As this month’s last weekend kicks off on Friday, July 31, kids and grown-ups around the world will jubilate the birthday of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter – one of the most beloved characters in the history of fantasy literature. On this day, give your kids a magical adventure of their own and a taste of the spectral life at Hogwarts, the Wizarding School. Grab your best wand and these tips to pull off this party with ease!
The game plan is to let the little ones feel like they’ve left the “muggle” world behind via the Hogwarts Express. If this sounds strange to you and you are asking “Who is Harry Potter?” – maybe this is the perfect opportunity for you and your family to deep dive into the Harry Potter books and movies. If your family is already a fan, go ahead and theme everything with Harry Potter’s birthday celebration ideas. After all, magic is for all ages!
1. Invitations
Send a fun and interesting invite; you can print them out in the same font used on the covers of Harry Potter books and sign it as “Minerva McGonagall” (the Hogwarts headmistress) to create an authentic effect. Scribble “Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry” on the envelopes in the ‘from’ section. These fonts are available in online tutorials that also provide directions to make the perfect Harry Potter themed party invite.
2. Decor
Decorating your house for the party will be fun, with so many creative options to pull out from the books and movies! Start at your front door with a sign for Platform 9-3/4, just like the one Harry and his friends used to find the train to Hogwarts. Inside, consider making banners for each of the Hogwarts houses and paint or print out old pictures in gaudy frames like the ones in the Great Hall from the movies. It’s really easy to create wands by using small sticks and painting them brown unevenly. Why not get your husband and kids to help with this?
3. Food
To keep this party going, you’re going to need a lot of food! Start with Butterbeer, the staple lager of young wizards and witches, with many child friendly recipes available online. Prepare the cold drink cups beforehand with a little food colouring at the bottom and cover them with ice. Wave your wand over the cup as the kids pour in clear fizzy drinks. Say a magical spell and voila! the drink will change colour. Don’t forget to include a “Happy Birthday Harry” cake in the end, as it’s a birthday celebration after all.
4. Activities
Why not arrange some fun “classes” the Hogwarts way? Be it Potions, or History of Magical Creatures, every Hogwarts subject teaches us important lessons. Demonstrate a classic volcano eruption by mixing baking soda and vinegar, but put a magic spin in it- use test tubes and lab flasks like Professor Snape! Walk into Hagrid’s big shoes as you organize a treasure hunt with clues to find hidden miniatures of animals. The clues are nothing but the very characteristics of those animals, whose names the children will have to guess, and accordingly the location too. You can also have a Sorting Hat ceremony, where each person has to take their turn under the crazy sorting hat to be placed in a Hogwarts house.
5. Movie Marathon
In case your popular young one has way too many friends for you to handle, fret not. An easy solution is organizing a Harry Potter movie marathon! Remember to keep the number of kids limited to the space that you have in your home. Pick the movies you want to screen and keep the kids engaged during the screening with some magical trivia. What kind of feather is in Harry’s wand? What is the name of the town where Harry’s aunt and uncle lived? At the end, give away magical Chocolate Frogs to the winner.
There are also several other parties you could throw, like a crafts night, where the kids make handmade decorations or wands, or an outdoor play evening, where the kids split up into teams for a game of Quidditch using hula hoops attached to poles. Involve your child while making these arrangements and he’ll love it. This July 31, Harry Potter’s birth date, forget being a grown up and create some unforgettable memories with your little one!
