Shoot to Score with this
Basketball Party

A Basketball Party offers everyone a chance to experience the joy of success.

Basketball is a fun sport that anyone can play. This theme can be used for boy birthday parties or girl birthday parties.

You don't need to know all the rules of basketball to throw a great party, you just need to share in the excitement.

Invitations:

Basketball Party invitations can be simple: just cut round circles from orange paper. On one side add the lines you would see on the ball using a black marker. Put the party information on the backside.

Or a little more complicated: Use inflatable basketballs. Inflate each one and write the party information on them. Once the ink has dried, deflate them and mail to each guest.

You could also buy your invitations, here are two that I really thought were cute:
Slam Dunk Invite

Decorations:

Hang inflatable basketballs and nets around the Basketball Party area. You can attach the top of the nets to paper plates and staple them so that they stay open, hang by one of the holes in the net.

The table can be set with a brown tablecloth or fabric to look like a court. Take a red marker and make the center circle and if room, you can mark the free throw lines and half circles.

Championship Basketball tableware for your Basketball Party Kit for 8 includes Postcard Invitation, 7" Dessert Plates, 9 oz. Hot/Cold Cups, 16 Luncheon Napkins, Table cover, Orange Cutlery Set, 12 each of 11" Blue and Orange Balloons, and 75' each of Royal Blue and Yellow Curling Ribbon.

Use posters of your childs favorite players and teams on the wall in the Basketball Party area. The posters can be used for the party and afterwards hung in the childs' bedroom.

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Activities:

Race Game:
You will need two basketballs and some room for this game. Divide the guests into two teams. Line them up arms length from each other. The first person in the line takes the ball and passes it to the next person in line above their head. The second person in line passes the ball between their legs to the third person. The third person passes over head, fourth between legs and on. The first team with the ball to the last person wins. If you have a small group, you can have them feed the ball back up the line to the beginning.

Baskets:
You will need a trash can or a box, a soft ball or balloon, and painters' tape.
Set up the can at one end of the room. Using the tape, mark off some spots 5, 10, and 15 feet from the basket. You can adjust the distances depending on the space you have.
Each child gets 5 tries to make a basket from any of the lines. The 5 foot line counts as five points, the 10 foot line counts as ten points for each basket made. The person with the most points wins a cool gift like a basketball.

Party Favors:

Give each guest tickets to a local high school game. The group can sit together on game day.

Have everyone make a basketball. Use round Styrofoam balls and some paint. Let them paint the ball orange, while the paint is drying everyone can play a game.

Food and Drinks:

A Basketball Party calls for a basketball cake.

Basketball Cake:
Bake a round cake, frost it with orange frosting. You can draw the lines on the top with gel frosting.

Another great cake for the Basketball Party would be one that looks like the basketball court. Just bake a rectangular cake, frost with brown icing and draw the court lines on the top with gel icing.

Cupcakes can also be made and frosted orange.

Ice cream basketballs:
Take a scoop of ice cream and round it out using your hands. Put back into the freezer for a few minutes if the ice cream has started melting too much. Mix up some orange colored sugar by adding a few drops of food coloring to it. Roll each ice cream ball in the colored sugar.

Remember to have fun and take a lot of pictures at your Basketball Party.