Hear ye, hear ye, all ye little knights and ladies of the round table! 'Tis the season for Renaissance festivals, and wouldn't it be fun to host a Renaissance playdate or party?  We'll share loads of ideas for DIY castles, dress-up costumes, activities, and delicious Renaissance-themed snacks and treats.  It's time for wizards, dragons, knights, fairies, and more to have a positively medieval good time!

 

 

Decoration Ideas

Let's start with themed playdate and party basics: decorations! What could be more medieval than an easy-to-make cardboard castle fort!  Wrap old cardboard boxes with a plastic stone-wall backdrop and secure with tape.  Then, cut out windows, drawbridge doors, and castle battlements (the top part). Add cutout shields, streamers, and flags for a colorful accent!

 

[ sources: left I middle I right ]

 

Stone Wall Backdrop - Shop

 

Let's start with themed playdate and party basics: decorations! What could be more medieval than an easy-to-make cardboard castle fort!  Wrap old cardboard boxes with a plastic stone-wall backdrop and secure with tape.  Then, cut out windows, drawbridge doors, and castle battlements (the top part). Add cutout shields, streamers, and flags for a colorful accent!

 

[ sources: left I middle I right ]

 

Create colorful and festive ribbon wands by tying ribbon to the ends of short dowel rods, and display them in a jar as table centerpieces. You can even have the kiddos pick out colors the ribbon colors and craft their own wands to take home. 

Make easy-peasy Renaissance torches with construction paper and fire-colored tissue paper. Just roll construction paper or metallic scrapbooking paper into a tapered tube and secure with tape. Then stuff the brightly colored "fire paper" into the wide end of the paper sconce and secure to your play room walls or castle fort. 

For a fun decoration and activity, wrap washi tape around wrapping paper tubes to make fun (and safe) jousting sticks. Use a tapered piece of construction paper at one end to create the hand guard. Will you have little boys at your playdate? This will hands down be their favorite activity!

 

 

Girls Renaissance Faire Costume - Shop         Child Wizard Costume - Shop         Kids Robin Hood Costume - Shop 

There are so many fun Renaissance character costumes to choose from! Wizards, Robin Hood, fair maidens, knights in shining armor, fairies, kings and queens... even colorful fire-breathing dragons!  Many of our childrens' Renaissance costumes come in infant, toddler, and child sizes so it is easy to pick from a huge selection. What is your child's medieval wish come true?

 

Toddler Pink Dragon Costume - Shop         Toddler Green Dragon - Shop         Kids Dinosaur Costume - Shop

 

Find more kids’ Renaissance and medieval costumes here!

 

[ sources clockwise from left: one I two I three ]

 

Make ANY snack medieval by gluing large acrylic gems around the edges of paper plates and trays.

Build a castle cake by layering cake and frosting to your desired height, then adding chocolate bar pieces and stacked-cookie towers. Now that's a chocolaty dessert guaranteed to wow kids and adults alike!

Sugar cookies become instant playdate favorites when decorated with shield designs in multi-colored frosting with a fine point piping tip. This is a great way to tie any color theme into your treats!

 

[ sources clockwise from left: one I two I three I four ]

 

For a playdate fun-starter, push marked plastic cocktail swords into a painted rock-like piece of styrofoam and have the kids pull a sword from the "stone" to determine their silly Renaissance name. Brainstorm fun names like "Sir" or "Lady" Laughs Alot, Bubble of Gum, and  Peanut of Butter.

Bobbing for apples is a game traditionally played on Halloween, but its roots date all the way back to the Roman empire and this makes it an excellent game for a Renaissance playdate. Put clean apples and water in a glavanzized tub or similar bucket and have the kids try to pull an apple out with their teeth. You will want to have lots of towels handy because this game gets everyone (and everything) wet!

A few acrylic "gems," some dollar store plastic cups, and a little elmers glue are all you need to give the kids a great time making their own jewel-encrusted goblets. Serve koolaid or punch and watch your kids' eyes light up when you fill their precious creation with a tasty, colorful drink.

Pin the tongue on the dragon is an easy DIY game that can be made by drawing a dragon on a piece of cardboard, blindfolding the kiddos, and instructing them to attempt to pin a paper tongue on the dragon's mouth. Use double-sided tape instead of pins and cut the dragon tongues out of pink construction paper. The closest "tongue" pinner wins a medieval prize.

These are just a few ideas to get you started on your merry way towards a fun and festive Renaissance playdate!  Stay tuned in to the HalloweenCostumes.com blog for more exciting playdate ideas, and find more kids’ Renaissance and medieval costumes here!