If you have a gymnast at your house or a child who is full of energy, a gymnastics birthday party might be the hottest ticket! You can hold your gymnastics birthday party at a local gym or create your own gymnastics arena at home.

Invitations:

Use gymnastics invitations to get your guests ready to tumble, jump and run! Be sure to include the date, time and location–whether it’s your own home or a local gym, and let them know if they should dress in casual wear (shorts, t-shirts, leotards, etc.)

Local Gymnasium:

If you decide to use a local gymnasium for your gymnastics party, talk to other parents or check the listings in your area to find out the best facility for your party. Ask each facility about pricing, how many guests are allowed, availability of dates and times, privacy (will other events be going on or will you have the facility to yourself?) and what the gym provides (a room for opening gifts, eating cake and ice cream; table favors, etc.) Also be sure to ask what apparatuses will be available for your guests to use and if gymnastics coaches will be on hand to help the children and ensure their safety.

Creating your own gym at home:

If you decide to create your own gymnastics arena at home, choose a spacious living or family room, free from furniture and other objects that could be an obstacle. If the weather permits, you may even choose to create a “gym” outside. You can purchase relatively inexpensive exercise mats to be used for tumbling. A balance beam can be made of a long wooden plank, supported by two cinder blocks and positioned close to the ground to ensure safety. A backyard trampoline or even a mini-trampoline can simulate those used in gymnasiums.

Gymnastics Party Decor:

Whether decorating a room at a local gymnasium or a room at home, you can use balloons and streamers in your child’s favorite colors or go with an Olympic theme–using red, white and blue. For an eye-catching centerpiece, use a large, inflatable gold trophy. Your child’s birthday cake can be decorated like an American flag or you can place cupcakes with red, white and blue frosting in the shape of Olympic rings.

Activities:

A local gymnasium will typically allow party guests to try out the different gymnastics apparatuses (under supervision): bars, balance beam, ball pit, trampoline, ropes, tumbling mats, as well as offering “free time” for the children to return to their favorites. Some gyms may even have organized games and activities as part of their gymnastics party package. If you are doing a gymnastics party at home, you can use your original apparatuses for obstacle courses, games or individual events. You can award gold, silver and bronze medals to the top three finishers in each category (making sure each child places and receives a medal on at least one gymnastics event).

Party Favors:

Obtain small, plastic trophies ahead of time. After the events are over, award a trophy to each child by writing the individual awards on sticky labels (i.e. “Zachary Smith–Most acrobatic” or “Lindsay Larsen–Best balance.”) and placing them on each trophy. Along with the trophies and medals, fill each child’s gymnastics party loot bag with red, white and blue candy, pom-poms, pens, pencils, erasers, or American flags. Gymnastics parties are a fun and creative way to celebrate your child’s birthday. These ideas can help you create a gymnastics party your child and his/her friends will remember!
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