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Should You Send Birthday Cards to Colleagues and Employees?

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Sending a birthday card has become the no-brainer way for most people to say “happy birthday” to the important people in their life – whether that’s a friend, a family member, or even a neighbour. Birthday cards don’t cost much money, are easy to find and order, and quick to write – yet they can make anyone feel valued and cared for their special day.
But while it’s almost automatic to send birthday cards to your nearest and dearest, you may wonder: what about colleagues and employees? Is it appropriate or correct to give a birthday card to someone that you only know in a professional context? What are the benefits to doing so, and how do you go about writing their card?
This guide will explain everything you need to know about sending birthday cards to your coworkers, colleagues and employees.

Why Should I Send Birthday Cards to Colleagues and Employees?

If you’re wondering whether it’s appropriate to send birthday cards to people in the workplace, you are not alone. A lot of people have reservations over this gesture thinking that it might not be professional – or, in the case of sending cards to your higher-ups, whether it might seem a bit “desperate”.
But that’s not the case at all. Sending a birthday card to someone you work with, whether that’s an equal, a superior or even an employee of yours, is a great way to not only make them feel special on their big day but also build and sustain a relationship with them.

A Birthday Card is a Form of Recognition

Sending a birthday card to a co-worker or employee isn’t only an opportunity to send your birthday wishes, but it’s also your chance to recognise his milestones and achievements in the workplace.
For instance, if your employee recently got a promotion, you could congratulate him and remark on how well he’s doing in his new position. Recognition is one of the biggest motivators to people in your workplace, and giving a birthday card is the perfect opportunity to do that.

Birthday Cards Help Foster Professional Relationships

Sending out birthday cards to people in your workplace is actually one of the best tools to build and foster relationships with them.
In a world where communicating has been all about exchanging emails and writing business letters, a birthday card is definitely a breather from the usual. It is a small, affordable yet highly meaningful gesture that can easily make colleagues and employees, and even clients, feel valued on their special day.
The gesture also shows that you care about your relationship with them, which will surely be reciprocated with friendship and loyalty.

A Birthday Card Shows Sincerity

These days, it’s not often that you receive “snail mail” that you’re excited to open – the sound of post coming through the letterbox is usually associated with advertising, junk mail and bills that you’d rather throw in the trash bin.
But when you send a birthday card to a co-worker or employee, it’s a sincere and surprising gesture that will be appreciated, no matter your relationship to them. And what’s more, birthday cards aren’t expensive – it won’t hurt your bank account even if you send everyone in your office a card on their birthday, especially if you order cards in bulk through a website like 123Print.

Birthday Cards can Help Motivate People

Your colleagues or employees don’t usually expect to receive a card from the workplace, so giving them one can definitely make their day. No matter how simple your birthday card is, the act of taking the time to write something for a co-worker or employee can really motivate them to work harder and do more for the business.
It’s also a great way to show that you care for them without being too informal or intrusive.

What to Write in a Birthday Card to a Colleague or Employee

Real conversations often get lost in the mix of trying to stay professional in the workplace, but a birthday card can help bring that culture back.
Something as simple as a handwritten or hand-signed birthday card can be a valuable form of communication to someone in your workplace, and could even be the beginning of more meaningful conversations within your circle.
Now that you know that it’s okay to send birthday cards to people from your workplace, here are some important tips to help you write the perfect cards for them:

1. Keep Things Light

Your birthday message would depend a lot on how well you know a colleague or employee. But if you don’t know exactly what to write, try to lean towards keeping things light.
You already talk about a lot of serious things in the workplace, so it’s best to make things a little different on your birthday card. Save the business and work talks for your meetings and keep your message more informal. Of course, keep things “safe for work”: don’t go overly informal and use slang or inappropriate jokes unless you’re incredibly close with the person in question.

2. Say Thank You

Sending out a birthday card gives you the opportunity to thank people for their hard work and dedication for their job, especially if you’re the manager, supervisor or employer in the scenario. You don’t need to elaborate on the details, but you can say something like “Here’s to wishing that you have the best birthday yet and my sincere thanks for all your dedication and hard work this year.”
Even if you’re simply a colleague, you can thank them for brightening up your work days or being a pleasure to work alongside.

3. Add some Humour

If you’re writing for a colleague that you’ve already developed a bond or friendship with, it’s okay to add an inside joke or a funny memory as part of your message. You could even choose a birthday card with a humorous or cartoon design, such as Party Animals. You just need to be careful with this, because not everyone appreciates jokes.
If you don’t know the recipient that well, it’s best to stick with more generic greetings rather than risk sending out the wrong message, even if you have the best intentions.

4. Keep the Birthday Message Simple

There’s no need to write an essay on the card, or wax lyrical about how much you appreciate the coworker/employee in question. Just a short birthday wish and message of gratitude is more than enough. You may come off a little odd if you write too much, so keep things simple.
This is particularly important if you’re doing a group birthday card, where everyone in the office will sign the same card. Keep your message to the minimum; don’t fill out a big chunk of a page with your note. Try to leave some space for others!

5. Choose the Right Birthday Card Design

Although you’re just sending a simple birthday card, you can still make it extra special by choosing a design that fits well with the recipient’s personality. The good thing is that you’ll have a wide array of birthday card designs to choose from with a site like 123Print, so you won’t run out of options.
You can even shop for different cards in advance so you don’t have to rush whenever someone in your office is celebrating their birthday.

6. Don’t Be Late!

A birthday card is one of the best ways to show an employee or colleague that you care about their birthday, but that purpose is easily defeated if they receive it two weeks late.
If you’re sending out a card through mail, it’s best to send it a few days before so your recipient can get it in time. A late birthday card wouldn’t seem as sincere as when they received it on their birthday.

Although, if you do miss the big day, show them that you haven’t forgotten completely by sending them a funny yet thoughtful belated birthday card such as A Little Behind.

7. Go the Extra Mile

If you really want to show your colleague or employee that you care, don’t feel you have to stop at grabbing a generic card at the last minute from your local card shop, and hastily scrawling your name. You can go the extra mile to really make your recipient feel valued and special by ordering a personalised birthday card from 123Print, and adding your own message in your preferred wording. If you have the budget, you could even buy them a small gift to go alongside your card – such as a bouquet of flowers, some balloons or a bottle of wine.

At the end of the day, the act of sending a birthday card to a colleague or employee is one of the best ways to show that you value these people in your workplace. Sending a birthday card not only shows that you care, but it’s also a great way to build those lasting relationships in the workplace.

Personal Thank You Note

Do You Have to Send Thank You Cards After a Birthday Party?

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It used to be the case that after any birthday party, be it a children’s party or an adult’s 50th shin-dig, the ‘done thing’ to do would be to send out a ream of thank-you notes after the event. These are designed to express gratitude to everyone who came and/or brought gifts.
However, in the age of mobile technology the art of the hand-written note seems to have fallen out of favour. Many people now, rather than sending out hand-written thank-you notes, will instead send texts or emails thanking people for the pleasure of their company. You can see why. Hand-writing numerous thank-you notes can be a bit of a time-consuming task!

However, we think it’s still important, even in this more digital era, to send out thank you cards after a birthday party – whether you’re young or old. Today, we’re going to explain the benefits of sending thank you cards, and discuss the proper thank you card etiquette.

What’s the Point of Sending Thank You Cards?

We all know how important it is to show our appreciation for the important people in our lives.
Many people enjoy and appreciate the personal, thoughtful touch that a hand-written note conveys. There’s just something so nice about opening a physical card that someone has taken the time to choose, design and write just for you.

Having your kids write thank you cards after their birthday has the additional benefit of teaching them gratitude and good manners – important skills that they’ll take far in life.
But expressing gratitude (as opposed to just feeling it) is more than just politeness. Receiving a thoughtful and genuine ‘thank-you’ triggers positive responses in the brain. In other words, the time and effort that it takes to write a brief thank-you note could really make someone’s day.

Personalised thank you cards make an even bigger impression – because you’ve taken the time to design them yourself, rather than just grabbing a generic card from a supermarket shelf.

When Should You Send Thank You Cards?

Here are some examples of occasions when it might be appropriate to send a thank you card.
1) After hosting a large party (e.g. a landmark birthday or anniversary) which your guests had to book time off work or travel some distance to attend
2) After any party where guests brought gifts – e.g., a kid’s birthday party or a Christmas party
3) When anyone has given you a gift for any reason (even if there was no party)
4) After your wedding, bridal shower or baby shower
5) When someone has done you a favour, for example they allowed you to borrow a household item, or they ran an errand for you to help you out

Essentially, if you feel thankful for someone who’s gone out of their way to help you or give you something, a thank you card would be the perfect way to show it.

Do You Always Have to Send Thank You Cards After a Birthday Party?

Birthday parties are the classic example of when you should send a thank you card. When people have taken time out of the day to attend your birthday celebration, sending thank you cards to everyone who attended is not only appropriate, but expected. This goes double if they bought you a gift!

Sending thank you cards after your birthday, whether you’re young or old, is a great way to practise expressing gratitude. Your recipients will be so grateful that you’ve taken the time to write them a personalised note, and this can help foster your relationship with them.
In the digital age we are living in it is now more commonplace to send “thank yous” in a digital format, which may be acceptable in some situations. For example, at very casual, last-minute-put-together gatherings at which no gifts were exchanged, it may be appropriate to send a thank you text.

The actual thanks is the important thing after all. However, the thought that goes into a hand-written thank you card should not be underestimated.

What Should You Write in a Birthday Thank You Card?

What you write in a birthday thank-you card depends on who you are sending it to and who is writing it!
If your child is writing a card, keep it nice and simple. For example:
Dear Joe,
Thank you for coming to my party, I had a great time and hope you did too!
Thank you for my new remote-control car – I love it!
From Sam
If your child is old enough, it’s also a great idea to mention something they like about the gift, or in the case of money, how they’re planning to spend it.
However, if you are writing the note yourself then you may choose to be informal or formal depending on the occasion and how well you know the recipient. Here are some examples.

Formal

Dear Samantha,
Thank you so much for the pleasure of your company at my recent birthday celebration. I hope you enjoyed the event as much as I did.
Thank you also for the incredibly thoughtful gift. The photo frame is simply beautiful and looks lovely on my mantle. Your kindness is very much appreciated.
I hope to see you again soon.
Best wishes,
Sharon

Informal

Dear Suzie,
Thank you so much for coming to my birthday party last Saturday. I had a blast and it was so great to see you again.
Thanks also for the Starbucks gift card. You really shouldn’t have. I can’t wait to spend it on fancy coffees!
Let’s get together for brunch soon!
(Love) from Emily

What If the Birthday Party Guests Didn’t Bring Gifts?

Depending on the nature of the occasion some guests at birthday parties may not feel that it is necessary to bring gifts. Indeed, many adults are genuinely content with the pleasure of their friends and family’s company, and would not expect a gift.
If you are going out for informal drinks for a your birthday, for example, and have extended the invitation to work colleagues and acquaintances, they probably won’t bring gifts. In this scenario, while you certainly can send thank you cards if you wish, they wouldn’t be expected.

If you held a intimate gathering and some of the guests didn’t bring gifts then you should still be courteous and thank the guests for the pleasure of their company. They have still made an effort to come and spend time with you, after all. It’s still polite to send a note thanking them for attending. This goes for kids’ birthday parties and adults’ alike.
After all, presumably you are having a party to celebrate the occasion with people you like, not just to get presents. They have still made an effort by the very fact that they are there!
If you’re sending a thank you card to someone who didn’t bring a gift, here’s an example of wording you might use.

Dear Jackie,
Thank you so much for coming to my recent 40th birthday party. It was so lovely to see you again and I had so much fun. I really appreciate you taking the time to celebrate with me.
I hope to see you again very soon!
Laura

How Soon After a Birthday Party Should You Send Thank You Cards?

If you choose to send thank-you notes after a birthday celebration then send them as soon after the event as possible. That way, you can be sure that you will remember what gifts each person has given you.

This will allow you to personalise the card by mentioning the specific gift they got you. The memory of the party will still be fresh in your mind, so you can also mention a special moment you shared with each guest.
The sooner you can send a thank you note the more personal and thoughtful it seems for the recipient. If you leave it too long, your party guests may think you’ve forgotten about them, or aren’t bothered thanking them – and this could leave a sour taste in their mouth.
However, if you had a large party with lots of guests, or you’ve got a very busy life, then your guests will completely understand if it takes a while for them to receive their thank you.
In any case, aim to send out your cards no later than four weeks after the event.

Where Can I Order Personalised Thank You Cards?

Although any thank-you is better than none, a generic pre-printed card is not as thoughtful as a personalised card, even if it is really brief.
It is much more pleasing to receive a personal note than a mass produced one. If you include specific details such as a special time you shared at the party, and mention the gift that they gave you, it will mean a great deal to the recipient.

You can order professionally printed, personalised thank you cards from 123Print. We’re an experienced UK-based printing company specialising in greetings cards and business stationery, and we stock hundreds of thank you card designs. We have templates suitable for weddings, birthdays, and any other occasion when you might want to say thanks.
Once you’ve chosen your favourite thank you card design, simply click on it to begin the customisation process. You can add your own text, upload pictures from your device, and alter the font style and colour. Make sure to leave room to add a handwritten message to each recipient!

Our thank you cards can be ordered in quantities of up to 120 – so why not order extra to have on hand for emergencies?

What Font is Best for Business Cards?

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It can be a challenging task choosing a font for your new business cards. There are often many options, and it can be unclear what you need to base your choice on.
Should you go for a classic, elegant serif font – or will that come off as old-fashioned? If you choose a more modern or contemporary font style, will your company stand out as fresh and up-and-coming, or will it make you look unprofessional?

The best way to choose a font for your business cards is to choose one that you feel represents you, or your brand. If you have a logo which you are featuring on your cards, it would also be a good idea to make sure your font has similar design characteristics.
You will also need to consider what colour to have your font – this depends again on your brand, logo and what you want to communicate visually with potential customers.
In this article we will select some stylistic fonts and discuss how these would work best on a business card, as well as how to choose a font colour.

The Psychology of Font for Business Cards

In marketing, the font you choose for your business cards (and other marketing material and promotional products) is important. The style of the typeface that you use on your cards can alter how a potential client, customer, colleague or contact will perceive you and your company. In this way, font choice is quite similar to colour, which we’ll touch upon briefly later.

For example: a modern, sans serif typeface will come across as contemporary, fun, and casual. If your company makes children’s toys, this style of font would be perfect – you could also choose a graphic, chunky font that evokes excitement and creates an aura of child-like glee.

But if your company provides financial or legal advice, the above font choice would be a big mistake. It could cause potential clients to take you less seriously, and doubt your professionalism. Instead, you’ll want to go with a simple, sleek and professional font which will make prospect clients trust you.

What Are the Different Types of Fonts?

As a general rule, serif fonts (such as Times New Roman) are perceived as more old-fashioned, dependable, and serious than sans serif fonts (such as Arial). They’re the kinds of fonts you’d likely see in older books and newspapers.

Handwriting-style fonts, such as Comic Sans MS, are the opposite: they’re perceived as very informal, fun, and fresh. They work well for small or casual businesses, such as dog groomers and children’s soft play centres.

Cursive, calligraphy or script-style fonts, like Amadeo and Studio Script, give off a romantic and feminine vibe. They’d be perfect if you’re a wedding planner or florist, for example.
Let’s now go through some examples of popular fonts and when they might be used.

Business Card Font Examples

Here are four of our favourite fonts for business cards, and the impression they might create about you or your business.

1. Avant Garde

Avant Garde is a brilliant font choice for anyone who wants something unique, but still professional. The letter spacing makes it extremely easy to read which is important on a business card.
Without being too bold, the roundness of this font makes text look approachable and it would work particularly well to draw attention to the key information on your business card.

If you have a modern, progressive brand with a fun and contemporary logo, this would be a great font choice for you.
If you feel this is for you, you may enjoy the ‘Fashion’ business card template for its modern, bright design.

2. Century Schoolbook

Century Schoolbook is the perfect example of a professional, easy to read serif font. This typeface is bold but without the chunky letters usually associated with standout font.
Although the style is similar to more commonly used fonts, it is a fantastic business card font choice for those looking to make their cards unique than, say, Times New Roman.
This font would work well for any professional brand, especially if you have a sleek, elegant logo. Choose a font like this for a company that needs to be taken seriously, such as an accounting firm or a solicitor.

If your brand fits this category, you may want to look at the simple yet elegant ‘Solid Black’ business card template.

3. Courier New

Courier New oozes simplicity. This typeface, which bears resemblance to typewriter font, is minimalistic in the best way. It is extremely clear and will stand out against any background.

This is a brilliant font to use for business cards as it merges playful and elegant perfectly. If your brand uses a to the point, minimal logo, Courier New would be one to consider.
For a brand with this aesthetic, the ‘Swoosh’ business card template could be a good fit.

4. Bauhaus

If you are looking for a fun and funky business card font that is still readable, Bauhaus would be an excellent choice.
It’s distinctive, striking and yet it still comes across as professional. It’s boldness means it would read clearly, even against a coloured background.

Bauhaus would make a brilliant business card font for anyone whose brand is quirky, eccentric, and fun, and would complement a bright logo.
No logo? Bauhaus would compliment the ‘Unique Antique’ business card template.

Which Font Should I Choose?

If you’re having trouble choosing, there is nothing wrong with going for a traditional and well-known typeface for your business cards. For example, Ariel or Times New Roman. They’re both classic, professional fonts that would work for almost any brand and logo.
You don’t have to go the “unique” angle if you’re worried about what your chosen font will say about your business. You can always make your business cards stand out in other ways, such as through use of colour, orientation or clever image placement.

You could also consider looking at other brands, and consider how they use font to communicate with potential customers. If you find an example that you enjoy, you can try out a similar font on your business card.

What Font Colour Should I Choose for My Business Card?

Don’t forget about colour! On a business card, it is important that all the information can be read clearly. If your clients and customers have to put in extra effort to read your information, they may not bother, and will pick up a competitor’s card instead.
It’s best to go for a font that contrasts well with your background. If your background is white or cream, a classic and professional choice would be a dark colour such as black, graphite, or navy.

If your business card has a dark background, however (such as ‘Strike a Deal’), white (or another very light colour) would be the obvious choice.


If you do choose to go with another colour, make sure it contrasts strongly enough with the background to show up clearly on your card. As well as this, it would be best to select a colour that will accent your logo if you have one.

What Does Font Colour Tell Customers About My Business?

The psychology of colour is very interesting, and brands use colour all the time to tell their audience about their product or company. For example:

1) Black symbolises formality and sophistication
2) Purple oozes luxury and royalty
3) Red gives off an aura of energy and excitement
4) Green comes across as fresh and natural
5) Blue is a calm colour that signifies trust and honesty
6) Yellow represents fun, happiness and creativity
7) Pink symbolises love and emotion
8) Brown denotes toughness and simplicity

Business Card Colours

Where Can I Buy Business Cards?

At 123Print you can completely customise your own business cards to suit the experience you want potential customers to have. As well having a choice of 32 fonts and thousands of custom colours, you can also upload your own artwork and logo to make the card completely your own.

If you are not feeling so creative, you could have a look through our massive range of business card templates. All templates can still be customised so you can add your own personal touches to the design, and edit the font and colour to your liking.

You can order business cards with 123Print stress-free in the knowledge that we have a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. Our 48-hour dispatch time and low price point means you can receive your order of high quality business cards quickly and cheaply.

16 Fun and Easy Kids Birthday Party Theme Ideas

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There’s so much to think about when planning a birthday party for your child – especially if you want them to have the best party of all time! From deciding where to host the party, to what party invitations to buy, it can feel fairly overwhelming.
Having a solid kid’s birthday party theme can help make everything that little bit easier. You can design the decorations, invitations, and even the food to coordinate with the theme, so that nothing looks out of place. And theming a birthday party doesn’t have to be difficult, time consuming or expensive!

Here are 16 fun and easy birthday party themes for you to choose from.

1. Detective

Why not put a twist on the classic theme of cops and robbers by throwing a detective themed party. Give out some cheap magnifying glasses, and have the children search for crime-solving clues in a scavenger hunt.
You could use brown paper bags decorated to look like evidence bags, and put some mini disguise kits and a notepad inside each one to act as their party favours. You could even finish the party with a classic game of Cluedo!

2. Sports Day

If you’d prefer an outdoor party, then a sports day themed birthday would be perfect for your back garden, or even the local park.
The children can dress up in their sports kit and you can pick activities such as a sack race, a ball relay, or if the weather is warm enough, maybe water balloon dodgeball! You could finish the party off by giving out medals and prizes to those who took part. This trees invitation will help spread the message that the party will be held outside!

3. Lego

When it comes to throwing an awesome, creative, and gender-neutral party, what’s better than lego? Not only will it be popular, but it’s likely that you will have enough at home to add to the decor.
Why not have a building challenge, or use some moulds bought online to create sweets or chocolates in the shape of these bricks. You could even create bigger bricks for decoration by using some boxes and painting them in the same colours as your theme. A construction-themed party invitation will help get guests in the mood for building!

4. Princes and Princesses

The great thing about a prince and princess themed party is that as well as being timeless, it’s also flexible. Whether you go for a general royalty theme, or base it around a specific Disney princess, you’re bound to have a perfect time.
Consider activities such as magic wand making, a scavenger hunt for royal treasure, and maybe swap musical chairs for musical thrones! Have pink lemonade and cut some sandwiches into dainty heart shapes. End the party with some cheap plastic crowns as party favours. This sparkly pink love heart invitation definitely gives off princess vibes.

5. Pirates

If your child is into pirates, then have a swashbuckling good time with a pirate-themed bash. Organise a scavenger hunt and have the kids search for pirate booty, and if they’re dressed up then even better! Luckily, pirate costumes are cheap and easy to make – all you need is an eye patch, a bandana and a billowy shirt.
You could even add to this with some temporary skull and crossbones tattoos, and if you have activities making pirate flags and telescopes, then they will really look the part. End the party with some fish and chips and ‘grog’. This spooky skull invitation would be perfect!

6. Pancakes and pyjamas

If you’re not a fan of sleepovers, then throwing a pancakes and pyjamas themed birthday can be a great alternative.
With a spread of pancakes, pastries, fruit, cereal and yogurt available, consider activities such as pancake decorating, pillow sack races and making necklaces out of your favourite hoop shaped cereal, all whilst wearing the comfiest pyjamas!

7. Rainbows

The best part of throwing a rainbow themed party is going crazy with all the colours, and not limiting yourself to just one or two hues. This makes shopping for props a breeze!
You can buy brightly coloured balloons and streamers for some exciting décor, have guests dress up in their favourite colours, and provide face painting as an activity. Food can be kept simple with rainbow fruit or veggie kebabs and if you have the time, you could make some rainbow fruit ice lollies. Add to the theme with this bright rainbow balloon party invitation.

8. Robots

Consider picking robots if you are looking for a versatile theme. With mostly silver, and one other colour, such as orange, blue or green, you could recycle some old boxes by sticking robot faces on them. You could even cut a circle in one of them to make a photo booth!
Why not put your snacks into different sized aluminium food trays, and arrange them to look like a robot, and for drinks, label some bottles as fuel. For activities, create your own masks and play a special game of musical robot statues.
And don’t think that robots are just for boys, either – this gears of love invitation combines robotic gears and subtle hearts for a girly touch.

9. Science

Throwing a science party is one of the most fun themes on this list; think orange, green and purple to create a mad lab with your little scientists. You could use food colouring in water for drinks and decorations, and you could even buy some petri dishes to put jelly in with some gummy worms.
Some simple science-themed party activities could include making slime, or conducting the classic coke and mentos experiment. As long as you have lots of bubbles and foam then you are bound to have a fun time. Don’t forget to dress up in your white lab coats!

10. Unicorn

If your little one wants a magical or fantasy themed party, consider picking unicorns! You could stick to a pastel colour scheme, or even combine this with the rainbow theme for an enchanted time. Party snacks can be as simple as candyfloss for unicorn hair, and chocolate covered pretzel sticks with sprinkles for a unicorn horn.
Activities can be just as easy, with adapting a simple ring toss game to create toss the ring on the horn, or pin the tail on the unicorn instead of the donkey. Why not have the children decorate unicorn shaped biscuits for a fun and yummy treat.

11. Under the sea

Under the sea is another simple yet effective theme for your child’s birthday! You can keep it basic and stick to sea animals, or you could adapt it and make it mermaid or Spongebob themed, for example. Consider decorating with blue, green and purple streamers – they would make a great backdrop if you hung them from the ceiling, or maybe you could add them to some balloons to make some wiggly jellyfish.
For food, you could cut pizzas and sandwiches to look like starfish, or even decorate fish-shaped biscuits as one of your activities. For delightful ocean themed desserts, consider individual jellies with gummy fish in them, or skewer some grapes to look like seaweed! This seaside party invitation will tie the theme together.

12. Zoo

While going to the zoo can be fun, when you invite even just a few of your child’s friends the ticket price can soon add up. Instead, why not bring the zoo to your home, with a zoo-themed party! Have everyone dress up as their favourite animals, and make masks or use face-paints.
Why not have animal themed snacks: bananas for monkeys, veggies for goats and peanut butter sandwiches for elephants, and as well as decorating using different animal patterns, why not pop some small toy animals on the snack table that can be used as party favours. This adorable pastel zoo invitation would fit the theme perfectly.

13. Dinosaur

Dinosaurs will always be one of those “roarsome” birthday party themes that will never go out of style, and with a simple colour scheme of green and brown, you are bound to organise this with no effort whatsoever.
Why not have a sandpit as a digging site, with some plastic dinosaurs for the children to find? Or if you want to go the extra mile, you could make some fossils using salt dough. Biscuits with dino footprints would make a great snack alongside a fruit-a-saurus salad, and hold a dinosaur egg and spoon race for some extra fun.

14. Outer Space

With space missions starting up again, now is the perfect time to throw a space themed party! Gear yourself up with space themed decorations – multicoloured balloons would make great planets (whether from this solar system or not!)
Come up with some galactic activities, such as painting ‘moon’ rocks, creating ‘UFO’ frisbees, and making some ‘alien goo slime’. How about some out of this world flying saucer pizza or special star shaped sandwiches? However you choose to throw this intergalactic bash, don’t forget to pick a side for dressing up. Will you choose to be an astronaut or an alien?

15. Woodland creatures

A woodland themed party is great for all ages, and can be perfect for any season of the year. The best part is being able to use things from nature in your decorations and activities, saving money. Why not have a pinecone treasure hunt? And if you’re out in the woods, you could have a den-building competition from logs and branches.
You could even incorporate a fairy theme into it if you wanted to, decorating fairy doors and making fairy or animal masks. The food is where you could get the most creative: decorate cupcakes to look like mushrooms, use Swiss rolls as logs, pretzels for twigs, and incorporate lots of different berries. This neutral toned butterfly party invitation would be perfect for a woodland party.

16. Ice Cream Sundae Party

Perfect for the summer months, an ice cream sundae party is simple, but very tasty! Create your own sundae station, and add things like sprinkles and chocolate sauce, but also different fruits, biscuits and fun cereal toppings.
Consider a themed game: participants roll a die and depending on the result, put a cherry on top, add some chocolate syrup, pass the bowl to the left, etc, and when it ends they eat what’s in front of them. You could also play the classic game of “duck duck goose”, but instead change it to “banana banana split.”
Have you chosen your ideal birthday party theme yet? When you’re ready to pick your perfect matching invitations, head over to 123Print to browse our huge range of templates. They’re available in two sizes (A5 and A6) and are all fully customisable. Happy designing!