Got a kid that’s just crazy about pizza?  Then a pizza-themed birthday party is just the ticket to make their special day even more special.

Of course, what exactly do you do in a pizza-themed birthday party?  The main course is pretty self-explanatory, but just having a pizza isn’t really enough to call something “pizza themed”.  You want activities and things to go along with the pizza, and we have some great ideas to make planning your kid’s next birthday party a… pizza cake!

The Pizza

Most important, of course, is the pizza itself.  Rather than just ordering one, however, it might be fun to have kids make their own personal pizzas, filled with their favorite toppings.  Here’s a great recipe that works well and isn’t too complex.  It can be a fun experience for kids of all ages – though perhaps a bit messy for very young children.

The Clothes

It’s also fun to play a little dress-up at a party – with the added bonus of keeping any clothes clean during the pizza-making phase.  Plain t-shirts with puffy paint and the name of your “pizzarria” is a simple way to go, or you can scale all the way up to aprons and chef hats – there are a number of options here.  Another idea we’ve seen is a “pizza crown” – cut out five triangles from yellow card stock for the “slices”, with each base about three inches wide.  Cut a thin strip of card stock, about an inch and a half thick, line it with double sided tape, and add triangles.  Decorate it with red and brown strips of card stock at the base (the sauce and crust!) and drawn-on toppings, and you have a pizza crown!

The Games

While the pizzas are cooking, you’ll want some games!  Pizza-themed twister is a fun idea, as are other variations on classics – pin the pepperoni on the pizza?  Plenty of other games (picture searches, musical chairs, hot potato, etc) can be easily “reskinned” by just adding a pizza theme.

The Party Favors

Take a clear plastic sandwich bag or treat bag.  Fold back and tape two sides, so you have an isosceles triangle.  Decorate the front either with pizza-themed stickers, or draw toppings on sticky labels and stick them to the outside of the bag.  Make strips of brown and red paper – red first, then brown – to represent the “sauce” and “crust” of the pizza – they’ll go on the base of the triangle to make it look like a real slice of pizza.  Write each guests’ name on the “crust”.  Finally, fill the bag with something yellow – small pieces of candy work great – for the “cheese”, and staple shut.  Voila!  A pizza party bag!

And, of course, the best place to go after your pizzas are done is Kids Fun City!