3rd Birthday Party Themes for Your Kid’s Big Day

Your little one is turning three, so why not celebrate with a fantastic celebration? After all, you’ve conquered the Terrible Twos, and it’s important to savor these big milestones. To help you plan the perfect party, we’ve put together this list of 3rd birthday party themes. From farm fêtes to bee bashes and under-the-sea soirees, these options are sure to delight your tiny guest of honor. 

3rd Birthday Party Themes: 11 Ideas to Celebrate Your Toddler

Ready to choose a 3rd birthday party theme? Here, you’ll find some of our favorite party ideas. Choose a dino-themed bash if your child is a Mesozoic-loving archaeologist at heart, or opt for a colorful fiesta if they have a bright personality. Read on to discover more 3rd birthday party themes as well as ideas for food, decor, and games.

1. Bee Three: A Buzzing Bash 

Design: Claudia Owen

Invitation Inspiration: Bee Our Guest Invitation

This sweet theme makes a memorable birthday party for a nature-loving three-year-old. Decorating for this theme is as easy as picking out black and yellow tablecloths, confetti, and streamers. Add bee balloons for a whimsical touch, and create a backdrop wall featuring a giant honeycomb where guests can take photos.

For something sweet, order a custom-made bee birthday cake or DIY a bee cake with decadent chocolate and honey buttercream frosting that’s as tasty as it is adorable.

2. A Dinosaur Party for Your Three Rex 

Design: Itsy Belle Studio

Invitation Inspiration: 3 Rex Invitation

Do you have a little boy or little girl who loves dinos? Celebrate their third year around the sun with a dinosaur birthday party. Decorate with dinosaur balloons and paper cut-outs in jungle shapes like large monstera leaves. Don’t forget themed party supplies, like plates, cups, and napkins featuring dinosaurs to match your decor.

For a roaring good time, have the kids do a scavenger hunt. They can search for things like magnifying glasses, T-rex figurines, and safari hats. These items also make great party favors that your little guests can bring home with them.

3. Three-riffic Tea Party

Design: Becky Nimoy Stationery

Invitation Inspiration: Vintage Balloon Invitation

Raise your pinkies and toast to a new year with this 3rd birthday party idea. Host the tea party in your backyard or living room. For a fancy fête, order small floral arrangements for the tables and make it cozy for toddlers by inviting them to bring along a stuffed animal guest.

To make this tea party toddler-friendly, choose finger sandwiches without crusts and with ingredients like ham and cheese, strawberry and cream cheese, or peanut butter and jelly. Don’t forget a beautiful dessert stand to display dessert cookies and frosted cupcakes.

Stick to plastic or melamine serveware that won’t break. You can also set up a mini hand-washing station outside to help make clean-up a breeze. To entertain the little guests, have them make crafts — friendship bracelets and coloring books are great options.

4. Threenager Birthday Celebration

Design: Patrice Horvath Design

Invitation Inspiration: Retro Sunglasses Invitation

Say goodbye to the Terrible Twos; this year is all about raising a threenager. This tongue-in-cheek 3rd birthday party theme is perfect for the birthday boy or birthday girl who loves fashion and beauty. For party games, celebrate the little fashionistas by hosting a runway show or make-up expo where they style party guests. Have a threenager that likes to rock instead? Host a rock music dance off.

Decorate the room in bright hues — magenta and gold are great choices. Include shimmering linens, pink florals, and fashionable backdrops like logos from designer brands. For easy, affordable decor, you can fill store-brand boxes and bags with flowers, food, and more. Alternatively, a contrasting neon green and black theme offers an edgy vibe.

5. Three Little Pigs Farm Party

Design: Jackie Crawford

Invitation Inspiration: Barnyard Birthday Invitation

Celebrate a third birthday party with this fun theme that features farm animals, hay rides, and petting zoos. You can head out to a local farm for an afternoon of fun or invite guests to your own home. Hire a petting zoo to bring ponies, llamas, and sheep to your event — a surefire way to have guests talking about this celebration for years to come.

Arrange cozy seating with hay bales and serve food like fresh vegetables and a classic apple pie. Animal prints like cowhides make excellent wall and table decor to set the scene.

6. Wild and Three: A Jungle-Themed Party

Design: Noonday Design

Invitation Inspiration: Sweet Lion Invitation

Go wild with a jungle-themed birthday party. Look for party decorations in animal prints, including confetti, balloons, and stickers you can use to turn an ordinary space into a lush jungle. Give guests safari hats or have them attend in their best animal costumes. 

Arrange your party food so it fits the theme by designing veggie platters to look like a lion’s mane, monkey cupcakes, and tiger cub oranges — cutie oranges with tiger faces drawn on using a sharpie. This theme also works well for a “Wild One” first birthday party or “Two Wild” for a second birthday fête. 

7. Three-esta Fiesta

Design: Noonday Design

Invitation Inspiration: Llama Fiesta Invitation

Say “Adios, dos” with this fun fiesta-inspired celebration for a 3-year-old birthday party. Put up a photo-friendly balloon garland cactus and hang colorful banners throughout the space. Order cookies in the shape of piñatas and sombreros, and be sure to set up a taco bar where guests can snack on delicious food. 

Before you bust out the fiesta cake, help guests build up an appetite by bashing a piñata. You can fill it with candies, toys, and sticker sheets. Keep in mind that any piñata fillers should be appropriate for three-year-olds, so it’s a good idea to skip any tiny toys or sticky candies that can pose a choking hazard.

8. Three-Ring Circus: A Carnival Party

Design: Lori Danelle

Invitation Inspiration: Friendly Ringmaster Invitation

Take on the role of ringmaster and celebrate your little one‘s third birthday with a carnival-themed birthday celebration. Red, white, and gold are the colors of the moment here, so choose streamers, balloons, and tablecloths to match the theme. You can set up a big-top tent in the backyard or incorporate tent decor into your indoor design by hanging large, colored sheets behind the dessert table. 

Mini bags of popcorn, funnel cake, and cotton candy are excellent snack foods, while corn dogs, meat skewers, and fried pies are good choices for mains. Party games are easy with this theme. Just plan for classic circus or carnival activities like face painting, ring toss, fish bowl games, and duck pond to keep the guests entertained.

9. Third Time’s a Charm Princess Party

Design: itsibelli

Invitation Inspiration: Rainbow Castle Invitation

Celebrate the charming age of three with this 3rd birthday party theme: an enchanting princess party. Decorate the room with pretty pastels and metallics to create a dreamy and magical kingdom. Fill carriages and crowns with snacks and treats. Adorn the space with framed mirrors, glass slippers, and confetti-filled balloons. 

Have the guests dress up as their favorite Disney prince or princess, and give the birthday honoree a special wand to celebrate the day with. Be sure to order a charming cake featuring crown jewels to celebrate the ruler of the land.

10. Three Screams for Ice Cream

Design: Anna K Design

Invitation Inspiration: Popsicle Pair Invitation

Your child makes life sweeter, so celebrate them with a Three Screams for Ice Cream party! This kid’s birthday party is easy to pull together at the last minute — just in case your hands are full and you have limited time for party planning. Set up an ice cream bar with various flavors and toppings, including sprinkles, nuts, and candies. For an even quicker party idea, grab popsicles or have the kids decorate cookies shaped like ice cream cones. You can even rent an ice cream truck for a couple of hours for a curbside treat that will delight your guests.

To decorate for this kid’s birthday party, look for centerpieces like giant ice cream cones or ice cream trucks. Add sweet touches like sprinkle confetti and polka-dot tableware. Give guests ice cream cone hats and pick up plenty of ice cream-themed napkins — this one is sure to be messy and fun!

11. Under the Three Soiree

Design: Jessie Steury

Invitation Inspiration: Mermaid Tails Invitation

Help your little one celebrate turning three with an under-the-sea shindig. Deck out the room in mermaid hues — blue, purple, pink, and green — by using balloons, streamers, and garlands. Decorate a table or photo booth backdrop using a rope net adorned with sea-creatures like starfish, seashells, and jellyfish.

Bring this theme to life with creative under-the-sea food, like starfish-shaped sandwiches, crabby croissants, and a watermelon clam. Don’t forget mermaid cookies and an ocean-inspired cake for your sweet sea creatures.

This birthday idea isn’t just for kids — it also works well as a baby shower and bridal shower party. 

Find a Terrific Third Birthday Invite 

With these 3rd birthday party theme ideas, you’re sure to have a great time celebrating your little one. Ready to start inviting guests to the big event? Turn to Greenvelope for birthday invitations that perfectly suit your party theme. 

Browse our collection of invitation designs, where you’ll find hand-illustrated and custom designs from artists across the globe. There’s a style for every birthday, including third-birthday party options that pair perfectly with the themes on this list. Each one is customizable, and you can upload your designs to craft an invite that guests will love. Whichever design you choose, it’s sure to kick off the Terrific Threes with a bang.