We do a big, all ages, pop-culture themed party once every 2 months, and March Break seemed like the perfect time to try a Superhero Party! This station based party was even zanier than the previous ones. Over 100 people trekked through a blizzard – most of them in little superhero costumes! Here’s how we did it:
Mask and Cape Making
At all my “parties” I like to have a couple easy crafts. The challenge is coming up with a craft that is cheap enough to provide supplies for 100+ kids! At previous parties I did balloon light sabers, styrofoam pokeballs, popsicle hockey sticks, and pipecleaner Harry Potter glasses. I love the crafts that let kids create something wearable – hence the masks and capes!
I bought 8 rectangle plastic table cloths from the dollar store, and was able to cut 12 capes from each, giving me 96 capes. I stacked them on a table with decorative tapes and superhero stickers – they loved it!
As for the masks, I had about 90 pre-cut mask bases of different shapes and colours. Kids could decorate them with tape, stickers, and markers, and add yarn to tie around their heads.
X-Ray Vision Challenge
Kids walked up to the both and were presented with a challenge: “Do you want to test your X-Ray Vision Powers today?!” They were asked to pick a number between 1 and 7, close their eyes, and reach into the bag. They could feel the item in their hands, and guess what it was. If they were right, they got a free comic book from our amazing local comic book store (Big B Comics). If they were wrong they could try again. Items included some fun things that I got specifically for this – little Spiderman car, plastic lizard, 3D printed bat, play dough. And other things that I found in the children’s supplies – candy cane, crayon, etc.
Laser Maze
I can’t take any credit for this is a mega popular Pinterest idea, but I can say it was very popular and adorable! We propped a table on its side, and taped red yarn between it and the wall. Kids had to duck and step their way through the obstacles. I had a volunteer managing the line up of kids, and re-taping the yarn as it came down.
Face Painting
Super simple, as long as you have a great volunteer! I printed out some examples of superhero facepaint designs, and the kids flocked to the table. I added some little Avengers temporary tattoos, which worked well for kids who didn’t want to wait in line.
Button Making
It’s not a party at our library unless there’s buttons. We have this button maker, and love it. I recommend having a trained volunteer in charge of helping kids press the buttons, to avoid jams. Kids can draw their own image, make a collage from old comic books, or use printed out images.
Photo Backdrop
I usually dedicate one wall to be the Photo Booth. We definitely had the most attendees in costume at this event, and I noticed lots of parents taking advantage of the awesome painted backdrop to capture the cuteness.
Super Snacks!
Obviously vital: Robin’s Eggs cookies (mini eggs would be better if you have the funds), Frozen Laser Beam freezies, Kyptonite Gummies, and Radioactive Spider Juice.
Trivia Challenge
A big part of all our parties is a big trivia challenge with awesome prizes. While promoting March Break at local schools, I finished my presentations with a mini version of Name-That-Superhero, to help the kids practice for the challenge at the party. I’m always surprised by the level of energy the trivia challenge brings. You can download the power point and trivia sheet here:
This time the grand prize was a stuffed Deadpool figure, and the 10 other runner up prizes were 3D printed superhero keychains and Avengers themed chocolates from the dollar store.
I’ve learned that it doesn’t hurt to have a difficult bonus question up your sleeve, in case of a tie breaker.
We had a Superhero Scavenger Hunt going in the library all week, which was a big hit as well. Here’s the post about the hunt with resources.
Check out the outlines for our other big station based parties:
Next up for our parties: the annual May 4th Star Wars Party, Summer Reading Kick Off, and an Emoji Party. What superhero themed programs have you run?
Ontarian Librarian 