I recently planned a very cute shark birthday party for a jawsome little guy. I had so much fun finding all sorts of shark decor and coming up with shark games. Of course, best laid plans – because on the day of the party, there was not only a very strong breeze, but also a stifling heat. Bad combination. Everyone ended up congregating inside when not in the pool, which left all my beautifully set up decorations abandoned in the hot backyard. In fact, we ended up carrying all of the food back inside to keep it fresh and make sure people actually enjoyed it.
Luckily, everyone still had a great time and I learned a valuable lesson about triple checking the weather before setting everything up. I could have easily put everything inside and then we would have been able to enjoy it while hanging out. Oh well, the birthday boy had a great day, and that’s what counts.
If you’re looking to plan a jawsome shark party, you might like some of the items I found! I’m only sharing the ones that I ended up keeping and liking.
Jawsome Shark Party Decor:
- Shark Attack Door Cover – I attached this to the door with clear adhesive dots as well as party string tied through the holes and around the door. The combo kept it flat against the door all day during a windstorm.
- Life Preserver, 3 piece Set – Loved this. I put one on the door, and the other two on the back sliding glass doors to the backyard.
- Jawsome Shark Paper Lanterns, 4 pack – We hung these from the pergola over the table. You’ll need additional string to get them long enough, but so cute.
- Bubble Garland –I alternated the shark lanterns with these. They gave off a lot of light, like disco balls.
- Rubber Shark 30pcs. Glow Set – These are so cute an worked great for the Hungry Hungry Shark game.
- Shark Grabber Toy –These were used as the grabbers for. Hungry Hungry Shark.
- Blue Shark Gummes, 1 lb. – I used these in the shark Jello cups, as well as in a bowl for snacking.
- Make a Shark Sticker Activity Sheet, 24 pack -I like having a quiet side activity like this as an alternate for kids that need it.
- Shark Snack Bags, 60 pcs. – Great size. Nicely made. Easy to grab and carry. Thick enough not to break.
- Inflatable Shark, 3-Pack, Small Size – I was sad with how small these were, but they were easy to play with.
- Inflatable Shark, Ride-On Size – Huge size, great for sitting on.
- Shark Lollipops 12 pack – Great and easy party favor.
- Disoposable Shark Plates
- Totally Jawsome Napkins –
- Shark Tablecloth
- Foldout Table – Great price and good quality!
- Folding Chairs, 10 pack – Best deal I could find. Nicer than I expected!
- Shark Week Ceramic Bowl – Perfect with Goldfish crackers inside
*Affiliate links used here for products I bought and liked. If you make a purchase through my link, i may receive a commission at no cost to you. Cheers!
Outdoor Furniture:
We usually rent places for parties, because party packages at places often include activities and clean up. But, as our kids get older, they want to have smaller parties with select friends and that’s something we can do easier at the house. But, we didn’t have enough seating or tables for outside. I went on the hunt for affordable, nice looking, quality folding tables an chairs and was super happy with what we ordered. The white chairs are fantastic. We’ll be using these for many years to come.
Shark Party Details:
We are very lucky to have a pool, so we wanted to maximize that for the party. We blew up lots of sharks, mini inflatable beach balls (not linked, because frankly I was disappointed in the size and quality of these), ride-on sharks, and set up a fun game in the hot tub (that was not turned on). You could easily replicate this game in a small inflatable or plastic pool.
I put the mini glow fishes in the hot tub, an then kids used the shark grabbers to get as many fish as they could. It was a pool version of Hungry Hungry Hippo an they really loved it. Highly recommend. And, bonus points for being able to keep playing it long after the party ended.
Another activity was a small kids table with the sticker shark sheets. I like having a quiet side activity out and ready to go, because some kids are shy, or need a sensory break. Something like coloring or stickers is always a win. This pack was big enough to keep them busy and there was still plenty left to send home with each kiddo.
I’m a big fan of making food kids will actually eat. They loved the mini Jello shark cups. So easy. Just mixed up a double batch of the blue raspberry Jello. Put it in small China disposable cups. After they were set, I added a dollop of Cool Whip and a gummy shark. The gummy sharks were such a hit.
Another thing we did was used the shark snack bags for things like Goldfish, and star shaped crackers. This allowed kids to grab a snack and go, without having to need a lot of help. Freeing up the parents to be able to have a drink and relax helps parties go more smoothly. These snack bags were great quality, held more than I expected, and the leftover bags have been amazing for taking snacks with us on the go. Definitely like these and will be repurchasing!
For party favors, I gave them the shark lollipops and a couple pages of the shark stickers that were left over. The kids were super happy with this.
Alright, I think that’s it! If I remember something else, I’ll come back and share it.
More Party Posts:
If you love celebration and party posts like this, you might also like some of these:
- How To Plan a Glam Pop Star Karaoke Party – Taylor Swift Approved!
- 10 picnic essentials for your coastal picnic
- 8 ways to make St. Patrick’s Day magical for kids
- The perfect Halloween themed movie night for kids
Also, feel free to look around. There’s tons of printables and free activities for kids on the blog, too.
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Thanks for being here! I hope you’ll let me know how your shark party turns out.
Have a fabulous day,
E
