Going to be
at King's Dominion for someone's birthday? Celebrate throughout
the day with these fun ways to keep the birthday fun going!
These ideas
are sponsored by the Great King's DominionAdventure Challenge -
Watch the video below for details!
Make up shirts
for all those going to King's Dominion with the birthday boy/girl that say
something fun like "It's Tim's Birthday today!" or "Point
and smile at Tim - he's 18 today!"
Plan
a fun scavenger hunt throughout the day at King's Dominion.
There are all different types of scavenger hunts to go on, each
with a different format. Although for some parties having different
teams compete with each other can be a lot of fun, for someone's
birthday when there is one person to honor, it's typically best
to have everyone on the same team - everyone gets to help the
birthday boy/girl be successful when one person wins, they
all win! These can be a lot of fun to create, but can take some
extra work to make creative (sometimes you'll need more than
just a list to excite some teens, for example.) Consider our
GREAT
ADVENTURE CHALLENGE AT King's Dominion - a package for them
to open once there filled with all kinds of puzzles and things
to do! CLICK
HERE to learn more!
At one point,
buy a helium balloon at King's Dominion. Each person there uses a Sharpie
marker (that you brought with you) to write down something positive
they'd like to wish for the birthday boy/girl for that coming year
(or later in life.) Once everyone has had a chance to write them
all down on the balloon, allow either each person to share what
they wrote or allow the birthday boy/girl to read them all. Finally,
let the birthday boy/girl RELEASE the helium balloon in the air
and watch their dreams sail up and up - where the birthday boy/girl
will 'catch up with them later'!
Make a game
out of their actual age number - see how many times you can find
that number throughout the day at King's Dominion. For example, if the birthday
boy/girl is turning 21, everyone must look for the number '21' throughout
King's Dominion. Award one point to the FIRST person who finds a new one throughout
the day and add up the points at the completion. You might find
numbers on height requirement signs, menus, ticket pricing signs,
phone numbers, etc.
This activity
is typically best with family (or friends they've known for a very,
very long time) and although it might take some coordinating, it
can have a great impact on the birthday boy/girl. Divide up the
years among everyone going to King's Dominion with the birthday boy/girl.
For example, if he/she is turning 14, then divide up the years 1-14
among everyone. The goal is to have a unique story to share about
each year in his/her life that can be shared with everyone throughout
the day. For those that are older, it's ok to skip every few years
for the sake of capturing their whole life span. Make sure the stories
are told in order. This also works especially well when you focus
on their achievements throughout his/her life!
Gather a bunch
of trivia to create questions about the actual year the birthday
boy/girl was born. This could be about everything from movies, music,
political leaders/current events and even the price of gas! Ask
a few questions each time there is a lull in the fun (I.e. waiting
in line, etc.) and keep track of who gets the most correct answers
throughout the day. Give a prize at the end for the winner. The
prize could be something special that they get to do WITH the birthday
boy/girl!
This is a great
game to play for a larger group (4+). Ahead of time, prepare a list
of fun tasks to do at King's Dominion at write the out separately on small
pieces of paper - at least enough for each person going. It's best
to have someone else (who is NOT going with you to King's Dominion) write
them out - someone you can trust. Throughout the day, the birthday
boy/girl periodically pulls one task out and reads it out loud.
He/she then CHOOSES who in the group must complete the task right
then. The rules are that EVERY person completes one task. The birthday
boy/girl cannot look ahead at the different pieces of paper to see
which ones he/she wants to assign or do for himself/herself. This
can also be a great thing to do in the different lines you might
wait in.
Wrap a single
gift many times, preferably with different colors/types of wrapping
paper and containers (though not necessary.) Give the birthday boy/girl
the gift at the beginning of the day and tell them that they can
unwrap ONE layer in each line that they wait in. Don't tell them
how many layers there are - let them wonder if each layer will be
their last! If you don't plan on going on many rides/attractions,
you can also have them unwrap one layer every hour.
Bring a bunch
of small cake candles with you to King's Dominion and stick them in EVERY
bit of food that the birthday boy/girl eats for the day - to blow
out the candles each time. It will get to be a lot of fun as they
blow out the candles on their birthday hot dog, birthday churro
and birthday soda!
Have the birthday
boy/girl wear a funny hat/shirt/outfit so that as they walk around
King's Dominion everyone will know it's their birthday. In this way, other
visitors at King's Dominion will be able to with them a happy birthday!