Nerf Gun Birthday Party Ideas and Themed Supplies

Since the 1970s, little boys (and little girls) have loved playing with NERF products – the huge range of foam weaponry brings out the competitive side in everyone, while still ensuring total safety for all players.

NERF launched in 1969, when Reyn Guyer, a games inventor, went to Parker Brothers games manufacturers with an idea for a soft, indoor volleyball game. The original idea was the create balls that couldn’t smash ornaments or break windows – and the original NERF ball was a hit! Since then, the company has changed hands numerous times but it still continues to bring out totally safe foam toys for kids, ranging from sports balls to foam blasters and everything in between. There’s even a range for little girls now – NERF Rebelle – because action and adventure shouldn’t be limited to the boys!

Now in 2015, NERF is still going strong, with a colossal range of toys on the market, and more fans than ever! If your little one is a fan of all things NERF-related, why not throw them a birthday party with a full NERF theme? We’ve put together plenty of tips and lots of inspiration for those who are thinking of throwing a NERF birthday party – read on to find out more!

The first thing you’ll be thinking about is making some awesome party invitations to let your guests know when and where the party is. The invitation will be the very first element of your party that guests can lay eyes on – so the pressure’s on to make them great!

NERF products encourage kids to bring their A-game at all times – so instead of an invitation, why not create a summons? Summon the most talented marksmen and the most fearsome adventurers to your back yard – throw some military jargon in there to make it sound authentic! “Meet at the yard at 2pm SHARP! Bring your NERF gear and get ready to take aim and FIRE!”

Alternatively, there are plenty of options online that you can print out and use as your party invitations. These personalized invitations can be shipped to your door in sets of ten, or you can download the template immediately and print off as many as you want, depending on how many guests you’re planning to invite.

The key color scheme for NERF parties is orange, blue and yellow, so it’s fairly easy to pick up party supplies that fit within this palette. A blue tablecloth, orange plates and yellow cups should be simple to find at any store that sells party supplies – you can even make them look more authentic with some awesome NERF stickers.

Banners, bunting and other wall decorations are readily available online too – this Etsy seller has a great personalized NERF party pack which includes twelve tent cards (for labelling food at the buffet table), party circles, a banner, various signs of different sizes and some treat bag labels which will be great for your party favors – more on that later.

To add some dimension to your decorations, you can also easily source paper lanterns that fit within your color scheme – hang these from the ceiling and they can become impromptu targets for later on in the day.

Ah, the cake! Many people class this as the most important part of the birthday party altogether – after all, the cake is the focal point in that moment when the lights go down and the birthday boy or girl must blow out the candles and make a wish. All the parents present will be photographing this moment, and for the parents of the child celebrating their birthday, it’s undoubtedly special. Unfortunately that means there’s a lot of pressure to get the cake just right!

Sometimes when it comes to cakes, the simplest options are the best. This basic rectangular cake is easy to replicate, and wouldn’t be expensive for a professional to put together. The color scheme is perfect, it’s loaded with NERF references (and even some darts), and we’re sure it tastes just delicious!

Stepping it up a gear, this tiered creation is held in place by NERF darts, which is a great idea to keep a tiered cake stable. This cake proves that you don’t need fancy colors or over-the-top decorations to have an effective, show-stopping cake – you just need an individual idea and a little know-how!

Now for something a little more epic – this amazing cake in the shape of a NERF gun will be a sight to behold for any big NERF fan! A design like this, with such intricate detailing and a tricky shape, should be left to the professionals – don’t attempt this cake unless you’re highly proficient when it comes to frosting!

Stuck for food and drinks ideas to keep your little ones fueled as they wage NERF war? Here are some of our favorite suggestions:

• These NERF cupcakes are a simple idea – they’re just vanilla cupcakes with yellow frosting, but they fit the theme perfectly and are the perfect snack size for kids that don’t want to spend too much time eating and miss all the action!
• In fact, arranging your snacks in little plastic pots is a great way for kids to feel like they’re really in NERF combat. Every half an hour or so, call them over to the buffet and urge them to refuel with two or three pots of snacks – whether it’s candy, potato chips, biscuits, cake or fruit. Arrange them by color like this for an even more uniform, military-style look.
• Giving fun nicknames to your food selection is a great way to get kids into the spirit of the party – not that many of them will need persuading! Bullseye Bites, Super Soaker Snacks, Ballistic Biscuits, POA Popcorn and Magazine Munchies will go down a treat at the buffet table!
• Finally, cake pops are a great choice for NERF parties – they’re quick and easy, and if you use the right colors they’ll integrate with your theme perfectly. Plus, any leftovers from the little ones can easily be hoovered up by the adults… win-win!

Choosing favors for a NERF party can be tricky. These gear bags are a fun choice – pack them with energy ‘refills’ (candy), coloring sheets (for entertainment while they ‘debrief’), safety glasses (for all their future NERF endeavors) and bandanas (for disguise purposes) and place them by the door for kids to collect on the way out.

These stylish goodie bags really look the part – if you can’t get hold of any official bags, simply use orange paper bags decorated with the stickers mentioned earlier.

Lastly, what NERF enthusiast would turn their nose up at a pack of foam refills? All parents of NERF-lovers will know that much of their child’s pocket money is spent replenishing their stock of foam refills, so handing out a small pack as the guests depart is a great way to say ‘thank you’ for their attendance.

Surely this is the section we’ve all been waiting for? With a NERF-themed party there are literally hundreds of games that kids could enjoy – but we’ve managed to narrow it down to a few of our favorites…

• Obviously an obstacle course has to feature somewhere in here – and this one is simply fantastic. If you have the time and resources to dedicate to this, it’ll be something your guests never forget!
• If you don’t have the time to make such a complex assault course, grab some old cardboard boxes and arrange them around the party venue or outside area. Paint targets on the boxes and let the kids run wild! They can rearrange the course as they see fit, bringing out their imaginative side too – don’t worry too much about trying to keep them on course!
• Why not try a classic twist on the fairground classic? Set up a pyramid of plastic cups a certain distance away and have kids try to knock them down with their NERF guns. Anyone who manages to knock down all the cups gets a prize!
• These spinning NERF targets are super-easy to make – all you need is a large piece of card, some bamboo skewers and some coloring pencils. Place this out in the yard and kids will love trying to make those targets spin!

Do you feel inspired to throw your very own NERF-themed party now? We hope we’ve given you enough ammo (excuse the pun) to get started. If you have any suggestions or better ideas, don’t hesitate to add them in the comments!