You probably can’t believe your child is turning another year older! Seems like the years go by so quickly. While they’re young, you want to give them the best of the best and make their life fun and magical. When it comes to birthday parties, you probably love to go all out if you're reading this article!
There are so many different birthday party themes to choose from. I’ve had a luau party, a 70’s party, a pirate party, but surprisingly not a mermaid party! But I can still show you how to put together a grand mermaid party.
Mermaids are the magical and beautiful creature that most little girls (and a lot of boys too!) are enamored with. They make for the perfect theme for a kid’s party.
A mermaid party works best if it’s in the summer and takes place outside and includes activities like swimming. One can be held during any season, though.
Here are 5 things to make your kid’s birthday party stand out as the best mermaid party ever!
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Mermaid party invitations
The perfect mermaid birthday party starts with the most visually appealing mermaid party invitations!
You can try your hand at graphic design, or you could purchase a template that you can edit to have all the party details.
I made the above invites in Canva. You can get the free plan and make some great designs!
There are also some great options for premade invites. Here is one that I love!
Dressing up
Have the party be a costume party, with kids dressing up as a mermaid, a pirate, or as their favorite ocean creature. I recommend providing some costume accessories so no one gets left out of dressing up. You could even have a prize for the best costume!
Dressing up provides scope for imaginative play and makes for a great photo op. If you aren't able to buy a costume, consider making your own. Check out this tutorial on how to make a mermaid skirt.
There are some great mermaid costumes from Amazon, such as this one:
Food/drinks
Kids love snacks, and they’ll be running around playing, having fun, and maybe swimming in the pool, so they’ll build up an appetite. Here are some easy and kid-friendly foods to serve up at your mermaid birthday party. Be sure to include a little sign to indicate each food’s relevance to the theme.
Goldfish crackers (gold fish)
Star shaped finger sandwiches (starfish)
Pretzel rods (drift wood with sea salt)
Macaroni and cheese with shell pasta (shells and cheese)
Fish sticks
Treasure chest full of chocolate coins or candy
Popsicles for summer party
Sandwich cookies with pearl inside (oysters)
Sliced apples shaped like fish or stars
White candy coated chocolate balls (pearls)
Hot dog octopuses
White chocolate seashells
Veggies and dip: carrot sticks (crab legs) and cucumber slices (sea cucumber)
Couscous (caviar)
For the drinks get some crazy straws with mermaid accents.
Get a special stand for cupcakes or cookies.
Have cold water labeled as “fresh water” and some blue fruit punch labeled as “ocean water.” You can also have a jug full of iced tea labeled as “lake water.”
Along with festive food, you can also get mermaid themed plates, napkins and cups.
Decorations
The main colors associated with mermaids are blue, green, teal, and purple. Keep that in mind for balloons, banners, streamers, and table cloths, and remember to make things sparkle!
Everything should be under-the-sea related. Decorate the food and drink table and the present table with fishnet and add some shells.
Have a birthday banner with the birthday child’s name on it, or just the words “happy birthday”.
Get a big inflatable clamshell pool float for the great photos, or a place to relax while swimming. It works as a decoration, a seat, and and a photo spot.
Have lots of bubbles for the kids. Get some bubble wands that make really big bubbles, which is always fun for little ones. Even I can’t resist giant bubbles!
You can get bubble machines that look like marine animals to better fit the occasion.
A sandbox is a good way to channel beach vibes while also providing something fun for the kids. For a fun game, bury little objects in the sand and have the kids dig to find treasure with little shovels. Place some seashells in it as well.
For a summer party, have water activities such as a kiddie pool, sprinklers, slip n slide, or if you have an actual pool, that is perfect! A pool is part-decoration and part-activity. You can take fun pictures with the pool as a glistening blue background. Or just take pictures while posing on pool floats. Even better if you have mermaid tails! *Mermaid tails are intended for children who are strong swimmers, and adult supervision is a must.
Decorate the tables with these nice mermaid centerpieces!
Music
You can’t have a party without music! Here is a list of music to match the mermaid/under the sea theme.
Little mermaid songs
Moana songs
Beach Boys
Baby shark
Theme songs of Mako Mermaids and H20
Ukulele music
Somewhere over the rainbow, Israel Kamakawiwoʻole cover
Pirates who don’t do anything
Somewhere beyond the sea
Ocean waves sounds
Games/activities
Activities
Underwater photoshoot- Get an underwater camera. Kids love posing for pictures and filming themselves underwater. It creates unique souvenirs and tons of fun in the pool. Don’t forget at least one pair of goggles, so it is easier to aim at your subject for underwater photos. Here are a few challenges for the best photos underwater: Try to smile while showing your teeth, open your eyes, don’t blow bubbles to hide your face, do an underwater dance or lip sync, keep your hair outside of your face, sink to the bottom of the pool. It is a fun challenge to try and capture the perfect shot.
Photo station- Get an ocean backdrop and have little photo props and accessories like hats, masks, and crowns. Have someone there to take pictures of the kids as they have fun posing while all dressed up. Take nice pictures with big smiles, or make some silly faces!
Mermaid hair/braids- Learn some different braids to try out on each other. French and fishtail braids are great looks. There are many video tutorials you can find on Youtube. Add mermaid hair accessories to complete the mermaid look. For more on mermaid hair check out our article on that topic.
You could also get colored hairspray or hair chalk in pink, blue, purple, and green and have kids get colorful mermaid hair.
Mermaid karaoke- Buy or rent a karaoke machine to have the kids sing songs. They could learn how to sing the Little Mermaid songs. The Pearl Princess from Barbie has great songs to sing along and dance to. Check out the song Mermaid Party.
Facepainter/mermaid makeover- You can hire someone or try your hand at face painting to give the kids makeovers to look more like mermaids.
Mermaid temporary tattoos- temporary tattoos are a great activity. An adult could apply them, or have children apply them for each other. I love these tattoos that have a pretty art style and include mermaids and other sea creatures.
Crafts-
Here are some great craft ideas
Painting seashells
Making jewelry
Games
Games are always a fun addition to any party. Some games can be just for fun, but you can also include prizes.
Prizes
Candy
Plastic diamond rings
Stickers
Bubbles
Temporary tattoos
Coins
Here are some fun mermaid party games!
Walk the plank- This game would work for a pirate aspect of the party, if you decide to go that route. Set up a board on top of cinder blocks and have a tarp underneath with water on it. Make little shark fins that will stick up and have kids walk across it like a balance beam. You could also set the plank up to go overtop of a kiddie pool.
Guess how many shells- Get a fishbowl full of shells and have slips of paper so the kids can write down their name and their guess, which would go in a separate container. Kids can add their guesses at any time during the party. At the end of the party see who has the closest guess and give them a prize, or they could win the jar of shells.
Pool games- There are many fun games to be played in the pool. Try having swim races, playing beach volleyball, and marco polo. Other activities include practicing tricks like underwater backflips and handstands, swimming through hula hoops, jumping off the diving board in creative ways, and throwing pool toys to the bottom of the pool and having to swim down and collect as many as possible.
Treasure hunt- Hide things all around the yard and give each kid a checklist. They have to try to find as many things as they can.
Musical chairs- Play musical chairs and use songs from the music list mentioned earlier. Have a circle of chairs with just one less than the number of kids. While the music is playing they walk around the chairs and when the music stops they have to quickly try to sit in a chair. Whoever doesn’t get one is out. Make sure to take away a chair each time someone is eliminated. Last person to get a chair wins!
Freeze dance- Turn on some music and have a little dance party. Have someone tend the music and every thirty seconds they pause the music. The kids have to stop dancing when the music stops and try to stay still as a statue. If they move before the music starts again, they are eliminated.
Pinata- Get a mermaid tail or fish pinata from your local party store, find one online, or make your own. Fill it with candy necklaces, chocolate coins, Swedish Fish, and Sixlets (a candy that looks like pearls). Kids take turns hitting it to break it open. Make sure before the kids start smashing at the pinata that everyone is well out of the way. Give them each a little baggy so they can collect their candy when it breaks.
Mermaid bingo- Bingo is a great game that eats up some time and is a fun game of chance. Try this bingo set.
Party favors
Don’t forget the party favors! One of my favorite things about going to parties as a kid was the party favors you get to take home. Some goodies to include are mermaid stickers, mermaid accessories, temporary tattoos, mini bubbles, pens, and keychains.
To simplify things, you can just buy a set of party favors! These adorable favors are perfect for mermaid-themed birthday parties, beach bashes, or any other special occasion. Make your mermaid birthday party the talk of the town with these awesome mermaid party favors for each kid to bring home. With these party favors, the fun of a party never ends!
Bonus tips:
Take LOTS of pictures!!! You'll want to remember this
Make sure everyone stays hydrated; serve watermelon and provide cold drinking water
If there are children with sensory issues, keep music low and provide down time in between activities.
Adult supervision is super important for a mermaid party for young children.
You can find a lot of things you'll need from the dollar store. This helps to save money!
Try to make sure no kids get excluded, make sure it is an inclusive environment and that everyone is being nice to each other
Don't stress yourself out trying to make sure everything is perfect. Just have fun with it and do your best!
Clean up all your trash afterwards and recycle what you can!
Hope this guide helps you to throw the best mermaid birthday party ever! Make it a day the kids will never forget, and even the parents will be impressed. Your child will smile at the memories of it for years to come and it will be an amazing day for them!