Gymnastics Birthday Party
Fun Gymnastics Party Ideas

First of all, to help get you into the gymnastics party frame of mind, here are some gymnastics party packages to consider. If you would like a sneak preview, click on the links below to check them out and make a quick price comparison:

Gymnastics Celebration Supplies
Gymnastics Makes Parties Supplies


GYMNASTICS BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEAS FOR GYMNASTICS PARTY INVITATIONS

Start the party off right by sending out some fun theme invitations to get everyone anxiously "flipping" off the days until it's time to par-tay!

GOLD MEDAL INVITATIONS - Cut out large circles from cardboard or poster board and cover with gold foil. Type out your party info and print it out so it can be glued to the back of the medals. On the front put "Solid Gold Champion." Glue a ribbon to the medal.

GYMNAST INVITATIONS - Download some gymnast clip-art onto the front of a piece of card stock. Put all your party particulars on the reverse side.

LEOTARD INVITES - Cut out leotard shaped invites from card stock. Decorate the edges with coordinating glitter. Place one of the party greetings noted below on the front and the party details on the reverse side.

GYMNAST PHOTO INVITE - Take a picture of your child dressed in her leotard and download it onto a piece of card stock. On the reverse side put all the party particulars.

EMBELLISH READY-MADE INVITES - Jazz up some ready-made gymnastic invitations by adding some glitter, ribbons, buttons, sequins, bows, etc. to the picture.

Here are some ideas that you might consider using for your invitation wording:

• We're bending over backwards to celebrate Name's (Age) birthday--gymnastics style

• Leap on over for Name's (Age) gymnastics birthday party

• Flip, split or leap on over for Name's gymnastics birthday party

• Join us as we kick off to an afternoon of fun. There will be nothing "routine" about this party

• Dismount from your house and tumble on over for Name's perfect 10 gymnastics birthday party

• Tumble on by and help us celebrate Name's Gymnastics party

• Swing on over and join in the gymnastics party celebration

Be sure to invite all of your guests to come dressed in their gymnastics best. Tights and leotards are the costume of the day and most definitely necessary in order to be able to participate in the various activities.

You might consider setting up a table near the party entrance to beautify your guests. Have a couple of teens available to apply some body glitter, blush, lip gloss, and perhaps a hair flower.


GYMNASTICS BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEAS FOR DECORATIONS

Here are some ideas to either turn your home into a festive gymnastics party atmosphere or add some personal party touches to decorate a local studio.

GYMNASTICS BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEAS FOR OUTSIDE DECORATIONS

If the party is being held at your home, here are a few ideas for decorating the outside of the front yard:

• Make some extra-large medals out of heavy cardboard and cover the circles with gold, silver and bronze foils. Then put on each of the medals one of the following to correspond with the medal designation: Go For The Gold, Silver Holds No Shame, and Bronze Is Beautiful. Attach each medal to a yard stake and line the walkway with them.

• Attach red, white and blue balloons to the mailbox to let guests know the party location.

• Greet guests with a life-size standee of a famous gymnast.

GYMNASTICS BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEAS FOR INSIDE DECORATIONS

Regardless of whether your party is being held at home or at a gymnastics studio, the following ideas will work well for either location:

• Make medals out of cardboard or card stock by covering the circles with gold, silver and bronze foils and attach ribbons to each to dangle from the ceiling at various lengths.

• Make extra-large medals as noted above except join them together to create a banner that spells out happy birthday.

• Hang posters of famous gymnasts on the walls.

• Hang some signs on the walls that refer to gymnastics. Things like, Go For The Gold, Dismount, Perfect 10, Stick It, etc.

• Hang star garland throughout the room to accent window and door frames, shelves, etc.

• Add some metallic curtains in doorways and archways for added pizzazz.

• Create bouquets of balloons in your party colors and accent the room accordingly.

• Fill the ceiling with red, white and blue balloons.

• Cover the ceiling with red, white and blue streamers.

GYMNASTICS BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEAS FOR TABLE DECORATIONS

• Cover the table with a red, white and/or blue table cover.

• Top it off with gymnastics printed party ware.

• Add some red, white, and blue confetti.

• Create placemats by laminating pictures of famous gymnasts doing various poses or routines.

• Create a red, white and blue centerpiece inside a trophy. Attach a bouquet of balloons and lots of curling ribbons. Accent with wire stars and star picks.

• Accent the chairs with small bouquets of balloons.

GYMNASTICS INSTRUCTION - Hire a local gymnastics teach or some high school students who are a part of the gymnastics team to teach your guests gymnastic basics.

BALANCE BEAM CONTEST - Set a balance beam close to the floor and have everyone take turns running across it one at a time. If someone falls off, they are out. Whoever is ultimately left after elimination rounds, shall be the winner.

HEADSTAND/HANDSTAND CONTEST - Have a contest to see who can stand on their head or hands for the longest time.

CARTWHEEL CONTEST - Divide the kids into teams and have the teams compete against one another to see who can get through all their teammates first by doing cartwheels from one end of the gym to the other.

GYMNASTICS RELAY - Divide your guests into teams and have them do a variety of moves across the floor. Whichever team finishes first shall be the winners. They can do things like a cartwheel, somersault, splits, arabesque, etc. and end with a stick.

GYMNASTICS BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEAS FOR JUMP ROPE GAMES

DOUBLE DUTCH - Two people simultaneously turn two ropes, one clockwise and one counterclockwise, while someone jumps both ropes. Whoever jumps the most before missing is the winner.

JUMP ROPE CONTEST - Divide your guests into teams and give them each a jump rope. On "Go", the first person of each team races to the finish line and back to their teammates, while jumping rope. The first team who gets through all their teammates first are the winners.

ROPE SNAKE - Two people hold the rope handles and wiggle the rope (snake) back and forth motion while the kids try to avoid stepping on the "snake." If someone steps on the rope, they are out.

FAST JUMP ROPE CONTEST - Have several jump ropes available, along with stopwatches and time everyone to see who can do 100 jumps in the fastest time.

GYMNASTICS BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEAS FOR CLASSIC PARTY GAMES

Incorporate a few of the old classics into the party; just give them a gymnastics twist and you're good to go. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

PIN THE MEDAL ON THE GYMNAST - This game is played like Pin the Tail on the Donkey. Hang a picture of a famous gymnast on the wall and designate with a big red "X" where the medal should be pinned. Make gold medals out of gold construction paper and have the kids pin the medals on using double-stick tape.

GO FOR THE GOLD - This game is a take-off of a cakewalk. Cut out large gold stars from poster board and place them around the perimeter of the room. Place numbers on all the stars, along with corresponding numbers on pieces of paper and prizes. As the music plays, everyone must do a specific gymnastic move around the room. When the music stops, everyone stands on a star. A number is then drawn from a basket and whoever is standing on the star that corresponds with that number receives a prize and is out of the game.

HOT MEDAL - This game is played like Hot Potato except you will use a stuffed gold medal. This can easily be made by filling a Ziploc bag with some beans and gluing the edges of a piece of gold fabric together with the bean bag inside. Put Champion on both sides of the medal. Have everyone sit in a circle and pass the medal around to music. When the music stops, whoever is holding the medal is out. The game continues until only one gymnast remains who is the winner.

GYMNAST SAYS... - This game is played like Simon Says...except the designated Gymnast will instruct everyone to do various gymnastic moves by saying, for example, "Gymnast Says do a cartwheel." If the Gymnast just says, "Do a cartwheel" no one should do so. If someone does, that person is out. The game continues until only one person remains.


GYMNASTICS BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEAS FOR FOOD

With all the activities you will be planning, it might be best to go with something that is quick and easy and falls in the category of finger foods.

Pizza is a perfect option and can easily be delivered to a gymnastics studio. Then all you have to do is add some drinks and munchies. Here are a few tried and true kid-friendly foods:

• Chips and dip
• Fruit kebabs
• Goldfish crackers
• Chex mix
• Fresh veggies and dip
• Pink lemonade
• Sparking apple, grape or cranberry cider

GYMNASTICS SHEET CAKE - Make or buy a sheet cake and add some gymnastic equipment and gymnasts made out of various colors of fondant. Add a birthday message.

GYMNASTICS ROUND OR SQUARE CAKE - Make your favorite recipe in round or square pans. Cover the cakes with fondant. Create a fondant mat from a contrasting color and place it in the center of the cake. Create a gymnast out of fondant and place her doing the splits in the center of the cake. Add a birthday message and pipe out a decorative edge on the cake. Wrap a gold medal decoration around the cake.

CUPCAKES - Make it easy on yourself and buy some cupcakes and then top them off with a gymnastics cupcake topper.

EDIBLE SUGAR ART CAKE - Make or buy a sheet cake and put an edible sugar art image of a gymnastics scene on the top.

GYMNASTICS PHOTO CAKE - Have a bakery place a photo of your child dressed in leotards and doing the splits or some other gymnastic position on the cake.


GYMNASTICS BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEAS FOR GYMNASTICS PARTY FAVORS

Fill a gymnastics themed favor bag for your guests to take home as a remembrance of their flippin' good time. Here are some ideas to consider:

• Body glitter
• Lip gloss
• Nail polish
• Hair barrettes or headband
• Bracelets
• Gymnastics stickers and tattoos
• Notepad and pencil
• Trophy
• Gymnastics baton
• Gold, silver or bronze medals
• Chocolate gold "medals"

Here's some terrific Gymnastics Celebration Supplies that you can pick and choose from in order to create the perfect gymnastics party look.

Here's one final batch of Gymnastics Makes Parties Supplies to check out.