Lots and Lots of Pirate Activities!

Treasure Hunt - Present a rolled up old treasure map to the Party Captain, other wise known as the birthday child. This map contains the first clue. For example, "Don't walk the plank to meet your doom, the first clue's in the living room" -- where they'll find the next clue...leading finally to the loot!



Cake Ideas
Pirate Ship Cakes
Treasure Chest Cakes



Put  black smudges on their face with an eyebrow pencil.   Smear it around to look like a beard on a rough pirate face.  You can find a head bandanna at your local thrift store, a colorful old shirt and grey stripped pants.  Cut the shirt sleeves to 3/4 length and fray the edge of the sleeves so they look worn... Cut the pant legs to 3/4 length and fray the edges so they look worn and "ship wrecked".  You can make an eye patch out of a small piece of black card stock or black cloth... Attach a black string or shoe lace to the eye patch and tie it around your child's head.  A wide black belt with a large buckle (you can make a buckle) can be cut to fit around your child's waist.



Parrot Craft
Pirate Bookmarks
Pirate Craft
Pirate Flag
Telescopes - Making telescopes with paper towel  tubes, colored cellophane and a rubber band.  Decorate with stickers, glitter and markers.
Lots of pirate crafts
Little Critter Paper Doll (scroll down for pirate outfit)
Milk Carton Pirate Ship
Ship in a balloon               
Spy Glass
Treasure Chest
 

Make a poster for the door that says "AHOY - WELCOME ABOARD!"  Make or purchase pirate flags in various colors to place around the party area.  Cover your table with a black table cloth and scatter gold chocolate (or plastic) coins and plastic jewels. Add a pirate chest piñata to the decorations and then use it as an activity later.  You can also pick up some pirate flags and make treasure maps and swords to put on the walls.  Fish nets, star fish and sea shells will help give 'yer party a sea goin' look.

Advanced Decorating --

Add an inflatable shark and/or crocodile pool float toy.  If you really want to get creative hang some rope lines and rigging and place a few wood whiskey barrels in the party area.

Set the Mood--

Upon arrival bring the kids into the theme, by giving them an eye patch, draw a beard with eye liner and tie a bandana around their heads or give them a pirate hat.

Colors--

Black, red, yellow, orange, blue and white are great pirate colors.  Use these colors for balloons, streamers and tablecloth.
 

More Ideas from Lorraine Canada--

I put three long banquet tables together and covered them with black plastic tablecloth. I scattered white skull confetti and plastic gold coins over the tables. I used 3 bundles of red, white, and black helium filled balloons tied with gold weights and put them on the ends and middle of the tables. I had clear plastic cups that had red napkins stuffed in them( unfold the napkin and grab the middle, place the middle end in the cup first), with a red straw and white plastic fork and spoon stuffed inside the napkin. These were put at each place setting around the tables. I was lucky to find a Halloween plastic skull treat container for 69 cents, which I cleaned out and filled with plastic grocery bags full, I then put gummy worms on the top. So it looked like worms were coming out of the top of the skull. The kids loved this! This was placed on the table too, as well as bowls of chips and cheeses. I had a 5-foot skeleton that I dressed like a pirate and placed a sign on it saying beware of pirates. I made this out of the top of a pizza box, and painted it black, with beware of (in white) pirates (in large red letters).  I saw a plastic sign like this for $20.00, so I just copied it. We called him Billy Bones, he sat in a chair next to the present table. I had a bathtub box which I made a pirate ship out of. I cut one long side and one end off. The end that was cut off I sewed together with twine, so it came to a point, like a bow of a ship. I cut the sides so that it looked like there were rooms on the back. I took the extra cardboard and sewed it to the back and bent it over inside the ship, this was for the mast. I made the mast out of 8-foot and 4 foot pieces of dowel, tied with twine in a t shape. This went through the extra cardboard at the back so that it stood up by itself. I made a sail with left over white material and had it bunched up around the dowel. I also made a skull and cross bones flag out of black material and used white fabric paint for the skull. This took a bit of practice as I did it free hand! The ship was painted brown and I drew wooden planks across the ship with a black marker. The top back part of the ship was painted black and the windows were painted yellow and I painted blue waves at the bow.  A door was cut in one side for the kids to get in. This took the better part of a day to do.

Serve hot dogs in miniature pirate ships (Cut out brown boats with brown construction paper, you have to make folds like a cardboard box to get the shape, the flaps were then glued together. Then cut out small and large sails out of the yellow parchment paper and pierce them with a wooden skewer and shaped the paper so it looked like the wind was blowing the sails (small sail on top large one beneath). Make small Jolly Roger flags out of black construction paper and used white paint to paint the skull and cross bones on them. They were then pierced on the top of the skewer with the sails on it.) Put the hot dogs into the ships and put the skewer into the hot dog, so they look like pirate ships. You can also serve pop or juice, which we called grog.

Popcorn, goldfish, Swedish fish and gummy worms make good "fish bait." Cake and ice cream. Red punch for "crocodile blood punch." Scary fish made out of a watermelon. Cut small v's at one end of the watermelon to resemble a mouth with teeth and scoop out the insides into little melon balls. Then fill the fishes mouth back up with the melon balls, grapes, etc. Blue Jell-O with gummy octopuses suspended in the middle to look like the ocean. Ice cream cone cupcakes decorated like pirates- including a wedding band earring.
 

Little pirates will love the tasty jewels in this drink. The night before the party fill ice trays with red fruit punch. Serve the red ruby ice in clear plastic cups with a lemon lime soda. 
 

"X" Marks the Spot

Play like Pin the tail on the donkey--Before the party make a treasure map from poster board and mark an X for the location of the treasure. Also make a pirate flag (small squares of colored paper) for each child with a skull and crossbones on one side and double stick tape on the other. At game time cover the players eyes (one player at a time) with a pirate's bandana. Spin the player gently 2-3 times, then point him towards the map where he will attempt to find the treasure with his flag.  The player with the flag closest to the treasure wins!

Treasure Toss

Before the party decorate a cardboard box to look like a wooden chest, or use a real chest if you have one. Leave the top off or open. Make or purchase five bean bags. This is a simple bean bag toss game where the children will take turns tossing the bean bags into the box from a pre-determined location.  Variations - For older children make Draw a map on a large box. Cut three large holes in the map/box and the children will attempt to get the bean bags into the holes. Just like a bean bags toss game at a carnival.

Walk the Plank

Use a 2x4 board to make the plank. The children take turns walking across the board. When they get to the end they all get a chocolate coin or a small prize. Repeat as many times as you wish.
 

Mop Away Mate

Divide the children into two groups.  Each team gets a mop. The object of the game was to mop a black water balloon (filled with air) across the room, around a pylon and back to the next person in line. Whichever team won, got to pick out their pirate tattoos first. So they all got tattoos. Make sure you have extra balloons blown up, as a few were broken during the came.
 

Captain's Hat

Have the children sit in a circle and pass a captain hat to pirate music.  When the music stopped who ever was holding the hat got a chocolate coin.
 

More Games



Pirate Birthday Invitations

Customize and print your own invitations for free (3 per page)

Free Printable Pirate Invitations, Envelopes, Cards, Certificates and more! (Scroll down)
 

(Print the following on yellow parchment paper):  Ahoy there Matey! Ye be invited fer some birthday adventures at Captain Mackenzie's Buccaneer bash. Chart yer course fer.. (address).. on (date) ..we be meetin' at (time)...fer some swashbuckling fun, grub and kiddie spirits. Wave yer flag if you be attendin, or have yer mum send word by yer phone to.. (phone number) sees ye there.. aarrgghh!   Next, take a wet tea bag and wipe the paper to give it a more aged look, this also gives it a certain texture.  Burn or tear the paper around the edges to make it look more authentic.  Roll it up and tie with twine.

Pirate type graphic on front with "Ahoy There Matey". Inside: xxxBEWARExxx Captain "child's name" is having a Pirate Party Come on "date" If ye dare! Pier "address" "time" RSVP, Pirate Garb Optional (leave yer weapons on yer ship) Write invitation on paper and burn around the edges, then roll them up and put them in root beer bottles. Put the children's names on paper and glue that like a label on the outside of the bottles, leave the bottles on the children's doorsteps.

Let invitations soak in coffee. Let them dry or microwave them on low. Run this paper through the printer to print graphics of pirate ship or other pirate graphics. "Aye.....ye be invited fer some birthday spirits at Captn Tyler's Buccaneer Bash Chart yer course fer the "location" ? day of month We be a meetin at "time" fer some swashbuckling fun, grub and kiddie spirits. Wave yer flag if ye be attendin or hav yer mum send message by yer phone to "number" Sees ye there.....aarrgghh!!!

Pirate Piñatas you can order



Chocolate gold coins, mini telescopes, plastic jewels, candy and a toy parrot (beanie) all tied up in a black or red bandana.

Pirate Bookmarks

Pirate Treat Bag Templates

Goodies Bags: These will look like mini treasure chests. Need one paper lunch sack per child. Cut off top 2 inches. Use black marker to give bag a wood design. Outline edges of bag. Make one line 2 inches from top (side to side) and key hole. Fill with goodies and fold and tape. Another idea is to use recycled diaper wipes boxes. Rough up the sides with sandpaper and spray paint gold. Let the kids decorate them with stick on "jewels" (use stick on earrings). Fill with plastic gold coins and Mardi Gras jewelry. These can be used for the buried treasure game. Spray paint paper bags gold. Have the kids decorate them with markers, sequins and stickers.



A Pirate's Vocabulary

Pirate Glossary



Treasure Hunt Cards

Treasure Map

Treasure Map #2
 

Cut the treasure map up into puzzle pieces (one for each child you're inviting).  Include a piece of the map in the envelope and instruct your guests to bring their piece of the treasure map to the party.  When your guests arrive, have them put their puzzle pieces together, then they can all hunt for the treasure you've hidden...  Make sure you keep a copy of the map in case one of your guests doesn't show up.  For treasure, put some chocolate coins in a box and hid them somewhere for your guests to find together with their map.