Racing Party
Zoom into action by cutting out an invitation in the shape of a car and writting "Race on Over" across the top with party details below. You can also use our printable race car card, or order preprinted or personalized racecar invitations from our sister site, Birthdayinabox.com.
| Keep decorations fun and simple by covering your table with a green vinyl table cloth or a racecar themed table cover. Yellow plates, checkered napkins in black and white, and plasticware will make clean-up easy. For a fun touch purchase black cups and glue red, yellow and green circles vertically for a cute traffic light effect. You might also make Candy Bar Race Cars for your guests , or Racecar Sugar Cookies for them to decorate as an icebreaker activity. For added authenticity, hang home made traffic signs off the back of your chairs and let each child take one home with them. Line your walkway with orange traffic cones and hang checkered flags over your door (might find at a discount store or flag shop), for just the right outside touch. If the party is outside, hay bales and old tires can also be used. Other fun decorations for indoor and outdoor use include black and white checkered streamers, balloons imprinted with race flags, racecar piñatas, and racing helmets . For a final fun, tasty touch, make a racecar birthday cake for your guests to enjoy. |
Don't 
forget those party favors! You can decorate bags to look like a traffic light (super simple), make your own bags , or purchase racecar-themed party favor bags or boxes. Fill with play keys, small tools, whistles, Hot Wheels or other toy cars, or other small toys . You can make a rice crispy treat, shaped like a stop light, with red, yellow and green gumdrops down one side. Wrap in cellophane and close with twist tie. A more elaborate gift might be pit crew outfits with matching colored t-shirts and baseball caps, with a possible car logo. Plastic racing helmets also make fun party costumes that double as great favors.
No party would be complete without games. If you have the room, set up orange traffic cones or tires and have a running race or relay around them. If you own a plastic race track you can set up you very own miniature car race and hand out a trophy at the end. Break out those legos, give each child a bag full (make sure there's enough wheels), set the timer and let them go to work designing a car. Give prizes for most creative, fastest, slowest, etc.
Another fun game is a spin off of the original Red Light, Green Light . Make over-size "STOP" and "GO" signs attached to dowels to signal when the children may stop or go, or use racing flags to signal the children. Make beforehand, and/or use as a craft project, wearable license plates or cars from a box (for young kids) to give the game even more zip.
Make sure you check out our Racetrack Cake before calling your local bakery, or decorate a round cake to look like a tire or steering wheel. You can also use a racecar cake pan to create a racecar-shaped cake using your favorite cake recipe and the decorating tips that come with the cake pan.
Printables and Instructions
Please note that some of the links below lead to sites that are NOT part of Kids Domain. Please let us know if any of the links appear inappropriate for children. We did check them when we linked, but site content can change at any time.
Racetrack Cake
Candy Bar Race Cars
Personalized License Plates
Box Race Car
Easy Traffic Light Bags
Traffic Light Treat Bags
Red Light, Green Light
Racing Printables:
Our racing card and coloring page
Print and make a race car paper decoration
Print and make a Abarth or Mini Cooper
Chevron Car Coloring Pages
Print a car picture
