Call all your little soldiers together for a fun Army Party! We offer suggestions for everything from unique invitation ideas to high-energy games and activities that will make all your party guests feel like real American heroes!
Invitations
Decorations
Food
Party Favors
Games & Activities
Planning & Invitations
The first tasks on your planning list will be selecting a date, time and location for your party. Your chosen date and time will be dependent on your schedule and the schedule of the birthday child and his or her guests. Choosing a location can be a little more difficult. You may want to hold your party at your own home, so you have a little more freedom with how things are laid out. However, many parents want to save themselves from the preparation and clean-up that comes with hosting a party at home. Alternate locations for this theme might include a museum, park, or camp ground. For additional ideas, see our article on When and Where to Have the Party.
What do I need for the Party?
Basic party supplies include paper tableware, such as plates, napkins, cups, and cutlery; a tablecloth, streamers, and balloons. If you want to purchase themed tableware, instead of solids, consider our Fighter Jet Party Supplies.
You may also want to rent or purchase other items to fit your theme, such as:
- A Military-Themed Movie, such as ‘Ernest in the Army’ (rated PG), ‘McHale’s Navy’ (rated PG), or ‘Iron Eagle’ (Rated PG-13)
- Flags
- Costume Items
- Toy Planes and Other Toy Military Vehicles
- Plastic Army Men
To help you with your shopping, take a look at our Suggested Party Supply List. You may not need everything on the list, but you can use it as a guide.
Army Party Invitations
What could be more exciting for your guests than to receive a unique and fun invitation in the mail, inviting them to an exciting Army Party! Here are some invitation ideas to consider:
- Fold a piece of cardstock to create a top-fold card. Decorate the front with green and black marker to create a camouflage design. Write your party details inside.
- Pick up flyers at a local military recruiting station. Either use the images from the flyers to design your invitations, or write your party details directly on the flyers and send them as your invitations.
- Draw the stars and stripes of the flag on a square piece of white cardstock. Use glitter glue to fill in the stars. Write your party details on the back.
- Purchase two different colors of toy army men (they usually come in green and tan). Glue one color on one side of a piece of cardstock and the other color on the other side, so they face each other. Write your party details in the middle.
- Include creative wording for your party details, such as:
Private [guest’s last name], it’s time to report for duty!
Your mission: Celebrate [birthday child’s name]’s [age] birthday
Secret location: [party location]
Report at: [party start time]
Complete mission by: [party end time]
If you would rather not make your own invitations, but would still like a personalized touch, consider our Personalized Invitations, which include all the party details for you! We also offer blank invitations that you can fill in yourself.
Whichever invitation option you choose, write “Top Secret” on the envelopes and seal them with Army Stickers to add a final festive touch!
Decorating & Food Ideas
Army Party Decorations
Green, green, and more green, in all shades and varieties, is the key to successful military decoration. However, sticking to this one color scheme doesn’t mean you can’t be creative with decorations. Here are some ideas:
- Tear green and black butcher paper in a variety of shapes and sizes and attach them to the walls of the party area and hang green netting from the ceiling to create a camouflage effect.
- Hang strips of green streamers from the ceiling and attach plastic parachute men to them.
- Group together three green helium balloons and anchor them with balloon weights around the party area. Add Mylar balloons to some of the groups for added effect.
- Decorate the windowsills and tables of the party area with plastic military men and vehicles.
- Hang signs around the room using military lingo to designate certain areas. For example, hang a sign that says “Mess Hall” where the food will be served, “Barracks” on the doors of bedrooms, and “Boot Camp” where the activities will be held.
- Turn green plastic Easter eggs into grenades by drawing a crosshatch pattern with a black permanent marker around the egg. Fill these with treats and set them on each guest’s chair before snack time.
- Use an assortment of green markers and a black permanent marker to turn a tan table cover into a camouflage design.
- Hang a Pinata in the party area that can be used as a decoration before the activity begins. Remember, you can transform any pinata into a pull-string with these easy instructions.
Army Party Food Ideas
Send your guests to the mess hall for some grub after their hard work on the battlefield! Here are some ideas for Army-inspired food:
- Camouflage Chocolate Apples - These sweet treats are not only great party food, but can be wrapped up and added to favor bags as well!
- Canon Balls - Cook meatballs in a pan of marinara sauce and serve them with toothpicks or skewers for easy snacking.
- Military Munchies - Purchase toy military helmets and place them upside down on the table. Line them with cloth napkins or paper towels and fill them with chips, crackers, cookies, or other snacks.
- Canteen Cocktails - Serve drinks like juice, soda, and water in canteens instead of cups.
- Veggie Tray - Serve an all-green veggie tray with items like cucumber, green pepper, zucchini, broccoli, snap peas, and green beans, with a dill-flavored dip (or try ranch dip with a drop of green food coloring!).
- Shaped Snacks - Use cookie cutters in the shape of army tanks and fighter jets to make Army-themed cookies. You can also use the cookie cutters to cut out sandwiches.
- Fruit Tray - Either continue with the green theme and make your fruit tray with green apples, grapes, and kiwi, or do a red, white and blue theme and use blueberries, strawberries, and white peaches.
- Camouflage Cake - Bake a traditional 9”x13” cake and frost it in white frosting. Use green and black decorator icing to draw on a camouflage design. Add plastic army men to complete the effect.
- Grenade Cake - Bake your cake in a circular cake pan. Once cooled, cut off a small strip of cake from two sides to create an oval shape. Frost the cake in green frosting and use decorator icing to draw on the crosshatch pattern.
Army Party Favors
Once the battlefield has been cleaned up and your little soldiers are ready to retire for the night, send them home with party favors that fit your theme. You could give one large favor, such as a canteen, or combine smaller favors such as toy fighter jets, mini flags, army men, Notebooks to record their missions, and candy in a camo favor bag.
To save time, you may want to consider our Complete Favor Sets, which include matching favor bags. Or, consider our popular Personalized Favors. Choose from bag tags, zipper pulls, magnets, and more, all personalized with your guests’ names or a personal message from you!
Army Party Games & Activities
The key to a great Army Party is high-energy games and activities. Your guests will love acting like real soldiers as they test their stamina in basic training exercises, or look for their comrades in Search and Rescue drills. See the Games & Activities section below for these activities and more.
For additional party planning tips, our Party Planning 101 Guide includes cake ideas, party etiquette tips, a printable guest list, and more.
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