18 Creative 8-Year-Old Birthday Party Themes

8-year-olds are at an age when many of the activities younger kids enjoy aren’t as fun anymore. Yet they’re still too young for the games that teenagers prefer. You might be scratching your head wondering how to throw a successful party. But don’t despair; let Peerspace inspire you with a few of our favorite 8-year-old birthday party themes for a memorable occasion!

1. Let them sing along with a karaoke party

Get them into karaoke while they’re too young to feel awkward about it! A karaoke party means setting up a machine with their favorite songs loaded onto it for them to sing along to. Many karaoke party planners also include a few pop-star dress-up options so the 8-year-olds really feel like celebrities on stage!

2. Get their friends together for a slumber party

Slumber parties are fun for all ages and a cost-effective idea. Get some snacks and party games, and have everyone bring their pajamas over for a sleepover. Setting up a smart TV with a few movies before bed is also a great idea.

But what if your home is a little too small for a sleepover with all of your kid’s friends? Book a house that welcomes parties through Peerspace instead! We have homes with big-screen TVs, well-equipped kitchens, surround sound, and massive bedrooms to consider. For example, this house in Austin’s Hill Country has a huge open space where you could set up bedrolls for kids to sleep in after the fun comes to an end!

3. Make it a magical affair with a magic party

8-year-olds are mature enough to enjoy a good show from a talented magical performer. Hiring a magician to pull rabbits out of a hat is only the first step, however. How about some crafting activities like making your own DIY magical potions? You’ll find a lot of inspiration for a magical birthday party from our ideas for Harry Potter-themed events, including Harry Potter food ideas and game ideas!

4. Become someone new with a face painting party

Remember what it was like to roar at your parents, thrilled with the tiger stripes you temporarily gained? Let your kids enjoy that same feeling with a face-painting party! Hire a professional face painter to come by, though check with your kids to see if the faces they want are a part of their repertoire. Many face painters specialize in animals, superheroes, cartoon characters, or other figures.

Use our favorite creative kid’s photoshoot ideas to capture every adorable moment of their party.

5. Make video games the theme of your party

Video game parties have a lot of potential for your 8-year-old birthday party themes! For starters, the decor is really easy to find. You don’t have to stick to a single game, either. Add garlands, food, and music from Pokemon, Fortnite, Super Smash Bros, and other popular games. Don’t forget about enough gaming consoles for everyone so no one is stuck watching! That said, if your kids are big fans of a specific popular game, check out our ideas for birthday parties based on individual games like Super Mario to get you started.

6. Save the day with a superhero party

Your kid probably already knows which superhero is their favorite, right? Sounds like you already have the perfect 8-year-old birthday party theme in front of you! Focus on a single superhero like Wonder Woman or Spiderman and choose decor to match. Food ideas like cookies with the hero’s logo on them are a good start. You can also open it up to all heroes with a full-on Marvel party. Let the parents and kids attending know as much so they can all dress up as their favorite superheroes!

7. Get creative with a DIY crafts party

Making your own party favors sure sounds like a fun way to spend time with friends! How about making DIY crafts the theme of your 8-year-old’s birthday party? Since not everyone enjoys the same activities you’ll want multiple crafting stations. A painting area, some oven fire clay for models, some sand bottle art stations, leaf printing materials…See what your kid loves to make and add a few new ideas of your own!

8. See what they make with a Lego party

8-year-olds are endlessly creative. How about Legos as a party theme, where the kids can spend time building houses, cars, bridges, and other Lego structures? But the fun doesn’t stop there! Check out these Lego party food ideas like cake pops and Jell-o Legos to get your kids really excited.

9. Make and bake cookies served with milk 

You know, you don’t have to handle all of the party snacks yourself, not when so many 8-year-olds love making cookies from scratch. This is a different kind of DIY crafting party; the best kind since everyone gets to eat the results! Help them mix the dough, cut the cookies, decorate each batch as they like, and bake them to perfection.

10. Live a life of luxury with a garden tea party

Is your little princess ready to dress and act the part on her special day? Bring her best friends together for a spot of tea and gossip in a sunlit garden! Tea parties for kids can be just as elegant as any adult soiree if the guests all show up in party dresses, sun hats, gloves, and other accessories. Serve tea party snacks like finger sandwiches and scones for a perfect English afternoon tea.

A tea party needs a venue that’s as elegant as the outfits they will be wearing. Fortunately, Peerspace is here to help! We have venues like a half-acre backyard space in Seattle, WA, that’s open for tea parties and other events.

11. Celebrate her sweetness with a candy party

You’ve told her a million times how sweet she is, right? Make sweetness and sugar the theme of the day with a candy party! Pretty much every party has candy though, right? So how can we make candy truly stand out for your 8-year-old birthday party themes?

For starters, you can add decorative touches like giant frosted donut balloons, peppermint sticks, and candy-shaped garlands. Decorate the birthday cake with a chaotic mix of sprinkles, cookies, and other touches. And don’t forget some party favor bags stuffed with sweet goodies for the kids to take home! 

12. Embrace their wild side with a jungle party

Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my! Let the party animals come over for a few hours of fun in your jungle-themed venue! A jungle party should include face painting, animal ears, or even animal costumes for everyone. If you go the costume route, be sure to have a costume contest for the best-dressed party animal.

13. Bring some sticks and have a pinata party

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/746964288301634197/

Pinatas are more than just a party activity. You can design an entire birthday party theme using the right decorations! Besides some pinatas stuffed with coins and candy, you’ll need a few extra pinatas staged around the venue. Make some custom garlands with little pinata horses or number eights to hang up. And don’t forget some equally festive party snacks to go with the pinata theme.

14. Build a bear during a teddy bear party

Kids this age are still in love with teddy bears. Especially teddy bears that have a little meaning, like party favors they built themselves at a Build-a-Bear party! Have each kid dress up a bear to their liking and take them home after the fun is done.

Your little one may also love these fun Care Bear party ideas to help enhance their party. Check them out!

15. Have a water battle with a Super Soaker birthday party

Remember how much fun water guns were when we were 8-years-old? Give your kids that gift with a Super Soaker birthday party! You should choose a few water gun party games that go beyond an all-out battle. Be sure to include a toweling-off station before the kids settle down for cake and ice cream.

16. Spoil your girls with a spa party

Since 8-year-olds might not behave themselves at an actual spa, you can bring the spa home with this party theme! Give out party favor bags with masks, facial cream, and nail files. You can set up little stations for a foot soak, serve fruit smoothies, and have mats set up outside for group yoga lessons with an actual teacher.

17. Plan a bug birthday where creepy crawlies are welcome

Many little boys and girls find bugs fascinating. Butterflies, spiders, worms, and bees are just a few of the critters you’ll be decorating with when enjoying 8-year-old birthday party themes like this! It gets better when you decorate cupcakes and cookies with frosting shaped like insects. Bug party food ideas also include truly creative ideas like Oreo and gummy worm-based worms in dirt.

18. Throw a glow-in-the-dark party for a birthday in the dark

Glow-in-the-dark birthday parties are a truly unique theme to embrace. Blacklights are easy to rent for a party, for starters. Next, you’ll need some glow-in-the-dark decorations like garlands, banners, party plates, and tablecloths. If everyone knows it’s a blacklight party they should come dressed with glow-in-the-dark glasses and other accessories! You can also provide face paint that glows under a black light so each kid gets some creative touch-ups.

8-year-old birthday party themes: conclusion

Choosing creative 8-year-old birthday party themes need not be stressful! As you can see, you can easily throw an awesome birthday bash using any of our fun ideas for a party theme. Has Peerspace been helpful with your party planning? If so, don’t forget to check out our kid’s birthday party venues near you for your upcoming celebration!

Find unique birthday party venues for your kid’s party on Peerspace