Maddy celebrated her big #7 last month, and we rang in her birthday with a cheerleading birthday party, complete with expert cheerleaders, homemade pom-poms, megaphones, and dance routines.
It was a blast, but we couldn’t have done it without a ton of help from Aunt Katie (who led the pom-pom making team) and our amazing babysitter (an actual high school cheerleader!) and two of her pals.
This post is long in coming, but here’s our insider secrets to throwing a totally fab cheerleading birthday party. . .
- How to Throw an Awesome Cheerleading Birthday Party: It all started with a weekend trip to a local cheerleading competition, where we crossed our fingers that our babysitter’s team would take the big win.
Maddy sat starry-eyed at the skill and strength of the competitors. Young women–and men–were building, dancing, flipping, and tumbling, and when Maddy got a hug from our favorite babysitter on the way out, she talked about cheerleading for days on end.
I asked if our sitter would be interested in roping in a few of her pals to be the stars of Maddy’s cheerleading birthday party. Without hesitation, she agreed, and she guaranteed me that they’d come up with a few cheers and a simple dance routine–complete with music–for Maddy and her pals. They did, and it rocked.
My sister and I got to work on pom-poms for the kids to use during the routine and to double as favors. With a bit of quick research, we had a general idea about how to make pom-poms at home.
Using kitchen-sized white trash bags, iridescent cellophane, and blue duct tape, Katie tweaked the plan and literally made several sets of poms in a week. We worked together on the rest, and they came out awesome.
- Here’s how we made the pom-poms:
- Megaphones: When the kids arrived, they decorated their megaphones. We used a b
asic template, too big to share here (sorry!), but traced on a manila folder and then cut out of bright poster board. We had stickers and markers for decorating, and when finished, a few staples did the job!
- Banner: The kids also worked on decorating and signing a Birthday Banner that served as the backdrop for the final ‘routine’. It just said, “Happy Birthday Maddy!” but the kids had a blast adding their names and birthday doodles.
- Activities: After everyone arrived, the cheerleaders warmed up the party-goers. They sat in a circle and did some basics to get their little bodies movin’! Then the kids learned a few cheers and got dancing. The cheerleaders had the music cut and motions ready, and the bulk of the party was practicing, both on ground and on stage!
Party-goers worked hard on beautifying their megaphones!
Woot! Gorgeous megaphones!
- Snacks and Food: Candy Sushi was a big hit, and the kids made their sushi as we waited (oh, so patiently…) for the pizza to arrive. They tried a piece or two of sweet sushi, giggled as they squeezed as much candy in as possible, and we bagged the extras for take-home. The moms and dads helped us put each child’s sushi bags in megaphones so they’d be ready when it was time to go.
- The Routine: After bellies were filled, the kids did a few more practice rounds and then we taped their final routine and cheers! With their new poms, with their new moves, the kids had a blast. And we’ve just finished dubbing the routine, complete with practices, onto DVD’s for each family. Talk about a cute take home gift!
- The Thank-You’s: I made a very basic Cheerleading Party Thank You Note template, with two thank you’s on each page. I printed them out and cut them, and they were ready. I felt that they required just enough writing for Maddy without being too much since she had a number to do. Plus, she’d just learning the basics of thank you note writing, so the structure is helpful; it gives her some flexibility and room for creativity (even though she needed to be reminded that each one needed to be personalized. . . ). The Cheerleading Party Thank You Notes are here to download if you’d like.
The cheerleading party was a big success, but it was only possible with the help of a number of parents who stayed to help, real cheerleaders who spent time creating cheers and a routine for the kids, and with my awesome sister who totally nailed the pom-pom making process. Many, many thanks to everyone for making it work!
And that was that–our first-ever cheerleading party! Three cheers for our Maddy and for a super year ahead!
how to have some fun with leftover candy canes