Plan a Train Themed Birthday Party

Since so many kids love trains, a train themed party is always a hit. Incorporate trains into the decorations, the food, and the games and party favors. The best part is that train themed parties don’t have to be expensive. You have many options that use items you’ll already have on hand, or are cheap to purchase.

Steps

Decorating the Party

1. Send out train ticket invitations. Invitations are important and are a great way to introduce your guests to the theme of the party. Look for train ticket invites at the party store, or order them specially printed online. If you want to save some money, draw them up by hand on cardstock.
   • Be sure to include what the event is, where it will take place, and when it's happening.
   • Use phrases like "Come aboard for a party," "Next stop fun," or "Here's your boarding pass for a good time!"
2. Place a train depot sign outside. Grab a wooden dowel rod and either a piece of cardboard or a piece of plywood. Paint on the sign something like “Marshall’s Depot” or “Last Stop for Fun.” Attach the sign to the rod. Set the sign up at the end of your driveway or at the entrance to the party to let people know they are in the right spot.
   • If you use cardboard, attach the sign with hot glue or other craft glue. For a wooden sign, you could drill two holes in the sign and use zip ties or string to tie it to the pole.
   • Stick the rod into the ground, sit it in a traffic cone, or wedge it between two rocks or cinder blocks. If it’s especially windy, you may want to have the sign inside.
3. Create fake train tracks with duct tape. Buy a roll or two of black duct tape. Either out on your sidewalk or in your house, use the duct tape to make train tracks. Stretch out two long pieces for the rails and then lay short pieces across for the wooden planks.
   • If you do it outside, have it lead right up to your door. If you do it inside, have it lead to the food or to the bathroom.
   • If your child is old enough, let them help you put the tape down so they feel like they’re part of planning the party.
4. Set up a cardboard train for a photo prop. Use cardboard boxes that are large enough for kids to sit down in. Draw or paint on the boxes so they look like various train cars. Cut the flaps off of the box so the kids can climb into them. Set the boxes up in a row and have kids sit or stand in them for a photo opportunity.
5. Hang train themed signs around the party. Hang a "Boarding Platform" sign on the front door. Draw a "Dining Car" sign and hang it over the food table. If you have a place for coats, shoes, and bags, hang a "Baggage Claim" sign by that area. A sign that points to the rest room is also a good idea.
   • This is a great way to get creative based on how your party space is set up. You have many options for signs.
6. Stuff and hang a train piñata. Piñatas are great because they function as a decoration first and an activity second. Go to your local big-box store or party store and request a train engine piñata. Fill it with candy, small prizes, or other snacks and toys. Hang it from the ceiling near the area where the kids will play.
   • Be sure to use caution when the kids are breaking it open. Keep any kids who are not hitting it away from the child who is hitting it.

Making the Food

1. Use train cupcake wrappers. If you want to save money on an elaborate bakery cake with a train picture, opt for making some cupcakes with train wrappers. Look at your local party store or search online. It’s an easy way to make each cupcake train themed.
   • Decorate the top with icing drawn into a train shape. Use some berries to represent coal, or pretzels for logs. Decorate the cupcakes in three or four different styles.
   • Arrange the cupcakes in a long line so they look like a train. Rotate through the various designs you’ve created.
2. Make train shaped food with a cookie cutter. Look at your grocery store, local party store, or search online for a train shaped cookie cutter. You may even find more than one shape. Use it to cut out train-shaped cookies, watermelon, cheese, or sandwiches. Any soft food can be cut into train shapes.
3. Create a food train. Buy small aluminum loaf pans from the grocery store. Fill each one with a different food, such as strawberries, chips, pieces of chocolate, carrots, dip, or any other finger food. Line the pans up in a row on the table and set a toy train engine in the front. It looks like the engine is pulling the food train along.
   • Use duct tape to make fake train tracks on the table, as well.

Planning Activities and Party Favors

1. Play “chugga chugga, choo choo.” This is a variation on the classic children’s game “duck duck, goose.” Have the kids sit in a circle. Let the birthday kid have the first turn walking around the circle. They say “chugga” for each kid they aren’t picking, and they say “choo choo” when they want the kid to chase them.
2. Make a coloring train. Find four or five different sized cardboard boxes. Wrap them in white paper. Make some wheels and make the front of the boxes look like train cars. Then set out a basket of crayons so the kids can color on the train cars.
   • Another option would be to wrap a bunch of small boxes so that each kid can have a small train of their own to color on.
3. Wrap up a train conductor bundle. Buy some conductor hats, red or blue bandanas, and wooden train whistles. Set a hat open side up on the table. Then lay the bandana and whistle on top of that. Use twine to bundle it up. Let each child take one home as a party gift.

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