Dora the
Explorer Party Ideas
“Happy Birthday” - Dora Style
Feliz
cumpleaños a ti,
Feliz cumpleaños a ti,
Feliz cumpleaños a (child’s name),
Feliz cumpleaños a ti!
Make
a Map- To
tap into your guests' love for exploring, post a map on your front
door or building lobby to help them find the party! Using a large
sheet of brown craft paper, paint landmarks from your house or building
that your guests will need to pass.
Turn
your Party area Tropical- Make a meandering trail into the party
room using brown paper. Decorate your doorway with green crepe paper
hanging "vines." To create tropical "leaves,"
cut long, wide ovals from green construction paper and fringe the
edges. Drape crepe paper streamers from the corners of the party
room's ceiling into the center, combining bright tropical colors
like red, yellow and orange. Use yellow tissue paper flowers for
an extra special touch.
Piñata-
Buy
a classic star-shaped piñata or Dora piñata. Count
in Spanish while swinging — everyone gets uno, dos, tres attempts
to break the piñata! Piñata-breaking makes a great
climax to the party, so save it for the final activity. Make sure
that all children are standing well away from the person swinging
the stick. Have small plastic sandwich bags handy to help kids cart
away their loot.
Picture-Card
Treasure Hunt - Tap into your guests’ love of exploring with
a treasure hunt! This simple version is perfect for pre-schoolers
who may not read yet.
Before
the party, make 8-12 clue cards on individual 3x5 cards. Draw a picture
of something in your house or yard on each card (or cut out and paste
magazine pictures of household items you have.) Write the clue number
in the top left corner of each card. Hide the clues before the kids
arrive, making sure the treasure stash is well hidden.
When
it’s time to play, gather your party guests around, hand out
the first clue and tell the kids to find the object on the card. For
example, if the first card shows a dog house, the kids will go there
and find a second clue card with a cookie jar on it. Then, they’ll
go to the cookie jar and find a third clue card with another object
on it, and so on. The hunt continues until the children find the stash
of theme-related treasures that you’ve hidden.
If
you prefer to make the cake or cupcakes the treasure, put a picture
of yourself on the last clue card. When the kids come running back
to you, they’ll be delighted with the treats waiting for them!
For
older children, write the name of each object in Spanish next to its
picture for more fun. It’s also fun to include stickers or other
small, theme-related favors for guests along the way with each clue
card.
