Suggestions for 4 Year Old Birthday Party

I had a friend who had a dog birthday for her son. All I can remember is that she make a 1 layer round cake, hollowed out the middle slightly, frosted it, and filled it with CocoPuffs! It looked like a dog bowl. She also made cupcakes with cookie "bones" on them. Best of luck!

My daughter recently went to a doggie birthday party and it was really cute! They painted each of the girl's faces like puppies (white with a black spot over the eye). They played red rover, and doggie says (Simon says). For prizes my daughter received a squishie doggie toy and she loved it!

You could play a dog themed scavenger hunt game, like cardboard bones and squeaky toys and stuff. The Dog, you know the puppies with really zoomed up faces, could be good decorations, and as for the cake, you can make it like her favorite kind of dog. For food, do hot 'dogs' because they'te really easy and the name goes along with the theme. You could even get pieces of pipe cleaners and pom-poms and they could make cool puppy tails.
Hope this helps!

Go to Orientaltrading.com or Birthdayexpress.com Cool decor ideas, games, prizes and so on. Do pin the tail on the puppy instead of donkey. You know they have Scooby Doo bone shaped graham crackers out now to save you an extra step. If you have King Soopers close by they have them there in the cookie section. My kids love them and they are scary as they look just like dog bones. Maybe find a stuffed dog of your daughters and some doll clothes and do a "dress up the dog" contest. Just throwing out ideas here, hee hee......have fun!

Hello. Try looking at birthday express....www.birthdayexpress.com...they have tons of party themes and that should give you some great ideas. You can also order a whole package through them as well. I love the ease of using them. Good luck!!

Sams club would make you a puppy cake! What a great idea for a party!

Hi J.,

I don't know if your familiar with the magizine birthday express but they would probably have stuff for the party like plates etc. You can go on line and look at the magizine. What about a dog cake and then you could do like little hamburgers that could look like dog food then for a gift you could do dog tags with the kids names on it. That is a neat Idea for a party very different. Good Luck.

A.

you could play pin the tail (or ears) on the puppy vs. the donkey! and use dog dishes for bowls, like dollar store ones or something. if you have anywere to put one you could get a pinata shaped like a dog.

Play "this little doggie", you can get decor stuff at either a party store, or even at a walmart or target, there is "Tape the nose on the dog" just about any game you can change to a dog themed idea.
Hope this helps

We used to play "Doggy Doggy Where's Your Bone" in my first grade classroom. Basically, the class would hide a bone and then a kiddo who was waiting out in the hallway would come in and try to find it using the warmer colder clues.
I'm not sure how a group of 4 year olds would handle it though.

Click on this link, it is Family Fun plans for a puppy party!
http://familyfun.go.com/parties/birthday/feature/party1/p...#

We did a dog party for my son's 4th birthday this past August. I got everything I needed from Birthday Express (The Dog Party), although Party America also has lots of dog themed plates, napkins etc. I also got some great food and game ideas from the Birthday Express website, so I'd check that out:
http://www.birthdayexpress.com

My neice also did a dog party and they did face painting so all the kids had whiskers and a black nose and maybe some spots, and then they had little dog ear headbands they gave them. Good luck and have fun!
H.

Oh you can get Fun With that. What a great theme.

Check this out from Family fun . com
http://familyfun.go.com/parties/birthday/feature/party1/p...

Have fun.

I haven't read all of the responses, but I have a 3 1/2 yr old girl as well. Little ones that age love to pretend, so the first thing that came to mind for games was a mock dog show course like the ones they show on tv. You could make a tunnel, see-saw, those sticks they weave in and out of, a hurdle, etc. in your back yard. Have the kids run through it as they do their best to act like dogs, and at the end each one gets a treat and a blue ribbon. You can find the ribbons at any dollar store. Just an idea. Have a great party!

My favorite source for ideas is:
http://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/
My son will be 4 in April as well, we are doing a fishing party.
Have fun
L.

game: Red Rover or change duck duck goose to somehow reflect dogs? "bark, bark, dog"???
food: Hot Dogs (even mini dogs? mini corn dogs?)
cake: pawprint ( should be easy to shape w/ large & small round cake pans)

that's all i have off teh top of my head! :)

sounds like a fun party! :)

for a game.... how about pin/tape the tail on the dog!

i like the the dog bone idea for the cookies, puppy chow, a treat made with choc, peanut butter, powdered sugqar and chex, you can find the recipe on line or on the back of some chex boxes, kid love it, have you seen any of the air bud movies, they now have the buddies, give different types of small toyballs for prizes, play hide and seek, simon says, encourage physical activities they can play when they gethome too. if you are planning food, hot dogs, corndogs, they make mini hot dogs that my 4year old loves. you dont have to have everything dog, to have teh dog theme going with your party, you could also give away doggy treats if any ofher freinds have dogs, have vun with it.good luck

Clifford The Big Red Dog! You can find stuff at most party stores and even the local grocery stores. I believe King Soopers can do a Clifford cake or cupcakes (they are much easier to serve and clean up, no plates!). Have a great party!

I'm sure I can think of more, but the first thing that comes to mind is: My sis-in-law told me earlier this week that she is making "pup-cakes" for her daughter's 4th. She said it is the cover recipe on the current "Family Circle" magazine. You can usually look those up on their website if you can't find the magazine! Oh, yeah, you could also make "Human Puppy Chow"--look for the recipe on Chex ceral box. Happy partying!

J. - the best website I've ever been to is www.birthdaypartyideas.com - it is filled with great ideas! The best way to look at it is to pick a theme and look at the awarded ideas first. Most of them give you ideas for invites, games, food, cake, goodies, etc.... Have fun!!

You can play pin the tail on the puppy. Also you can have cards with different animals on them and turn them all upside down so you can't see them (one card has a dog) then have all the kids sing "Oh where, Oh where has my little dog gone" and when they are done singing one person gets to turn over a card to see if they can find the dog. It's also a great learning game because if they turn over say a duck you can say "Oh, you got a duck! What does a duck say? They kids usually love it if you really get into it. Anyway, the kid who finds the dog can win the prize! This is a game you can play 3 -4 times and the kids don't get sick of it.

Hi, I did a dog theme for my son when he was 1 year old. We didn't go into games so much because of the young age but here are some cake ideas and such...
I made one round cake, frosted it brown, and three cupcakes frosted (they frosted easiest if I left the cupcake wrapper on) then put them on a cake server to look like a paw... Super easy!!! and then wrote happy birthday and his name on it. Then I made cupcakes for everyone individually with brown frosting and white paws made of frosting(as it was his first and he was going to be digging into it). For his first we had two parties one for friends one for family. For the family party I made a dog face cake. One round cake for the face. Cooked another round cake for cutting out ears (the ears were just like droopy dog ears and they sat right on top of the round cake while eyes and nose etc. went on as well, two cupcakes for paws and then used candy and things to make the face (ex. m&m's for eyes, fruit roll up for collar, mini peppermint patty and milk duds for paws.... etc. Then I cooked up a big flat batch of chocolate chip cookie dough (as if one big cookie or sheet of cookie) and then cut out with a cookie cutter dog bones. I also served in dog dishes whoppers as they looked like dog food. Then we had food that was non theme and just more real food instead of candy items. I have an Idea for a game though... maybe since dogs always go and bury things to hide them you can hide things around the house or yard and have the kids go find things the dogs hid (things that could be dog toys/kid toys... balls, small dolls or stuffed animals, etc. Hope this helps. If you want to see pictures of my dog and paw cake send me a message with you email and I will email them to you.

I just saw a persons post saying instead of duck duck goose... use dog.. but growing up there was a game we played called my doggie won't bite you...
just like duck duck goose but you go around saying "my doggie won't bite you...." and for goose you say "but he will bite you"

I attended a "dog" themed b-day party with my 3 year old daughter. I asked the host where she got all the decorations (balloons, plates, napkins, and party favors... all dog themed) and she said http://www.birthdayinabox.com/. She held the party at a rec center w/a gym, so the activities did not reflect the theme.

You can always modify the game 'duck,duck,goose' to be 'cat,cat, dog' or something like that. The other thing my girls have loved at their parties is a pinata...maybe you could find one that looks like a dog. For a cake you could make a park and then get dog figurines to go in it. That way you would only need to decorate grass and a pond and put plastic figures on it. Hope this helps.

Yes i have done a birthday with my 6 year olds whole kindergarten class before. My chocolate m&m cake was a hit. We also made our own pizzas for dinner. since the party is dog themed you should get dog decorations like tablecloths, plates
and other fun stuff. enjoy the birthday!

J.,

Some ideas for your birthday party. You could get a dog shaped cake or a cake with a dog drawn on it saying Happy Birthday. You can probably find small dog stuffed animals maybe at a party store. If your daughter has dog stuffed animals you could decorate with those. I would probably have all different kinds of dogs used for decoration. I don't think the dog bone cookies are a good idea. I don't think you would want your child to then think she could eat real dog bones or dog food. My sister growing up used to eat dog food unfortunately thinking she could eat it.
You could also maybe take the girls to a pet store as an activity, or if you knew someone who just had puppies see if they would be willing to come over and let the girls hold them. At the party store you can probably find items with dogs on them (like stationary, pens, pencils, etc.) or try a hallmark or gift store or maybe even a pet store as pet owners love anything with dogs on it. Just some ideas, hope they might be of some help.

J. (mother to 3 1/2 month son)

Hi J.. We jsut did a "dog' party for our one-year-old in January. It was mostly older cousins and adults that came, so I geared goody bags for older kids with a bouncy ball, little dog figures, dog bracelets, and whistles (much to my sisters' dismay :) ). I got supplies from Birtday Express - can be pricey if you buy a package - we just bought the pieces we needed (including a pin the nose on the dog game), then I supplemented with coordinating solid color plates, cups, etc. They actually had some game suggestions on the Birthday Express site. I think Safeway or King Soopers actually have a "The Dog" cake if you want to purchase one. Or you can make your own and decorate it with other little dog trinkets (similar to what you'd put in goody bags). Have fun!

Hi J.! Here are some ideas...
Play "Doggy, doggy, where's your bone?"
Play "Pin the tail on the puppy" (I bought a puppy poster & cut out bones)
For a craft, you can buy dog biscuits & use them as stamps. Kids can dip them in paint and make pictures. Or you could have them make dog collars or decorate water dishes.
You can serve "dog food" in baggies - just use cocoa puffs!
You can do relay races - kids have to get on all fours, bark & run around obstacles.
For a cake, I usually do cupcakes (they're easier!) and you can find picks with dogs on them to stick in the cupcakes. They have great "cupcake trees" that hold 12 or 24 cupcakes.
I hope some of those suggestions help you out!

From S. C.

Kids parties are fun to have, but take a lot of work to put together. If they are small enough they won't remember and compare parties like older kids do. One fun thing I have done is to have a fishing pond. Maybe you could call it the wishbone pond. You might play bone-bone whos got the bone. How about dividing into two teams and see who can push a bone across the floor with their nose the fastest. The game Red Rover Red Rover let _________come over is a fun outside game. Maybe you could find a cookie cutter in the shape of a bone, make cookies and let the kids decorate them. You could have a theme aroud Clifford the big red dog. Play a game about how Cliffod helps people. How can you challenge them to help their neighbors in the following week? These are some fun ideas I've come up with. Good luck I know your party will be fun. P.

Also check out www.onceuponaparty.bravehost.com

She is a really sweet gal and could help your with the party planning.

go to birthdaypartyideas.com
there's some crazy moms out there that go way overboard, but you can use their ideas as a starting point.
Also, use your imagination....
play dog, dog, cat (duck, duck, goose)
have your husband be a cat or something else that all the dogs (the kids) get to chase.
start the party w/ a craft of making hats or masks that turn each kid into a dog.
you could do a relay that would be like playing fetch.
use the library to find kids music that sings about dogs
Or go w/ a clifford theme - you could pick a couple of the books and do projects/games around them - I did this w/ a curious george party a couple years ago. we read the "movie" book and then painted on big sheets of paper, we read the dinosaur one and then "found" dinosaurs in the sand box, and then we read the ice-cream one and had ice-cream sundaes instead of cake. There are so many clifford books out there that you could come up w/ just about anything to do.

Hi J.! Here are all my ideas! I hope something will work for you! When I was 5 I went to an animal costume birthday party, I was a lamb, it was great! We played regular games but we were dressed as different animals. You could do something like that- we had a balloon stomping contest, that's all I remember...

Costume:
In keeping with the dog theme, you could invite the kids to dress as dogs, or ask the parents if they mind you doing their faces with whiskers, etc...

Games:
*You could have a "doggie relay race" where they "run" on their hands and knees.
*Pin the tail on the doggie,
*Bobbing for apples, and call the apples doggie treats, or tell them dogs like apples, or have them bob for real dog treats, which is gross, nevermind.
*If you have a sandbox, you could have them bury a bone, or a plastic toy. you could do a relay with that, 3 kids on each team, first kid digs up the toy, next kid buries, then the next kid digs it up again.
*You could serve dessert (in brand-new clean) dog trays.
*The kids could watch 101 Dalmatians as part of the festivities.
*You could build a blanket fort and call it a doghouse, and read a story in it, or watch a movie, etc.
*You could talk about how dogs are good friends, and that your child's friends are loyal and friendly, etc. That's kind of a stretch...

Cake:
I think it's easier to make a square or round cake and then decorate it by drawing a dog, or buying a plastic toy to go on top, but you could probably make a Doghouse cake with 2 square cakes by cutting a square cake diagonally for the roof, and then putting it over the other square cake. (This way you would waste a triangle of cake.) Then frosting it together into one piece, and decorate Happy Birthday in the roof part, and do a big door, and a cute doggie head in the door in icing. Or take a big square or rectangular cake, and copy Snoopy's dog house, and cut away parts of the cake to make the right shape, and frost it red and white, just add some Snoopy characters, and you're set. You could make them out of frosting, or cut them out of paper, or buy something with them on it.
Or to make things easier, order a 101 Dalmatians, or Snoopy cake from 31 flavors, or a dog cake from a local grocery store.

Food:
Sugar cookies are good for treats, the kids could decorate them as a very messy activity. Also, crushed Oreos make good dirt, and you could have little sugar cookie bones in the dirt (in a see-through plastic cup) instead of the traditional gummy worm treat. Here's a link you can go to for the recipe. I just google'd it.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1740,147177-252207,00.html

I think that if you have one or two fun dog-related desserts or treats the kids will really enjoy it. You don't have to make everything dog-perfect. They will love to eat chips and dip and will probably use their imaginations anyway. One dog-type game would be fun, and then they will still love to play duck duck goose, (or puppy puppy doggy) and they are so young they won't care or notice if it's only partly dog-oriented.

Play pin the tale on the doggie!

I always go to the internet for ideas. Type in dog or puppy-themed birthday party. You will have a choice of many sites that have birthday party ideas. Here's one to get you started:

www.birthdaypartyideas.com/html/dog_parties_27.html

Have fun!

HI there-

PBS.org actually has some ideas for clifford parties- but you could tweak them to be just a normal dog party. Here is the link.... http://www.pbs.org/parents/birthdays/

Hope that helps

B.

Have dog races! Have the kids pair up and make 3 or 4 paper dog collars with string or yarn attached. Have each pair decide who will be the dog and who will be the owner and make a race to the finish line. As far as the cake it depends on how daring you are, but there are some ideas at this link:

http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/dog-birthday-cake.html

As far as food goes, try to think of food that looks like dog food, such as cocoa puffs, maybe a little mix of different kinds of crackers in bowls.

Another game idea could be to drink water out of little bowls on the ground with hands behind the back.

At age 4, the good old stand-by games are best. You can play "duck-duck-goose", musical chairs, hide the thimble, pin the tail on the donkey, etc. You can get blank animal masks at a craft store and let them create their own masks. You can get "Scooby Snacks" cookies. You can get other fun things at the Party store.

What if you played a game like "pin the tail or leash on the dog" and got plates and cups and napkins with dogs on them for cake or whatever snack or food you are planning on?

Wal-mart sells "Scooby Snacks" (Dog boned shaped graham crackers). They also have "The Dog" party products (as does OrientalTrading.com.
Games that would be fun: Frisbee (dogs love fetch with frisbee) or throwing balls. It might be nice enough to go play at a park, which would be fun.
There are hundreds of games at www.gameskidsplay.net
You could put pillows on the floor and play "Doggy where's your bone"? We played this game when it was raining. It is an inside game. A student played the part of the dog. He or she sat in a chair with their back to the class. An eraser or another object was put under the chair. That was the bone. While the dog was turned around with his or her eyes closed someone would sneak up and steal the bone and hide it somewhere on his person. Then everyone would sing: Doggy, Doggy, where's your bone? Somebody's stole it from your home. Guess who it might be you. Then the dog has three chances to guess who took it. Sometimes it was left under his or her chair. If the dog guessed right then he got to do it again. If he guessed wrong than the person who had the bone got a turn as the dog.
You could also play Musical Chairs with the "doggy beds" if you had blankets or pillows or something...

Anyway, it sounds like a fun party. There are definitely things to do!

make a bone cake.make them ware dog mask and late them dress up
in dogie out fits.

So much fun! Here are some ideas off the top of my head! Good luck and update us after the party!
1. Everyone gets face painted like a dog
2. Goodie bags could be a cheap plastic dog bowl filled with bone shaped cookies, and "dog food" (croutons maybe) and dog tags with the guests name on them ($4 at Pets Mart)
3. Bone shaped pillows could be an activity. Get some dog themed fabric and cut them in the shape of a bone and sew all but one corner together...
4. Barking contest

Hope that helps!

Game Ideas:

Instead of duck-duck-goose, you could have them say Puppy-puppy-dog catcher.

You could also play freeze tag with the same idea. The person who freezes everyone is the dog catcther.

Also having a scavenger hunt would be fun. Have the kids follow puppy paw prints to a treasure.

What ever you decide to do, I hope your little girl has a wonderful birthday!

How about a dog pinata, red rover (game) pin the tail on the dog

I'm a big fan of the Animal Rescue Site: www.theanimalrescuesite.com
I love their purple pawprint idea; they have it on everything. Maybe you can figure out how the kids can stamp paw prints on aprons or t-shirts or placemats with their hands. By browsing through their store I found some other interesting thoughts. They have a paper-mache dog: if you used long baloons you could make a doggy pinata. (My family loves pinatas.) They have tennis balls: you could play fetch instead of catch, in a manner kind of like tag . (2 teams. One person from each team stands at a line. One person is it and throws the ball. The other person tries to get the ball back across the line before being tagged.)

Calendars: This might be a good time of year to get lots of doggy calendars on sale, or maybe online you could order some past years. You could make them into cone-shaped party hats, cut them out and decorate the house, or paste them on paperboard (cereal box material) and cut them into puzzle shapes.

You could set up an obstacle course in the back yard and tell them it is an agility course. they could be on teams of 2, one person is the coach and one person is the dog. The coach tells the dog which way to go and the dog tries to clear the obstacles.

Hi J.-

I am not sure what your budget is, but if you are looking to buy themed items thier is a catalog called Birthday express. They have lots of themes and they sell plates, napkins, cups, balloons etc, etc, etc. They have a dog theme (i have included the link below, just copy and paste into your browser)

http://www.celebrateexpress.com/celebration/pages/product...

Even if you don't buy the items, they might give you some ideas. Good luck! R.

You could make a decoration to fit over the door to look like a dog house.

As the children come in, have them stop at the "groomers". An adult "groomer" can use face paint (warn the parents on the invites) and dog ears (fake fur fastened with hair clips). Let them make "collars" for themselves-neclaces with beads, baubles, buttons, string and extra dog tags.

I mention this because noone else has yet. Dog trainer says like Simon Says. Trainer says sit, lie down, roll over, speak, jump, shake, stay, growl, wag your tail, bark your head off, etc.

Cake use nine in round cakes and two cupcakes. frost with white, use ruit by the foot around the top edge of the care to make the collar. For the tag, add a Necco wafer. 3 junior mints on the edge of each cupcake pay, one on the top of the cake for the nose, and the rest in a random pattern around the cake. outline the ears and jowls with shoestring licorce, fruit leather tongue. "Glue" m&ms to two blue Neccos with frosting for the eyes.

Most of all enjoy it because it will only happen once.

One of the most popular games we had at a dog party was, you blow up balloons and tie them to a belt loop of each child like a tail, and they have to try and pop each others tails, the last one with a tail wins a prize!! The kids absolutely loved this game everytime!!!! I had just as much fun watching!!! Make a home made pin the tail on the doggie!! And I have a good recipe for something called dog chow, if you want it I would be happy to give it to you!!! Just let me know!!! Have fun!!! Dont forget kid friendly face paints!!!

I love to plan parties! There are tons of ideas on the internet. One site I like is birthdaypartyideas.com because it has submissions from lots of parents and I usually draw from a few of them to make a great party. Good luck and have fun!!!

Hello

My daughter went to a dog themed party not to long ago and although I dont know everything they did, she did come home with her very own dog. The parents bought a bunch of stuffed dogs and the kids got to adopt the one they wanted. Then the kids made leashes out of pipe cleaners and scarfs out of bandannas. She had a great time and I thought that was a super cute idea.

I have helped with parties, and for a dog party, you can make a big dog on just poster board (with your child) and then make extra tails and play pin the tail on the dog. Also they do sell lots of items with dogs on them, and gift bags you could also stamp dogs, bones and cute items like that,you can fill the bags with cute hair things, lip gloss and stickers. For a cake you can make a circle cake and put frosting to make it look like a puppy. All of this should make her happy, and fun for all.
Good luck and have fun!

J.,

Those are great ideas! I find lots of ideas for birthday parties at FamilyFun.com. It is a terrific kids'magazine with great ideas, but they have a helpful website as well.

Have Fun!
J.
www.MyKiddosCome1st.com

I'd recommend going to www.birthdaypartyideas.com to find more party ideas. Also, www.cakecentral.com has some wonderful ideas in their galleries. I think you have to join that sight in order to view the pictures though.

Hope that helps!
L.

We did a dog theme for my son's first birthday! We had a dog shaped cake and cookies, used real (new) dog bowls to serve food, had doggie bags filled with treats to take home. Also, check oriental trading company online for cheap stuff. We bought these cute hats that look like a dog head with floppy ears and all. I also grew pots of grass for decoration, and baked dog cookies on sticks to use for decorations on table ( and some that looked like dog poo inside :) kinda gross but it was funny.

My daughter had a similar party believe it or not when she was about that age. We did face painting, you can make different dogs on each face, we got a large appliance box and turned it into a dog house for the kids to have free play in. That was very fun to paint ahead of time and stayed in our living room for a month! You can also play games like red rover and go online to party game sites and look for games that "dogs" would play- have a stuffed bone for a relay game for example. If you are so inclined you can also ask guests to consider bringing a donation for a local animal shelter- leashes, old towels, food, metal bowls. You can also do a dog themed art project. Go to Michaels for ideas. Good luck and have fun!

Hi J., you should be able to find a lot of "clifford the big red dog" or "blue's clues" things, but if not just think of "normal" party activities and change them to fit for example pin the tail on the DOGGY - a treasure hunt for "Bones" or doggy toys- make dog ears and tails , collars and doggy tags for all the kids to wear paint faces like puppies and have a dog show , they can make up their own doggy names or you can do them ahead- play "who's in the dog house?" put a child in the center of the circle and blindfold them have the kids take turns barking and the child who is in the "dog house" has to guess who it is- play dog, dog , cat (like duck duck goose) - let them all bring a stuffed animal dog friend to the party with them - make or buy "doggy bags" from a restaurant for their take home treats - include things like scooby doo dog biscuit graham crackers, a frisbee, a jump rope (leash) and a ball - you could also let them or you make a dog house out of a box to just play puppies - make a dog house cake or a doggy cake is easy to make too the best places I have found for party , cake , game ideas is family fun they have great ideas on their website and magazines also family circle this month has some really cute puppy cupcakes on their cover. -- Good Luck and have fun!

in April it would probably be warm enough to do an outside little obstacle course where they have to "fetch" something and bring it back. While of course, crawling with dogs withe the prize in their mouths.:)

You can do a simple treasure hunt and have them play like they are dogs and sniff out the treasure. About the cake, my daughter is really into littlest pet shop, and the small plastic pets fit nicely on the cake, they are so cute, and they have dogs, so there is an idea (they do have a maganate in one foot, so you have to be careful if she still puts things in her mouth, they can be found in the toy section of walmart). I would also check out party supply stores or internet shops for supplies and decorations, they may even have game suggestions. Good luck!

My 5 year old daughter's friend had a b-day party (dog themed) and they ate out of little dog bowls, (cat bowls-- to be easier--smaller) made "dog chow" (chex with stuff on top- don't know the recipe- but you can always look it up), they played tag, pin the tail on the dog, etc. Usually they went on and did their own little games (of course) and they had a blast. I hope this gives you some more ideas- glad to share. :)

Does she like the 101 Dalmations movie? If so, I would do that for a theme, to go along with the dog theme she wants. Then you have an idea to go off of for her birthday cake and party decor. Games, get a dog shaped pinata, pin the tail on the donkey, small scavenger hunt just in the back yard or something. Those would be what I would try. For the cake, you could even just by a puppy shaped mold, have her pick out her favorite cake mix, then you don't have to spend a fortune on a big cake. Hope that works for some ideas! Have fun! :)

Do you know anyone who volunteers at a shelter or has a service dog? Maybe they could make a guest appearance at the party. In lieu of a goodie bag, how about having the kids go to Petsmart and picking out something for a dog in need? If you can't drive them all there make a pet store in your home that they could shop at.

J.,
That sound like lots of fun. How about thick soft ribben choakers that look like dog collars. You could even let the kids make them. Instead of plates use bowls like dog bowls. You could make a Chex mix for a snack that could look like dog food. You could play pin the tail on the dog, memory - match dogs with spots or different color dogs. Who could teach their pet (friend) the funniest dog trick. When the guests get there they could have a dog bone shaped name tag and use a favorite pet name for the day or a pet name they like. You could make head bands with dog ears or other fun simple costumes. My grandson loved blues clues you could play find the clues with paw prints. You could make paw print invitations, placemats or thank-you notes. You could also get large beads to make dog collar necklaces or leashes. I am a dog lover and have had fun with my daughters and grandson this party sounds great.

Have fun.
S.

At a party for a 4-yr-old, they served "dog treats" in minature dog bowls. The kids ate it with their fingers. I think it was some kind of chocolate covered chex mix??
Just a little idea! :)

Ok, I just looked up some information for you because I never did a dog themed party either. So, www.celebrateexpress.com has a dog themed party pack if you do not want to get creative yourself. It is very cute, but I am not sure how much money you want to spend. Go to google and type in "dog themed party" and it will pull up many ideas. Oriental trading company has plates and cups that have puppy faces and dog paws on them and they seemed a little cheaper. Look around on the web and most of the time you can find really cute idea for games, food, and fun! Good Luck!
J. S

You could have them play a version of Simon Says where they have to do things like play dead, bark three times, sit, fetch, etc. You could play musical chairs with beanbags or pillows instead of chairs and they crawl on all fours like dogs. You could even do pin the tail on the dog. I know those are just variations of really regular games, but there are a couple ideas. You could do a cake shaped like a dog house or a dog bone. Go to orientaltrading.com and type in puppy party for some cheap goodie bags and plates and cups.
Sounds like a fun idea! Good luck!

Yes, thats a fun idea! Im a creative person, and just have some ideas for you. Let them eat out of real doggie dishes, just bought, of coarse! Make "collars" for them with name tags/bells on it Or use madeup dog names like "Fifi" or "Spot", or "Wolfie". Can have them act out their personalities their dog would have? A race where they have to push a ball around with their nose/head, to a finish line? Maybe make some sort of tail for a dog wagging contest, or even to hit things with it (?) ~ Dogs tails have been known to knock off glasses of the coffee table...! Dog barking contest, have them roll over, sit up, beg...The cake could be just a shape of a dogs head, cut out of a 13x9 pan cake...should be chocolate, resembling dogfood! Hows that? : )

What if you decorate the table by putting pink butcher paper down first and did it as if they were fancy poodles. maybe find an inexpensive way to do a doggy collar with "bling" and maybe their names so its sort of a necklace/ dog collar/name tag. maybe its to much but have them eat out of bowls that resmble doggy dishes they could be sitting on the table as decorations when they arrive. maybe you could have them paint their little dishes. games I would think pin the tail on the doggy. red rover red rover. have the kids move around pretending to be their favorite dogs.Play music and when the music stops they have to roll over, or play dead, or go to sleep what ever you call out. Kids love improvisation games. Sound fun . my little girl had a tea party and everyone had to wear their tea party dress. I had bought a cute little tea set and filled it full of juice. We also had a huge display of cookies cakes and crackers and cheese. I put little tongs on the table and they loved serving themselves. It turned out darling. Even the boys had fun.

Try Zurchers. It's a great party store with great prices. Just google it, and you'll get some locations. Oh, also if you google dog party ideas, you will probably find other people's suggestions for what they did. My husband did that for a Star Wars based party for my son. It was great.

Buy a little "astroturf" carpet at Walmart. Get a dishwasher box from BestBuy. Make a doghouse out of the big box--cover it with wrapping paper and make it really cute in a bright, cartoonish fashion--and put the green carpet in front of it like a little square of grass for the puppies.

If the kids will let you, face-paint doggy noses and whiskers on them when they arrive. http://www.facepaintingdesigns.co.uk/Gallery/gallery.html (You can look at the "dalmatian" face and simplify--do just the nose, lips and cheeks rather than the whole face.) Floppy felt doggy ears could be glued onto headbands--or maybe there are some little things at the dollar store that are already prepared. If they let you, you could put their own hair into two hair elastics for "doggy ears" on each side of their heads. They need doggy collars, of course! These would also be easy to make with a little bit of vinyl-covered tablecloth fabric bought from Walmart and some glued-on jewels from the bead department and a sew-on snap or two. Or use bandanas.

Bake a two-layer round cake and decorate it like a dog bowl full of dog food. Just use a Wilton piping bag with a large tip to build up the outer edge around the top a little bit. The dog food could be Hershey kisses or Jellybeans or whatever would be cute and not too realistic and "gross" for 4-year-olds or they won't eat it.

I don't know what I'd do for games except keep them simple. In my opinion, little kids are "managed" too thoroughly these days. You could provide crayons and dog coloring pictures. You could read them a cute story or two about dogs. You could teach them a funny dog song--"B-I-N-G-O" or something like that. You've got the doghouse. Let them use their imaginations. You should be close by with your camera so you can enjoy them and give what guidance is necessary to keep them engaged and happy. You should enter into their play when they invite you to be silly. Take their pictures in the doghouse. You've got cake and presents. I wouldn't plan on the party going on for too many hours or they'll get tired, bored, and crabby. I would plan on having at least one helper, probably two, so the face-painting can move along and someone can keep the other kids happy.

I miss having little kids! Have a blast!

http://www.birthdayinabox.com/party-themes/boxbuilder.asp...

http://thepartyworks.com/index.php

http://www.google.com/products?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&...

http://home.search.ebay.com/puppy-cake-pans_Themed-or-Spe...

I would google "kids dog birthday party". You should get interesting stuff. Try Birthdayexpress.com too. They have terrific party ideas, for free! Family Fun might too. I believe if you make 2 heart shaped cakes and cut off the points, you can probably make a bone shaped cake.

we went to a dog themed party and she bought new doggie dishes and painted each kids name on one and thats what they ate out of and got to keep at the end.

We had a Dog theme bday party for my 8 yr old, was a huge success!!
Dog bone shape cake is a must, King Sooper did it for me , brought in a picture...
Also we played Blind folder pin the matching face on the dog game..
Found the DOG poster and cut out dog breed pics to match with the ones on poster.. whomever got closest to their breed won. I past out doggie frames for prizes and little stuff doggie (dollar store)
Dance freeze or musical chairs to "who let the dogs out" was blast!!!

Everyones goodie bag was a dog dish with their name on it, lots of stickers, and doggie stuff.
Everyone who was there had a dog at home so I made doggie treats for their pals at home.

Fun was had by all!!!

Ms D

Give each child a "dog" name
Fifi
Miffi
Gizmo
let your daughter think them up.

Red Light Green Light can be Bow Wow & Whoof Whoof
If you don't know red light green light
put the kids behind the line
When you say whoof whoof they run but have to stop when you say Bow Wow. If you catch them moving they are out.
If they catch you then you have to go in the line and the FIFI is now the one who bow wows or whoof whoof's.

You can have each one put a dogs face on a plate and cut out the eyes for a mask. (Putting a string on the back to tie to their face) Staple it on or tie it to the side after poking a hole in it.

You should have great fun at this party.

Make sure there is a time out for pooch if someone gets cranky. (It is usually the one who the party is for because they get really tired as they look forward to it the longest.)
If they know in advance there is a time out for pooch chair - you might not need to use it. Make sure you have a tail ready to pin on the bad pooch.

Did I mention Pin (tape) the tail on the pooch - well that would be easy... You might want to use tape if you use the real Pooches at the party for this game.

cake suggestion - leave that one up to those wonderful bakers at Albertsons - they have the best cakes! Costco is good too but that would be way too big for 6 kids. Ice cream cakes are good too and there is one that could be like a weiner dog - a good size for 6 kids.

And in the future - limit the number of kids to the age or you will find you really have your hands full unless you have help.

I wish I could come to see the fun.

Make sure you take pictures and have that camera ready - this will be a cute one.

It would be fun to make a big spider web (black yarn) - at the top put a lose dog (at Halloween this would be a spider)

If the dog drops as the "pup" is going through the web than she is out.

The one who gets through the web the most times without the dog falling wins.

Another cute one could be passing the ball only you can't use your hands. Put the ball below the chin of one pup and make them pass all the way down the line to the end the ball (Halloween this would be an apple) from below the chin to the next below the chin. If they drop the ball the one getting it is out until you have a pup winner.

For the bone cookies (we used clothes pins)- you could put the poochin a begging position (knees to the base of the back) in a wood chair over a jar (making sure their paws don't go too far down the back of the chair) and have them try to get the bone cookies in the jar. If they get 1 out of 5 it's one gift
2 out of 5 another gift (ok treat bag). Etc.
Let me know if you want a great recipe for Puppy chow - it is so delicious! (Powder sugar Messy though)
Have fun.
sky
I love it - now want to come! (Now I am getting downright jealous - wow - just looked at all these responses! I wish I had this when I had a little boy!)
A dog cake pan on e-bay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=17...

There is a recipe for "puppy chow" where you use rice chex and pretzels and some other sweet stuff. Check their website. Also, we have made Clifford ears before as a craft. Check out the familyfun.com website. Tons of ideas for crafts and parties there. Enjoy!

I did one last year on a Micky Mouse Club House theam and Got a lot of games off of playhousedisney.com there was a game called hide the bone. it is like egg search but with bones the kids loved it. look on that site for any more ideas. under parties.

How about having the kids each bring a stuffed dog, and you also could provide some stuffed dogs & leashes if you want to be really nice, and then have a dog show with prize ribbons for each (most original, cutest, smartest, biggest, cuddliest, whatever.....) and video the "show" with commentary by a AKC-style commentator. Get a box of milk-bone dog treats and hide them all over the backyard for a dog bone hunt, or bury them in a sandbox and have the kids dig for them. You could have a special color one for a prize if you were into that sort of thing - ususally not so great for little kids if anyone gets left out. Go to the library and get a cake deco book to make the cake or buy a cake and use little plastic doggies for decorations or do doggie cupcakes with little dog face features and maybe floppy ears made out of fruit by the foot or something...Crafts could be making dog bowls. Serve drinks in bowls, have the kids try to lick the milk out (big mess but does demonstrate how different dog tongues are from ours, since this is REALLY hard to do). Play doggy-doggy where's the bone (circle game). Make up a barking code like morse code and sing dog songs (How much is that doggy in the window, B-I-N-G-O, etc. Read a great age-appropriate dog story. My personal favorite are the Martha Speaks books but they are maybe old for 3 year olds. My kids loved those from ages 4 to adulthood - they are hilarious.
I could go on and on - dress each other up like dogs, make dog masks, make dog collars (belts for waists), have a big box and make it look like a dog house and use that for puppy play, serve chicken wings with the bones in them for snack, cut out cheese in dog bone shapes, and of course you can always find dog-themed plates, napkins, etc. Borrow all the stuffed dogs you can find from friends, relatives, for decor.
If you still need more thoughts, let me know. Happy birthday!
S. S
mom of 4, grammy of 3, dog owner, overgrown child myself

that is a hard one...i would say you could definatly paint their faces like puppies.

http://www.facepaintingdesigns.co.uk/Gallery/Animals/anim...

here is a head start if you want to do it yourself!

E.

Make "collars" (yarn with fruit loops). Make "dog food" (chex mix) for snacks. Doggie races (run on all four) and get the ball. Chenk out birthdayexpress.com for more favors. Have fun!

Hi J.,
An easy one is pin the tail on the dog- just draw a dog on large poster board and you can cut out six different dog tail shapes for each child and just use double sided tape. Prizes could be a stuffed dogs from the dollar store.

Maybe you could play fetch where two adults do the throwing so that the balls are thrown an equal distance and the kids have a race to see who can fetch it back the fastest. Frisbees could be prizes for the winners and balls for losers.

Have Fun!
M.

J.
I have a suggestion. For the games you could have a dog show where you could have hulla hoops and different things to jump over. The children could also do some ball bouncing. some of the treats could be swiss cake from hostess or you could get something like it. they could make there own dog snake out of cookies and icecreame or twinkies. you can think of anything. the cake could be a red firehidrent. you could draw it on the 13x9 cake or totally be creative and cut it that way. For the prizes for the dog show can be simple, anything inexpensive.
A College Student in Utah that loves to give ideas. S. B

I only have an idea for a cake but have you considered a dog design for a cake. Such as blues clues and I am sure you can get idea on the internet too.

Good luck with planning I really don't enjoy planning birthday's myself either.

Sincerely,
E.

Sounds like lots of fun. You probably already saw these, but looks like a lot of good ideas

http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/party_dog_puppy.htm

http://www.coolest-kid-birthday-parties.com/party-theme-i...

Have fun! L.

You could make puppy chow out of chex mix cereal (also known as muddy buddies) and serve it out of new dog food bowls. My daughter recently went to a do themed birthday party. The mom got dog decorations from a place called the Birthday Express online www.birthdayexpress.com. My duaghter got a tiny dog food bowl and still loves to eat snacks out of it. You could play the game "Doggie, Doggie Where's Your Bone". It is similar to "Duck, Duck, Goose". Or "Pin the Tail on the Doggie". They make minature dog cakes at Wal-Mart, not sure if they could make a bigger one. Worth looking. If you can't find directions for the games or for the "puppy chow" online, contact me. I know I have them around the house. Hope this helps!

Pin the tail on the Dog, tug of war, fetch (throw some kind of treat into the yard or room and have each child have a chance to fetch it). pinata in the shape of a dog, go for taditional games you could also make sock dogs (take old socks and have the kids stuff them glue eye, ears, feet, tails on they would have something cool to take home afterward

I just had a dog themed party for my son. I made cupcakes that were paw prints ( 4 chocolate chips upside down and a round peppermint patti). My favorite part was the dogfood (muddies-chex mix covered in chocolate peanutbutter and powdered sugar- it is on the back of the chex box on how to make them) that I sent home in a dog dish (at IKEA for $0.19 each) I also sent home doggie bags filled with prizes and a dogtag!!

Pin the tail on the doggy, doggy doggy kitty (duck duck goose). It would also be fun to have a dog you know that is friendly and does tricks to come play with the kids and show tricks.

A fantastic website for birthday parties is www.birthdaypartyideas.com. They have dog party ideas. Usually mom's post their ideas, including invitation ideas, food, games, treat bags, etc.

Dog shaped rice krispy treats would be cute with the chocolate ones or white or the colorful ones. They also have a really cute cake at Albertson that is themed "The Dog" and they have little dog figurines on them. You can get it in a 1/4 sheet and have it cupcakes instead. It looks like a cake the way they frost it but it is actually cupcakes. Less mess! No cutting and they can take it home if they do not want to eat it at the party.
Good Luck!
A.

Give them cheap white paper plates, cut out some doggie ear, nose, eyes, and mouth shapes ahead of time out of colored paper, and let them glue the pieces onto the plates to make dog masks. (don't be surprised if an ear ends up on the chin, it's ok) You could poke holes in the mask eyes and tie strings around to keep it on their head.

oh yeah, and another game that age LOVES is a Blues Clues type game -- make 3 paw prints on 3 different papers, hide them on different clues, have them find the clues and put them together, then figure out what the answer is ... like, one on a plate, one on a fork, one on a candle, and the answer could be "time for cake!"

Maybe for some games you could play pin the tail on the dog. You might even get a dog cake from the store.

If you want to go to the trouble it would be fun to have each child select their favorite dog. You could have a craft activity cutting out ears like their dog or make dog masks...match them with tails and play pin the tail on the dog. A little educational flip would be to talk about each brand of dog and what they are like....how to care for dogs, what NOT to feed them (Someone from the pet shop might actually do the presentation for you)...I have a 4 year old granddaughter who loves our black lab...sometimes she thinks he can eat anything she can and they often slip the dog treats they shouldn't have...she doesn't realize some things are painful. Another idea, depending on your budget...they have small bean bag dogs that could be used for a bean bag game and they take home the PRIZE. Sounds fun Good luck. L.

You could for a game play pin the tail on the dog. Have you asked your daughter what are somethings that she would want to do for her party games.

I did a puppy party for my 2 yr old in Feb. I used a store bought cake woth tons of pink roses and then put little plastic dog figurines (from a local toy store) in and amongst the roses. You can do relay races where they have to push a plastic dog food bowl across a finish line with their noses. You can also add jewels to "dog tag" necklaces
(in the army party section of the party store) for all the girls or jeweled dog collar choker neckaces with a little heart charm in front. Have Fun!