I received free products in order to host a #NowMoreThanEver playdate party. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Does the idea of hosting a playdate at your home stress you out? Whether it’s because your house looks like a toddler tornado destroyed it (please say this isn’t just me!), or you don’t know what food to offer your guests, or even what to do to keep an army of small children entertained? You’re not alone mama.
When Disney asked me to host a playdate party I went through a slew of emotions. I was excited! Then I turned to Pinterest, and I was nervous. So incredibly nervous. How was I supposed to host a playdate party that lived up to the extravagant events I was seeing online? I kept delaying my party because I was afraid that I would never live up to these parties that came before me.
But then late one night after falling down the Pinterest rabbit hole, I had a realization. My kids don’t care about the parties I’ve seen on Pinterest. THEY DON’T EVEN KNOW THESE PARTIES EXIST! The only person making me feel “less” or “unworthy” was ME. So I decided to embrace that. If I was going to host a playdate party, I was going to make it ME.
And guess what? My kids had a BLAST. I didn’t have a nervous breakdown. And everyone left the party with a smile on their face. Balloon arches and themed treats are FANTASTIC. But if that’s not up your alley, THAT’S OKAY. You’re still a great mama. And your kiddos love you. I promise.
Simple Themed Playdate Party
One of the easiest ways to make a playdate feel extra special without adding a ton of stress to the hostess is to center it around a theme! This can be as simple as a dress-up party where you encourage the kiddos to come wearing their favorite dress-up clothes. Or even an Outer Space party where you hoard Amazon boxes for a couple weeks (or in my case like 3 days because Amazon is my lifeline HA!) and the kiddos can decorate their own space ships!
For our playdate party, we embraced Mickey Mouse as our theme. The cute party goods that Disney sent made this really easy for me! One Mickey Mouse tablecloth combined with Mickey Mouse plates and napkins made our playdate lunchtime as cute (and as simple) as could be!
Disney kicked it up a notch for us by sending over fun Mickey Mouse masks, a Mickey piñata and Pin the Nose on Mickey game! The kids really felt like they were at a party while playing with these!
I used some goodies from around our house as themed party decorations! A Mickey Mouse plush from the playroom, a Mickey balloon popcorn bucket from Walt Disney World and a vintage Disneyland record on my record player!
Easy Playdate Craft
I wanted to offer the kiddos an organized activity and decided on a craft because my preschooler LOVES arts and crafts. I highly recommend one organized activity at your playdate. Sometimes the toys free-play can just get crazy so breaking that up with something more planned really helps the playdate flow.
I wanted something super easy for me to prep. I ended up buying plain wooden picture frames for a dollar at a local craft store, some washable paint, a variety of Mickey stickers, and some fun embellishments.
The kids absolutely went to town creating their frames! They spent at least 30 minutes at my dining room table painting, decorating, and chatting with each other. *virtual pat on the back*
I also had my instant camera out at the party, snapping a quick photo of the kids playing together. The kids were SO EXCITED to put their photo from the party in their newly decorated frame.
A super simple craft that was a winner for the kiddos and a winner for me!
Easy & Kid Approved Playdate Food
I wanted to keep food as simple as possible because lets be honest, food prep for a party can be the WORST added stress. Save yourself the trouble and don’t feel guilty if you decide to literally just order pizza! That is completely OKAY! Chances are the kiddos will be excited for pizza and will actually EAT IT.
I wasn’t sure what time the kiddos would be hungry so I decided to buy a bag of frozen chicken nuggets to throw in the air fryer — 10 minutes later and lunch was ready! I also offered some snacks that were as easy as they come! Clementines, cheese, pre-sliced apples, and a fruit bowl. My prep consisted of dumping it all onto a serving dish. SUCCESS!
My mom friends that joined us at our party both brought a dessert for the kids! Which brings me to my next point, don’t be afraid to ASK FOR HELP! If food is your stressor, ask your friends to bring a dish and host the playdate potluck style. If activities are your stressor, ask your crafty friend for ideas! I guarantee you your friends will LOVE helping you out and contributing to the playdate!
Mickey Mouse Playdate Party
Let’s be honest, us mamas are just excited to get together and interact with other adults for a few hours!
Now that my playdate party is over, I’m feeling a new emotion: grateful. I never felt eager to host playdates at my home because I always stressed way too much over all of the little details. But after my super simple Mickey themed playdate party, I’m ready for another! My kids had SO MUCH FUN! My preschooler has talked about her friends coming over to play and this playdate since it happened and that makes my mama heart so happy.
Thank you again to Disney for inviting me to host a #NowMoreThanEver playdate party!
Follow along on all of our Walt Disney World fun on Instagram @brbgoingtodisney! I share tips and tricks LIVE from the parks each week on Stories! See you there!
Don’t forget to pin this post for later!
Loved reading and watching the play date party! As someone who doesn’t have kids but babysits and arranges play dates for my niece it’s hard to come up with activities and such to make it different from the last time they played with friends. This helped give me a few ideas to make play dates a little more special for my niece and friends kids.
LOVE the frame idea – 30 minutes is enough time for mom talk and coffee ❤️❤️ your point about kids not knowing about the Pinterest parties really hit home. With your cute ideas I think my sons 1st birthday theme needs to be Mickey!
Such a cute and fun playdate but simple enough to throw together without much stress–what every mama needs 🙂 Love the tip about asking for help. I am always hesitant to do so but most people are willing! Also need to decorate my house with more of our Disney memories like you!
I love this play date party for any actual birthday party. All of your ideas would have been handy for my girls’ last birthday party (of course it was Mickey themed). Thanks for the future ideas!
I love the frame idea! Super simple and it looks like the kids all enjoyed it!
What a perfectly done party! It looks wonderful and relaxed. How much fun all the kids must have had. I am stealing your picture frame idea. Looked like such a good craft/gift all in one!
This is adorable! I especially LOVE the painted picture frames. My kids would love that! Thanks for sharing all of your tips! This gave me some ideas for my kids’ next play date.
This post is just great! As the mom of a toddler the thought of hosting a play date is something I dread. I love how you show that you don’t have to stress out about something so simple. Thanks for the great advise!
Everything looked so so cute and looks like it was a blast!
You are so genuine and relatable !!!! I have used you for reference soo many times in the last year. Thank you for what you do !
This is such a good reminder to have fun and not be held back by thinking things need to be a big, perfect production. The kids look like they enjoyed it so much! The Disney decor and activities are just too cute!
Love it
I love how perfect but simple this was. Painting wood crafts is such a fun idea for kiddos this age!
Okay, I’d never thought about having a play date party! Such a cute idea! Love it!!
Pinterest who? 😄 I thought you did a lovely job on the play date! The picture frame craft station was probably my favorite. From what I saw on your IG stories, Ollie looked like he really loved it too!
Ummm I would like to be invited to the next party please!!! Looks like everyone had a blast!
I absolutely love your blogs! This is such a great idea! 😍
I love what you did here! Organized play dates can feel intimidating. You made it seem so doable. I love the food and craft you chose! So so cute!!
Play dates are so overwhelming for me. Thanks for showing just having a simple theme can beeline my thoughts and make it successful!
Your playdate party looked wonderful. As a Disney loving mom of 4 you have given me inspiration to have our own playdate party. You are such a joy to follow. You are always so positive and informative. I am so happy to see you getting opportunities to work with Disney. Keep doing your thing pretty mama!
I love your play date party and honestly all your posts I try to keep up with! Completely understand all your feelings as well! My little Our Son is getting to the age where I dread play dates and stress the little things! But reading this and watching your stories definitely put my mind at ease and also get myself out of that stressed headspace! I can’t wait to try out some of your ideas!
I’m always hesitant to host play dates because I am crazy and can’t stand messes (I know i know, impossible with 2 kids!). These are some great tips though for fun times but EASY clean up!
I can’t wait to plan a play date at the park for my daughter and her friends. I especially loved the idea of cups for the trail mix. Also, DIY trail mix is brilliant. Well done Mom!
Your party was so cute and the kiddos looked like they had a great time! Love following you and hearing all of your tips. You are such a light for all us mamas out there! ❤️
Everything looked perfect! I loved the painting project you had set up for them. My kids would love that!
Thank you so much for your openness and honesty about the whole thing too. I’ve been struggling with comparison lately and you got my head back in the right place again. You are the best mama and person ever!
It was so much fun to follow your play date stories yesterday! ❤️
This was such a cute little play date! I’ve never even done a play date theme, though I do try to go all Pinterest mom on birthdays lol.
Love the post and the party! This inspires me! I have so much anxiety about doing stuff like this. My house isn’t the greatest or biggest. I’m not overly social. But this might be the push I needed to try something like this. Thanks Shannon.
I love this idea of making playdates feeling extra special with a theme! And I definitely want to have the kids make those frames- what a great idea!
Love everything thing about this! You did a great job. This is like all the best parts of a birthday party but scaled back and less stress! I’m definitely going to try it out myself!
Looks so fun mama! You did a great job!!!
Super cute! Definitely borrowing some of these ideas for my nephew’s 1st bday party!
Such a fun party! I know the kiddos loved it!
This is a great post! So many great tips and a great reminder for moms. I love your content, you’re a great inspiration to other moms. (No need for contest entry, my toddler has too much stuff as it is! Lol)
I love how real you are! Thank you for letting us know us regular moms can do it too!
This play date looks like so much fun! I love how ‘simple’ you made it 🥰 I’m sure all those kiddos had an amazing time!!
You did an AMAZING job!!!!! The smiles on everyone’s faces, yours included, says everything! You are so real an honest and it’s so refreshing to follow someone who isn’t putting up a smokescreen of perfection with every post. Play dates are hard work and are stressful, but so worth it all once it’s over ❤️ Totally making those pictures frames this weekend for one of our Disney countdown activities too!! Keep up the good work, Momma!!!
Shannon, I love this! I love everything about it. Looks like everyone had a great time!!
Had so much fun sitting down and reading this and watching your stories yesterday! You are a rock star momma!!
This is SO a fun and sweet!! Love the Disney theme!!!
So sweet! It all looks adorable. You did a great mama. Hope you rewarded yourself with an adult drink when it was over.
Thank you for the inspo!! Anything quick and easy is my m.o. these days lol.
The frame idea with taking a picture to put inside was such a great idea! I always stress about if my house is clean enough, or if the kids will be entertained the whole time. This has given me the push to be a little more creative when we have parties or play dates! Love your posts and blogs!
LOVE this so much!! I feel like it’s so hard as a mom to not feel the dreaded mom guilt that you aren’t doing good enough for your kids or not to compare yourself to others moms out there. Even the simplest of things make my kids happy and in their eyes I will always be enough. This party is perfection! Easy to pull off without killing yourself to make it happen and you can see from their little faces just how much they all loved it! ❤️
Love this! I hope Disney continues to sponsor you! I love to follow moms who are themselves and keep it real! 🙂
I love this so much! You did such a great job. So much fun! I want to host a themed playdate now.
❤ celiacmegan
The play date party looked like a success!!! Everything was super sweet, and cute! The craft was easy for all ages to complete and I loved that they sent you a pin the nose on Mickey game! How fun!!! This proves that things don’t need to be “over the top, extravagant” to be a totally blast!
Love it! And I hope to see some more fun and creative ways to bring Disney into your home 😊
Thanks for sharing! I love the way you used all of the decor and the frame painting is a really cute idea! It looks like it was a great day for your kids!
Adorable little party. I love a good themed party too. And adult talk is an extra added bonus. You and your family are so cute. Love all the disney advice
Loved the craft idea! I’ve always just though of play dates as some kids coming over to free play but I love the structure you added by having activities and a theme. Definitely inspires me to want to give it a try!
This play date was such a breath of fresh air! Seeing so many crazy over-the-top parties on Pinterest is so intimidating, and although they can be fun to plan, it’s just not necessary… yet when it feels like “everyone” is doing things that way, it only makes me feel embarrassed and ashamed I’m slacking.
This was totally the kind of playdate I’d love to plan! Enough adorable theming and snacks and activities but also a very relaxed overall feel and attainable in a small amount of time on a budget! Thank you so much for being realistic! This is the kind of content I want on Pinterest — things that are more attainable!
Your account is such a bright spot in my day, thank you for taking us on your journeys with you and your sweet family!
This is so cute! And such a great idea! Your party looked perfect and I love your Family Disney picture wall!
So fun! You are an inspiration, Shannon! Not just for all the awesome Disney things you do, but for how real and open you are too. ❤️
This is great! Now I’m feeling motivated to get my play date game up! I always scramble at the last minute. I need to plan more and go to the dollar store!!
Your party looked like so much fun! Nothing about it felt sponsored or inauthentic. And you’re so right! Our kids just want a play date! It doesn’t have to be crazy over the top. You’ve got me rethinking my anxiety over play dates and birthday parties.
Thank you for all the cute ideas! I can’t wait to make our play dates more “magical” with these simple and fun tips!
Love this! Such great ideas that also made it simple and fun for everyone! Love the camera and having all the kids take a picture home with the frame. Loved all the ideas and makes me think I can do it to!
Such a fun idea!! What a great time!!
Best play date I’ve ever seen! So cute and I honestly love the simplicity with the added party elements. Such great advice too ❤️ Thanks for always putting together such high quality content 😊
Thanks for sharing such a fun down to earth and easy party idea. My favorite part was when you said that kids dont care about elaborate parties they dont even know what pinterest is. And to not be afraid to ask for help for a potluck or crafts. I really love it because it is so much pressure sometimes for perfection when in reality kids are actually easy to entertain without breaking your budget or sanity. Thank you so much!!
Oh how I envy your creativity! My 5 year old would have loved this party! You’ve inspired me to think outside the box during my next play date to create a fun Disney themed environment for my daughter and her friends! Thank you!
The frame idea was genius! And how simple to have food a craft and just be together!
I really enjoyed reading and following your realistic take on a playdate party. As a mom of 2 sometimes the social media pressure to make everything “picture perfect” can make us feel crazy and feel less than. It’s often the simple things that our kids are most appreciative of.
You are my Disney mom inspiration! Love loved reading this!
Loved watching you throw this party together! My son is turning 1 this November and happens to share a birthday with Mickey!! Can’t wait to plan his party and use your posts as inspiration!!
Super cute! Love your style 😍
Great ideas for a themed play date since I usually just invite kids over and expect them to come up with their own ideas. 🤷🏻♀️ Like the idea of having the craft offering.
This is amazing! You make it look so easy! Pinning for birthday party ideas!
Love love love that frame idea!! Having the camera there was so smart! I’m
Definitely going to have to do this before the summer is over!!! So glad to find your insta & blog! Great idea! My 5 year old will love this! Thank you 🙂
Love your blog and how genuine and real you are! My favorite Disney blogger by far. All these comments are going to blow Deb’s mind 😉
Thanks for sharing!! And, yes, my house always looks like a toddler tornado too
Thank for putting up such a cute post! The kids I babysit love to paint, and the Polaroid is such a cute idea! Loved it!
So cute! This is my kind of #goals play date 😊.
Omg love this idea!! Excuse to have a little fun themed party any time of the year. I can’t wait for my daughter Ariel to get older and have friends so we can a fun party for no reason. Even the craft and food was low key that there’s no stress involved. So fun, thanks for the idea!
I love how you said your kids don’t even know what a Pinterest party is! I always have to repeat that to myself when I plan my kids birthday parties, the stress to make everything perfect is too much! Kids love it simple and your play date looked like a blast!
Super cute party! My 3.5 yr old daughter and I love to watch your stories 💕 keep ‘em comin!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it as much as the kiddos did. I love following along your daily adventures 😊
What a cute play date! Looks like the kids had so much fun! Love reading your blog and following you on Instagram!
Love this so much! Gives me hope as a not necessarily creative mama to have fun and cute play dates with my kids that aren’t stressful! And everything Disney makes it even more fun. Adorable! Love you and your style.
Love see and hearing your family little adventure… sounds like y’all had a blast… 😍
Loved following along on Instagram and I really loved the idea of a “play date potluck!” I always like taking things to friends houses, but for some reason I assume they aren’t interested in doing the same! That would certainly make me feel less stressed and allow everyone to have a better time!
I absolutely loved your instagram stories leading up to the party with your preparation for the play date. Everything looked so fun for the kids and the theme and activities were on point – definitely doable! I appreciate your realness and honesty about everything you post!
I love following your stories and your blogs. So helpful especially with my younger kiddos!
It all looks like so much fun! You’ve inspired me to try something similar with my kids. Play dates can be so intimidating to me but it is about making memories, not being perfect. Thank you!
Great party! I avoid play dates too, but this is perfect!
I love the party!!! You did an amazing job!! I love simple parties!
This was a great read! I loved the snack ideas I’m always looking for simple snacks to put together for play dates! Thank you!!
Great job mama! Now I want to throw a play date 😍
I love hosting play dates but tend to over-do and stress myself out. I love this reminder to keep it simple!
My kids would have loved this play date!
I love this so much!! It’s a super cute set up and I love the idea of having a craft for them all to do instead of having a destroyed play room to clean up after everyone leaves (cleaning up toys literally gives me anxiety)
Love how honest you are! This is the cutest!
What a fun day! You’re so right, the kids don’t care how “Pinteresty” the party is, I think as Moms we get wrapped up in trying to impress other Moms and it turns into a vicious cycle! Love everything you did here!
I truly enjoyed watching you put together this party. It was simple and fun for the kids. Thank you for such a nicely written overview. I will be trying the frame idea with my toddler.
Thanks for always keeping it real with us! I love how genuine you are in all of your social media. Your party looked like a blast and I’m sure your kids will have wonderful memories from it!
I love this! Everything you post makes my heart happy ❤️
This was so cool to follow along with! You’re SUCH an inspiration. I hope all great things come your way!
I absolutely love the idea of adding a theme to any play date, it really does make it feel more like a party rather than a play date! The picture frame craft is a super simple but really fun idea! I love that.
Well you sure look like the Pinterest mom to me!!! I am very buy it off Etsy or Amazon mom, but you are right- our kids won’t remember and don’t care! At least mine lol- food and kids they are set
I love how you are always authentic in all your posting. It doesn’t feel like you follow a formula like so many other influencers do. You’re one of my favorite people to follow – I always enjoy your stories. Thanks for sharing your adventures in Disney and every day life!
Looks like a great time!
This play date party looks like so much fun! My daughter would absolutely love this and this Mama loves all of your simple, easy and fun ideas! Thank you for being real, honest and hilarious. I look forward to more Disney fun ideas to come.
Love this play date!!! Everything looked so cute! Great advice about doing something as simple as buying themed plates to make a simple play date feel like a party. My toddler will absolutely love this! We are hosting a play date next week and can hopefully implement some of your ideas! Love your blog! You inspire me to maybe start my own. From another Disney obsessed Momma. 💛
Thank you for being so relatable. I have three young girls and it’s so hard not to get caught up in trying to keep up with everything you see on social media. There’s always someone doing it better and prettier and it often makes you feel inadequate. But like you said, The kids happiness and health is all that matters, definitely need that reminder! Keep on doing what you’re doing!
Looked amazing! Great job and most importantly – looked like the kiddos had fun!
The Disney products were nice, but you made it special.
I love it! Simplicity is key with kids. Your play date party looked so welcoming and fun. I might have to try some of these snacks and crafts with my own Minnie’s. (Ha, get it?!)
Loved reading this! Some really helpful ideas here, and I love the frame-painting craft! Thank you for taking the time to share this with us!
For play dates at my house I make coffee, order pizza, and have the kids play with their toys – this is GOALS!
Such a cute and fun playdate! I never thought of having a themed playdate before, but it’s such a cute idea and an easy way to create a special day for our kids!
Thank you so much for posting this! I love it so much. I really think this idea is so fun.
I never host play dates either because of the (self) pressure to make everything perfect! You had a great set up and it looks like the kids had fun!
Love this!! Such great ideas!!
I love the picture frame craft, I feel like I could give my daughter so many options and she’d go crazy decorating (glitter glue, pom poms, paint, etc). Definitely love the idea of everyone pitching in at a play date, we usually make it a potluck and everyone brings a different snack to help out. Thanks for the great post. Can’t wait to read Deb’s comments 😉
It all turned out fantastic! I totally stress about having play dates, and you are so right, kids don’t care if everything is perfect! They’ll have fun no matter what! Please keeps being you, because you are my favorite!
An activity that doubles as a party favor is a brilliant idea! I love how easy to put together and budget friendly this is for such a great result. It really does look like a full blown birthday party which means it had to be the best play date the kids have ever been to! Great Job 😉
I love this! Fun and memorable, but nothing over the top or hard. So cute! Thank you for giving such great ideas!
What a cute play date! I’m impressed by how much you took from what you had at home already!
This inspires me to be the coolest Disney mom in my town! Lol I love reading your posts
What great ideas!! Thank you for all the real help on how to keep it simple!! I get overwhelmed with Pinterest ideas but this was a great reminder of what really matters❤️ Keep up the great work 😁
Girl, you have grown SO MUCH! So proud of you and watching you along your journey. My kids would’ve loved your simple, yet artsy party. I LOOOOVE that frame idea. I’m going to use it for my own kids!
That’s last picture of her hugging you!!! Sooooo precious!! Looks like so much fun!!
My kids would love this play date! The picture frame craft was so fun I would love to decorate one too 🙂 thanks for all your info, Were planning a trip to Disney world next year from Idaho and I love all your tips!
So cute and simple! Love it
Loved watching the process and then how beautifully everything came together. Sometimes as a mom we try too hard to make everything perfect when the act of trying is what already makes us great moms. You’re killing it!
Nothing better than a Mickey party! I love the idea with the custom frames and picture!!! It turned out so awesome!
This is a great post!! You’re my fav Disney blogger for sure! Love your instagram too 🙂 the transparency is key!
I loved reading this! Thank you so much for sharing and you did amazing! Good job mama! & Your kids are the cutest!
I love your posts! What a joyful and honest presentation. Your kiddos are blessed with you, momma! Thank you for your time and wonderful ideas. The food prep suggestions were perfect!
Your play date party turned out so amazing! I know what you mean about the pinterest parties. These days we feel so pressured to do the most amazing extravagant party or we feel like a failure and that is absolutely not true. Our babies are just as happy with something simple as long as they have fun and have us.
Play dates are so stressful! Loving your low key vibes!
Beautiful reminder to pause, have fun, and enjoy a simple play date. Admittedly, this would probably be the best party I could ever throw. Where can I purchase those masks? My LO would love them!
Ahh! So many good ideas here. Thank you! And yeah, I tried to do an over the top theme parry once for my kiddo and they definitely DID NOT CARE AT ALL. They’re more content to play with a cardboard box. Albeit, if the box had some Mickey Mouse decorations in it they would be even more pumped.
I loved your play date party! I love following your Instagram and blog! Thanks for all the tips and tricks!
Love the idea of using things you already have at home and working around a simple theme. Crafts are big in our house too. Time to schedule a fun play date at our house 😊
This playdate was amazing and realistic for moms! I know we put so much pressure on ourselves for things to look social media worthy but you have shown us to be simple and authentic! Love the frame idea, my 6 year old just became obsessed with his Polaroid camera, ill definitely be saving your post for future references!
I love your tips and insight! You help us not so crafty moms feel like we can put something cute together! Thank you!!!!
Simple, fun and cute. Definitely up my alley!!
Soooo cute! You did a great job, I am a firm believer in less is more! Perfect play date for littles! I love all your advice! You are my first go to when it comes to Disney World advice!
LOVE!!!! Looks like everyone had a blast, and that’s what matters the most! 🙂
This is SO cute! My daughter would absolutely love this and I adore all your added details!
Aw I love this! The painting craft looks right up my toddler’s alley and those rice crispies on a stick look right up mine!
I loved your play date! As a new mama, it’s so nice to know there are other mamas out there who are feeling “the Pinterest pressure” and deciding to just “be me”. I’m finding out what works for me and my family might not be typical, but it works for us! Love, love, love your authenticity, sweet friend!
LOVE this! I have always been so fearful of not creating the perfect playdate. You are SO right, the kids don’t know about those picture perfect events, they just want to play and be creative! You have given a new light to how simple it can be to create a really fun afternoon! Thanks for being genuine and transparent! Look forward to reading all your wonderful blogs! 💕
I absolutely love following you. You keep it real and honest. This was such a fun but simple play date party idea. Keep up the great work
LOVED LOVED LOVED the playdate idea. We randomly get together with the cousins from time to time but we never have a theme. I think this would be a GREAT idea for us next time.
I absolutely LOVED virtually following along on your play date! From the preparation and setup to the actual party, and your honest “mom reflections” afterwards. As a soon-to-be mama of twin girls, I cannot wait to plan little parties like this! Disney made a great choice in choosing you to showcase some fun party supplies 💕
I love this! No pressure or stress for Mom, and lots of fun for the kiddos – the perfect kind of play date or party!
This is so cute!! I’m not a parent nor a full fledged “Adult” but for my birthday this year, I did a Mickey theme and got the same cups for my friends! I absolutely love the idea as well of using Park merch as decorations!! (Popcorn bucket, Mickey plush, etc.) I’m still a major kid and I can honestly say that seeing everything you set up, I would have had a blast had I have been there myself!! Will definitely be using some of these ideas the next time I have a mini party/get together with my friends! <3 love your insta/insta stories so much, always puts a smile on my face!
Very cute! I love my airfryer too for easy snacks. 😀
I just love the entire idea from the simple decor, he crafting and the food , love that you keep it simple and the it work for kids of different ages. My are all different ages so I understand how hard is to find activities the the can alll enjoy together
What adorable ideas! Thank you for being transparent with your readers. Life isn’t perfect, so a play date sure doesn’t have to be perfect either! Also, you showed how to make a few items go along way and make such an adorable party.
Way to go Shannon!! I absolutely loved everything that you did and how simple you made it. Even though you still put in a lot of work, it was the perfect amount stuff for the kids to do and enjoy.
I love the whole idea of a theme. That has never crossed my mind! Definitely something the kids would love no matter how fancy or not.
Ahh I loved this! It’s not only great advice for a play date but a child’s birthday too! 🙂
Love this fun party!
Oh my goodness, this looks like a party I wanna be invited to! So glad you’re getting these opportunities Shannon! You’re amazing and I love following along.
Your playdate turned out so cute! I love the idea of having a simple theme for a playdate and adding a craft as well. Your food selections were perfect for the kiddos. Your post has encouraged me to host a playdate at my house. You’ve made it seem a lot less stressful than I thought it’d be. We just took my daughter to Disney for the first time in May and she’s been disney obsessed ever since. I think I’ll theme the playdate I’m going to host with a Disney Princess theme. Thanks for your truly honest and quite inspirational post, Shannon!
Adorable. I love doing little crafts w my kids. Maybe I’ll do a craft party to end summer. Thanks for the tips and ideas.
Thank you for keeping it simple and something we could replicate!
Your IG stories, posts, and blogs are always so handy. I love your playdate! My boys would live all of your amazing ideas. I want to be invited to an adult play date! Thanks for all you do!
You did a beautiful job and kept it real! Love love love using polaroids at parties too. Such a big hit for kids and kids at heart!
Omg! This party idea is so cute! I love how you incorporated Disney items from the park. I had never thought about that and I have plenty popcorn buckets laying around. Lol. Thanks for the helpful stress free party ideas.
I love the simplicity. It’s effective! Sometimes I think the stress of these things keeps me from doing them more which is just sad! It doesn’t need to be perfect, just fun!
Loved the play date ideas. They can be scary but you took it to a nice fun day! Can’t wait to do it for the grand babies!! Those Mickey masks are a little scary I don’t know something about them. Really great job hope to see more party ideas!!
Loved the play date ideas. They can be scary but you took it to a nice fun day! Can’t wait to do it for the grand babies!! Those Mickey masks are a little scary I don’t know something about them. Really great job hope to see more party ideas!!
I love how genuine and real your posts are. It is so hard not to compare to the awesome moms with Pinterest worthy parties but your kids had a blast and that’s what it’s all about!
I love this idea. I too have used pinterest way too much. Thanks for giving the idea to ask for help with food!
Shannon
What a fun and adorable play date party. Great job mama.
I love this! So easy and fun.
Brb planning a play date for my kids now!😍💛
This is so cute! Totally need to have a themed playdate before Summer is over!
Love the photo frames!
Great post! I love that all of your ideas are SO doable- and fun for kiddos 🙂 the snack table looked so great and kid friendly as well
Looks like a perfect play date party. Love the frames!!!
This seemed like sooo much fun!! Loved the paint their own frame! They probably have the best memories of that day but now that have something to remember it by. Also, I need all the snacks 😍
I love how transparent you are in the whole process! Everything was cute and simple, so the kids wouldn’t get overwhelmed. It seemed like a great play date!
Love how fun and simple you made this! ❤️ So fun and cute for kids of all ages!
I love following along on all of your Disney adventures, and I am so happy to see Disney is reaching out to you for partnerships! Your play date was so cute and practical for everyday moms such as myself!
Thank you so much for sharing all that you do with us!
Super cute and would work as a great birthday party too! Love that all the kids wore their Disney shirts!
I love how you talk about how kids have no idea about the Pinterest parties. I to overwhelm myself with trying to make the best party possible when my kids are happiest with a stick in a rock from outside. It’s nice to remember you can have a fun time but yet still keep it very simple. Thanks for sharing!
How stinking cute! Looked like the perfect play date <3
Such a cute party! It’s true our kids are just so happy with what we do, but we put all this pressure on ourselves! You know the old saying about how kids are happier with the box than the toy? Same analogy in life – it’s the little things that matter the most
I’m always up for simple, yet fun!
This is so cute! My little would love a Disney themed play date! We will have to plan one soon!
Wonderful! Looks like the kiddos had a great time! Awesome ideas!
The smiles on the kids faces are priceless!!! What a fun party! ❤️
Great job, mama! I feel I’ve in the same way all the time. It’s nice to know I’m not alone ♥️
The smiles on the kids faces are priceless! What a fun party!!! So easy to fall down the rabbit hole of Pinterest; your party was delightful! I would’ve loved it as a kid. 😉 ❤️
Love this so much! I used to struggle with feeling the need to make everything Pinterest worthy! I finally realized my kids love whatever I do, as long as my goal is to make them feel special! They don’t know the difference between me spending hours crafting a completely DIY birthday banner and me picking one up from the dollar store. You did amazing with this play date! I might have to throw my own party play date just because! My kid’s would love it!
What a cute little playdate ! Love all of the simple ,yet effective decor to make the theme really tie together .
This was so fun to follow along with!! What a great party and memory!!!
This looks amazing! You’re right – play dates can feel so stressful but having a theme looked great! Also, the easy prep food is amazing! Thanks for sharing!
This looks so fun! I love the pin the nose on mickey game!
Looked like a fun day! Such lucky kiddos!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I love the frame idea. Getting to create something and then add a picture for memory is brilliant! We will definitely be doing this at my 4yo son’s next gathering 😊
What a great idea to use your Polaroid camera to send home pictures! I have one in the back of my closet I need to dig out… going to use your idea!
I love how real you are and how memorable you made the party! That’s what they will remember!
I’m feeling all inspired seeing these cute photos! I’ve never hosted a play date but I so want to now! So cute!
This is such a cute idea, definitly a memorable Date that’s so simple!
LOVE this entire post because I 100% relate to it! I always feel like I shouldn’t host a play date because it’ll be too stressful, but you made it look easy! Thanks for breaking down your play date into manageable pieces for us!
I loved that you had an instant camera to be able to fill in the frames at the party! Great idea.
This is such a cute idea! I love all the finger food snacks, I bet the kids really enjoyed them! I would’ve never though to do a themed play date, almost like a mini bday party. Super super cute! Thanks for sharing!
LOVE your posts!! Like I seriously am over here taking notes for my next Disney trip with my family in March 2020. I have a 4 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. You have been SO SO SO helpful!!! Thanks so much for all your hard work!!
This looked like so much fun. Thank you for sharing!
My playdates consist of kids coming over and playing with our toys so ai give you huge props for putting this together! Makes me want to try it sometime because it looks so cute but you made it so simple at the same time.
I love everything about this! So fun and so cute.
Such an awesome play date! I couldn’t agree more about the stress of comparing or ensuring play dates/parties or anything we do with the kids are as better as the next. All I can think is that the kids won’t remember how cool things looked but how much we played with them or gave them the opportunity to play!
I already commented but I sent this to a friend and we were talking about it. I feel like such a boring mom so much of the time, mainly because I don’t have the ideas (or energy… am I right?) to come up with things. This would be so fun for kids of any age. Thanks for sharing, friend!
Love this! So glad Disney chose you to do this!! Hoping they give you more BIGGER opportunities!!
I loved your honesty and heart throughout this post! Everything came out beautifully- makes me want to do a Disney play date now!
Love love love the play date idea! So simple yet so much fun! I love following you for all things Disney and mom life! Oh and thank you for sharing about your packing cubes. I bought them and used them this week and they are life changing, I need more!
Looks like so much fun!
Thank you SO much, Shannon, for showing me that a playdate does not have to be a big to-do. I tend to over-think everything when I have kiddos over, so it is such a nice reminder that kids will be happy with simple things.
I loved watching your story and then reading your post. You keep things real and you are so relatable. I feel like I could actually say “Hi” to you if I happen to see you in the parks in a few weeks.
Your play date looks like the most fun, I wish I lived closer so I could come!
This looked like so much fun!! I need to plan a play date party soon, you make it look so easy!
I love this idea, and I’m sure it was such a special time for the kiddos! Thanks for the idea 😊
I love everything about this. All of you ideas were so adorable and fun, without being over the top. I’m from a close-knit large family, so I love the idea of a party play-date as my siblings get our kids together often and once in a while it would be nice to give the kids something a little more planned and exciting to do, without getting stressed out over it. Well done!
It turned out so cute! I love your idea of making a play date extra special!
We are planning our first Disney trip Labor Day weekend and I have loved reading your blog and watching all of your insta stories. You are helping us out a ton! The play date theme was awesome and I love how you incorporated all of the different foods along with cute crafts!
I love all the ideas and creativity! I always feel stressed as well but in the end it is always worth it.
Suuuuper cute play date party!!!!
I’m taking my two daughters to Disney world in the fall to celebrate their adoptions! We can’t wait. We love your blog and I’ve been scouring it for tips ever since I discovered it!! 😊😊😊
Suuuuper cute play date party!!!! Love the frame idea!
I’m taking my two daughters to Disney world in the fall to celebrate their adoptions! We can’t wait. We love your blog and I’ve been scouring it for tips ever since I discovered it!! 😊😊😊
Love this, love your honestly. Looks like everyone had such a great time, I cant wait to throw awesome playdates like this for my daughter. Definitely remembering the frame art project. So fun!!!
Oh my gracious this was so adorable!! I LOVE a themed play date/party so it gave me all the inspiration! Thank you so much for keeping it real. Being a mom is so hard and it’s so easy to jump on that comparison train. Our kiddos just want us! Thanks for the reminder ❤️
The decorations were so cute!! What a great idea!!!
This is so cute! Love and appreciate your honesty!
From one not great at Pinterest mom to another! 😂😂💖💖
I LOVE this! I have 3 kids (2 daughters ages 5 and 8 and a 4 year old son) and they would love a themed playdate like this! I would have never thought about doing something cool like this (I’m not so crafty or creative) so thank you for the idea!! My kids and I are major Disney fans and watch your Instagram stories daily, we love all your content!
Cute and easy……but those Mickey masks 😳
I’ve gotta be honest, those masks definitely give me flashbacks to old school Halloween costumes. I love the craft ideas! I need to start having some parties of my own. My daughter is an only child and needs more play dates in her life. (I also need some adult friends, but anyway) Loved everything about this especially your comment about the fact that the kids have no idea what one of these “parties” should be like so why not just go with it?!
You did such a great job! You kept it simple and I. An truely appreciate that. I hate that people try and go over board for the simple things. I mostly hate it because I am cheap and would never spend money on a playdate I’d totes just bust out some old Christmas or valentine’s day stickers! I loved how you just added simple things you had around from your disney loving fam!
Love your play date ideas and your honesty! I have so many of the same feelings and it’s nice to know I’m not alone!
What a fun playdate! Great job! Love following along with you.
Looks like such a fun party! Can I come to the next play date? I’ll bring a dish to pass lol! 😂
Such a cute play date! This is a Pinterest worthy play date in my book!
Love the idea of q playdate party! Looks everyone had alot of fun! Great ideas!
Why save all the fun for birthdays once a year!? What an awesome idea! Love that you kept the food super simple because who has the time for that!
I’m so happy to have come across your blog/instagram! You are an inspiration and you are definitely making A LOT of people happy! Keep doing you! You are AMAZING!
How fun!! Love the painted frames idea with the instant photos!!!!
Love it! You did such a great job!
I love your super simple party ideas. This all could be totally done at the dollar store! Thanks for the great inspiration! I truly enjoy watching you live your best Disney life!!
Love this!!
Thanks so much for sharing all of your Disney love! I enjoy seeing your Instagram stories each day! Such a fun play date post.
Looks like the kids had a blast! Says and fun! Thanks for sharing! 💛
I love seeing your posts every day! You make me want to pack up and move close to Disney every day! It’s so nice to see others with the same Disney love! Thank you!
°o° I love seeing your posts every day! You make me want to pack up and move close to Disney every day! It’s so nice to see others with the same Disney love! Thank you!
What a sweet party! So fun.
Love the idea of a simple craft! So much better than unstructured free play aka chaos for the entire play date!
I love that you kept this so real and so cute at the same time! Our kids don’t know the difference and all that matters is that they have fun and know we love them! Thanks for always being real and having great ideas!
Great ideas! Thank you for sharing!