuggets and tater tots (put in warming trays)
- Pick up balloons
- Set up music (of course I had music from the TV show!)
- Set out garbage cans, wipe boxes
- Make sure bathrooms are clean and have extra hand towels
And somewhere on this list, I forgot to include
-
HAVE A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN BECAUSE THIS IS INSANITY!!!
But now let's talk about the RIGHT way to throw a Bob the Builder Birthday Party!
Flash forward a few more years and dozens of birthday parties later, and I can show you exactly I could have done this party much more easily! Starting with:
The Bob the Builder Birthday Party Invitation:
I created these simple construction birthday party invitations that you can personalize in PicMonkey This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. with the celebration specifics!
You can download these for free, for your own personal use, at the bottom of this post! (And I've even included a free printable thank you note!)
Bob the Builder Birthday Party Order of Events
When the party guests arrived, they were met by this welcome sign hanging near the front door. And we had ordered some balloons for the local party store which really helps to set the theme!
A cute idea we used- we had a large wheelbarrow next to the door to hold all of the birthday presents!
We provided each guest with a construction hat This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. and construction apron This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. (the apron was meant to help cover their clothes for the painting project later).
We had four party games planned, that were manned by our very helpful Grandmas and Grandpas!
The first was “Roley's Race Track”, where the kids could race little Bob the Builder cars This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. and win a prize. (We built our race track, but you can buy one that is similar This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. here!)
The second game was “Pin the Wrench on Bob” (a la Pin the Tail on the Donkey), but I quickly learned there that 3-year-olds wanted no part of wearing a blind-fold! So we just allowed them to cover their eyes with their hands and “pin” the wrench on Bob!
The third game was Bob the Builder's Fishing Hole where the guest would put a gummy worm on the end of a fishing pole, and dangle the line over the top of a sheet that was hung at kid-height across a doorway where my father was hidden on the other side of the sheet, and would take off the gummy worm and replace it with a package of fruit snacks. The kids loved this game!
The final station was “Scoop's Tattoo Parlor” where the party-goers could receive a homemade Bob The Builder tattoo of his or her choosing! (But you can use these construction tattoos This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. instead!)
After the party games, we went back to the tables which were now set up with our craft project, where we painted these wooden toolboxes This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. !
Bob the Builder Story & Lunch
After the craft, I gathered all of the party guests into the other room, where I read them the story “ Bob's Birthday This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. “.
While this was going on, my hubby and the Grandmas cleaned up the tables and readied them for lunch. The kids enjoyed homemade chicken nuggets, tater tots, fresh fruit, cheese cubes, pretzels and goldfish, salad, juice boxes, and water. (A much easier decision would have been to order in pizza!)
Bob the Builder Birthday Cakes!
I baked a Bob the Builder cake This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. and a dump truck cake This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. using the shaped cake pans and then decorated them with this icing recipe mixed with Wilton gel food coloring This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. .
It would definitely have been easier to order a cake from the local bakery!
All Parties Need an “Exit Plan”!
After the cake, we assumed that everyone would gather up their little ones and all of their party goodies, and head home. So we were surprised to find that so many parents and kids continued to hang out, take seats on our couches in the family room, give themselves a tour of the house- we even found one Dad checking out our furnace in the basement (I swear!).
And that's when we decided that future parties needed an exit plan! From that point forward we concluded our parties with an outdoor treasure hunt for goodie bags!(Live and learn!)
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Check out some more awesome Kids Birthday Party Ideas:
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How to Throw Your Own Kids Birthday Parties at Home!
Do you think your birthday boy or girl would love a Bob the Builder or construction-themed birthday party?
Anonymous says
I still have the toolboxes!!!
Sharon says
We have a few of them ourselves too! But I sure hope you aren’t keeping them around because you need a declutter intervention!
Kelli says
Hi there– I am planning a similar (crazy) party. Where did you find the toolbox kits? I have been looking for some that aren’t too expensive. I need about 20 and trying not to break the bank. I love your ideas!
Sharon says
Ah- my first-ever birthday party was about 9 years ago…. so I can’t recall where I purchased the wooden toolkits. But I feel like it was an online wooden craft supply company…. and they were not hugely expensive- maybe $3-$4 each. And my husband had to put them together one by one! That was the hard part!
Life As Wife says
I know this is an older post but I’m a new reader planning my son’s first birthday and I’m loving your party plans!!
Guess I’m going o learn the hard way how crazy it is to plan a big party…
Mom says
I remember it well. I wondered how you’d ever top it.