Last updated on May 29th, 2022
Choo choo! All aboard! That’s right, it’s time for us to talk train themed birthday party ideas And we get it. Adults reading this won’t be jumping for joy just yet. After all, trains for us are mostly just ways to get to work, and they’re always either late or full, and trains, frankly, make adults stressed. Including us, and we get to talk about parties all day, you know?
But think back for a minute about the first time you boarded a train. I remember the day I got on a train with my dad for the first time and I told him I’d be a train driver one day, so I could take us both all around the world.
Trains are exciting for kids, they make them feel like they’re on an adventure, exploring the big wide world for the first time. Trains move so fast it feels like they’re flying. The point is, trains ARE exciting and magical. We adults just don’t see that all the time.
But kids see magic everywhere, even in a stress-filled train commute! So let’s throw them a birthday party to help them hold on to the excitement of trains! Today we’ll talk about a train birthday party for kids so you can throw a birthday party they’ll remember forever! Even when a train just becomes a train in the future…
Ready to hear all about our exciting train themed birthday party ideas? Then hop on board, because we promise it’s an exciting ride!
Train Birthday Party Ideas all start with a ticket…
The magic of any train journey starts with a ticket, right? So, your guests need to be ‘invited’ to climb on board with their own VIP boarding pass party invitations! It has everything they need to know too: departure date, what time they need to board, and where exactly the ‘party station’ is!
This train themed birthday party ideas is to send out train themed party invitations like these are a great way to get guests excited about the big day and give them a hint about the sort of fun they can expect when the big day arrives. All aboard, it’s party time!
Now on to the decorations!
You’re probably wondering how to decorate a train birthday party to create an atmosphere that’s fun for everybody. But trust us, by sticking to these ideas below, you’ll be able to decorate your party so it fits the theme AND makes every one of your guest’s jaws drop with excitement when they see it! Just read our ideas below to find out more.
Every train needs its tracks…
What is a train without its tracks? Pretty useless, right? So, let’s recreate it with this amazing 3D floor sticker that makes it look like there are train tracks right there in your own home! This is so much fun for kids to run over and pretend to be a train too, and it will definitely stir up excitement when they see how amazing this floor sticker is!
Signals for safety!
Just like every train needs tracks, every train also needs some signals to tell them when it’s safe to go. This train crossing signal toy is a great option to help decorate the party venue because it’s practical, but also really adorable and helps to recreate the fun of a genuine train trip! It has traffic lights and sounds too, so it can alert your guests when trains are passing by! This decoration is great because it looks wonderful, but it also doubles up as a fun game for the kids. You can’t really ask for more than that, can you?
Choo Choo, here comes the train
Alright, we’ve got the train tracks, we’ve got the train signals, are we missing something? Oh yeah! The train, of course! We can’t have a train themed birthday party without a train, can we! Unfortunately, we weren’t able to convince any of the big train companies to lend us a carriage (come on, we’re good, but we’re not that good), but we came up with an even more fun alternative! We have two words for you: Train balloons. All you have to do is buy a few and dot them around the party venue and suddenly you’re hosting a party at what feels like King’s Cross Station!
You can never have too many safety signals!
We love balloons; trains love safety signals. So you know what we have to suggest now, don’t you? That’s right, more balloons, but this time traffic safety balloons. It’s good to use balloons as a way of getting your party theme across because they’re cheap, you can use lots of them, and they still make the place feel special. Trust us, if you want the kids to feel like they’re at a train birthday party, then rail traffic balloons are a great way to do it!
Chugga Chugga Two Two party bunting
Chugga Chugga Two Two birthday party bunting is probably the sweetest thing we’ve ever heard. Yes, it is only perfect for your kid’s birthday party if they’re two years old, so this won’t apply to everybody reading this, but we still have to share it! The adorable pun, the bright colours, the trains – everything about this is perfect and if your little one is turning two this year, then we’re fairly certain it’s written in birthday party law that they have to have this birthday party bunting! (OK, maybe it’s not the law yet, but we’re going to start a petition because it’s so darn cute!)
Don’t forget the party hats!
We love party hats at any party, but for a train themed birthday party for kids, it would be wrong not to have party hats. But you can leave your brightly coloured cone shaped foil party hats with string at home for this one! Why not buy some train engineer party hats? Imagine the kids all dressed up with their train engineer party hats on. It doesn’t get much cuter than that and it’ll also help make the kids feel like they’re a part of the party too, which can be a great way to help them have more fun!
Train-themed party games can be just as fun as the real thing
Every kids’ party needs party games just to keep the little ones busy (and to stop them from getting into any trouble…). But we bet you didn’t expect us to come with a list of train-themed party games, did you? Well then, you seriously underestimate our commitment to party themes over here, because yes, we’ve found train-themed party games. And more importantly, we’ve found train-themed party games the kids are going to love!
Build your own dominoes train
First, let’s start with a dominoes set for kids building blocks racing tiles. This pack comes with 1000 pieces and the game is simple for kids of all ages. All they have to do is work together to create the longest wooden train they can (all the dominoes representing train cargo, passengers, and carriages, of course). Then we get to the best part. Once the kids have finished making a massive wooden train, they get to set the wheels in motion – literally. Push one of the dominoes over and the kids can sit back and watch as the falling dominoes rush forwards like a train flying through the countryside. And Voila! Your very own train, in the comfort of your own home!
You can’t have a train party without Thomas and Friends
This Thomas and Friends memory game is simple enough for kids to play, but fun enough to keep them interested for hours, no matter their age! All they have to do is shuffle up the cards (featuring a whole bunch of Thomas and Friends characters from the big guy himself, to James, Henry, Toby, and many more besides!). Then once they’ve all been flipped over, they simply need to find matching pairs. It’s great because it helps them with memory and focus, but it’s also so rewarding when you get a matching pair it adds an extra dose of fun to the party!
How about a train-themed colouring competition?
All you need for a train colouring competition are some willing kids, a train colouring book, and some coloured pens. Set a timer for maybe 5 or 10 minutes and then set the kids to work on their own picture. You could have prizes for the brightest picture, the most original, or even just the whackiest one. The point is, a train colouring competition is a lot of fun for everybody, and the work the kids will produce will all be amazing, and they’ll love taking them home with them to show their parents too! This is gonna to be one of the train birthday party ideas kids are gonna love.
And finally, lots of beautifully arranged food!
That’s right, it’s time to talk food. And this time, we have more than just some tableware suggestions or an idea for a tablecloth, because this time we’re going to turn the party food into a train! Sounding a little crazy right now? Don’t worry, we’ll clear everything up below!
Create a train track for the ‘train’
The first thing you’ll need for this idea is some train track sticker tape. Use this to create train tracks along the dining table. Then, using separate bowls, you can place the different party food along the tracks as though they are carriages in a train. It’s a really simple idea actually, and it’s really easy to execute. Just mark out your tracks, and set out your food along them. That’s really all there is to it and it’ll look AMAZING! I know this train themed party decoration ideas have long been a dream in many of our childhood.
Train candles
Next up are the candles for the top of the birthday cake and it only makes sense for us to use trains, right? The best thing is, these train candles have the front engine cart, and passenger carts, so they link together across the cake, creating a train. So not only does the birthday boy or girl get awesome candles, but they also get an extra decoration thrown in there too!
Classic toy train set to top it all off!
Finally coming to the last train birthday party idea, if budget allows, why not place a small classic toy train set in the middle of the party food table so kids can watch the train as they eat? We remember passing toy shops as kids and longing for our own train set, but they were always too expensive to buy. Nowadays though, they aren’t too expensive and it’ll be the perfect way to round off an amazing train themed birthday party!
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