Lisa Kothari is the founder of pepperspollywogs.com.

Party during the 2013 NBA Playoffs with these great Basketball Party Ideas!

Basketball is an excellent theme for a birthday party, especially if your niece or nephew plays on the school team and loves to watch the sport! Basketball is such a fast-paced, team-oriented game that it is sure to bring tons of fun to a party.

This party can be done in your own driveway if you have a basketball hoop and enough room; at a park with multiple courts available; or at a local gym, which may be the best choice if the weather is poor and you are looking for an indoor venue. The YMCA may be an excellent choice as an example.

Invites

Send an invitation that looks like a basketball, and use court lingo for the party details, such as, “Have a slam dunk’n’ good time!”

Decorations

Decorate the birthday party area using black and orange balloons, streamers, and tableware. You can also inflate plastic basketballs that can be played with during the party and taken home as goodies.

At the party, the kids can decorate the orange balloons with a thick black marker to make them look like basketballs.

Activities & Games

All your basketball party activities will revolve around basketball. As an opening activity, go through a series of drills where the kids shoot hoops, dribble, make passes to one another, run up and down the court, etc.

Play a couple of basketball games. Ask an adult, who may also love the game, to help out and don the colors of a traditional referee to keep the game moving along and official. The kids will get a kick out of this.

Play Basketball P-A-R-T-Y. This is like H-O-R-S-E. Have the birthday kid take a shot from anywhere. If he or she makes the shot, the next player must make it as well; and if that player makes it, the third must make it. You earn a letter each time you miss a shot that has been made by the person before you or if you shoot from the wrong position. The object of this game is to NOT spell out P-A-R-T-Y so you can remain in the game.

Break open a basketball piñata.

Food & Snacks

For the basketball party menu, serve up round sandwiches filled with orange jam and cream cheese, donut holes and cheese balls (hoops and basketballs), “Double Dribble Hot Dogs,” and “Free Throw French Fries.” Pizza, popcorn, and nachos would also be fun. For drinks, serve orange cream soda, orange Gatorade, orange juice, etc.

Check out Coolest Kids for ideas on basketball cakes to make!

For basketball party goody bags, send the kids home with inflatable basketballs, water bottles, NBA stickers, referee whistles, etc.

This will be an easy party to plan, with the most important part being securing the venue to hold the party. The kids will spend the majority of time playing the game and will not need to do much more at this party!

Photo: photostock
Published: May 29, 2013