Ni Hao, Kai-Lan is a nickjr® favorite of many little girls. For my daughter’s 3rd birthday, I decided to run with the cute Chinese preschooler as the main theme, but wanted to add my own creative flair to it. My imagination started running wild with visions of bright red, paper lanterns and fortune cookies! Here’s what I came up with:
Invitations: there’s such a wide assortment of quality invitations these days. Customize them and have them shipped to your door, or get really creative and make your own. Have a little fun with invitations shaped like a fortune cookie or paper lantern!
Favors: bright red take-out boxes filled with Chinese yo-yos, red wind-up dragons, finger traps, fortune cookies and more!
Kid-sized, colorful chopsticks: skip the forks and use chopsticks! Kid-friendly and oh-so-cute! Include them in the favor box for the little ones to bring home!
Cupcake display: rather than a birthday cake, I decided to make cupcakes iced with red and white frosting. Cupcake toppers with Ni Hao, Kai Lan (found on Etsy) adorned each tasty treat. Stack the cupcakes on tiered serving trays for an eye-catching display of confections!
Fortune cookies: every kid (and adult!) loves cracking open a fortune cookie to get the surprise message inside. Fill big red bowls with them to use as decoration or pack them in goody bags for a sweet treat.
Décor: colorful Chinese-inspired paper lanterns add a little flair. Hung from the chandelier over a dining table adds a festive feel to lunch. Also hag them in doorways.
Colorful paper dragons add dramatic effect on the table.
Ni Hao, Kai Lan themed décor available online or at your local party store.
Plastic wind-up toy dragons add a fun flair to the table and give the kids something to play with.
Food:
For the kids, have a little fun with Chinese-inspired foods, like noodles, rice and dumplings. For the adults, bring in trays of Chinese take-out.
Attire: dress your little birthday girl in Asian-inspired clothing complete with Chinese slippers and red satin! It would also be a lot of fun to ask the party girl’s guests to come dressed in their favorite Chinese-inspired costume or clothing.
And here’s a great inspiration board I found online at Tiny Prints. Enjoy!
