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I remember playing with Nerf balls, guns, and such growing up. Anyone else? 🙂

Although I don’t remember the exact models we played with, I have fond memories of the fun I had playing with my brothers and friends.

So when a Mobile Nerf Party contacted me to show me what fun stuff they offer for kid’s parties and staying active, I was excited to share! It brought me back to my own childhood for a moment ha.

The idea of having a themed birthday party for kids with nerf guns sounds like a blast to me.

If you’re looking for party inspiration…

The best birthday parties are those where your kid is having maximum fun and is physically, mentally, and emotionally benefiting.

There’s a unique kind of birthday party for kids that’s on the rise and it mimics the gameplay of an extreme sport that requires adults to collaborate, physically move, and practice teamwork and camaraderie.

Unlike Airsoft, the birthday party we’re referring to is safe for kids and teaches the same principles of Airsoft while releasing as much adrenaline, excitement, and fun. (Plus, it’s outside: Which is important right now with social distancing!)

Have you heard of Nerf Wars?

Nerf Wars hit an all time high in 2016 in terms of searches on Google. Even though people aren’t searching directly for Nerf Wars, the trend of Nerf Gun Parties has exponentially grown since 2016.

And the reason is clear, there are a ton of people showcasing their home-made Nerf Party on YouTube and Nerf Party Companies are popping all over the United States. Plus, Hasbro has been pushing out new models of Nerf Guns which has opened the gates for competitors to create similar dart guns at a competitive price.

The party we’re referring to is a Nerf Party. (And it’s a great birthday party theme!)

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Staying Active While Having Fun!

Humans are meant to be active and this also applies to kids- especially kids. It is absolutely necessary for kids to engage in physical movement early on because of the tremendous benefits from it:

Reduces the risk of obesity, cardiovascular diseases and type-2 diabetes in the future;
Strengthens kid’s bones, heart, lungs, and muscles;
Develops confidence early on;
Helps with stress management and concentration;
Improves quality of sleep

These benefits extend to every facet of their life, from academia to their personal social lives. A parent can shift the perception of physical movement to ‘fun’ in many ways, including an extraordinary birthday party.

Birthday Parties are meant to excite the kid because it’s a kid’s special day so that day should stand out relative to other days- of course! And it’s surely a win if you can frame physical movement as a fun activity.

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The Ingredients for a Fun Birthday Party

In the early stages of a child’s life, parties are best when they include:

Collaboration
Interaction among the group
Keeps them to physically active throughout
Lots of fun and laughter!

It’s why a Nerf Party can be more fun than renting out a private trampoline facility- where it’s free-play for all the kids who end up pairing themselves into micro groups and end up playing amongst themselves. While physical movement does occur, other important lessons such as teamwork are overlooked.

Learning how to collaborate and be an effective teammate is an important life skill. If a child can grasp this concept and get as much training in their early years, it’ll become an asset of theirs as they learn to interact effectively with the world and people around them.

Plus, teamwork encourages bonding and friendship. It can can have a tremendous positive impact on a child’s life; it can determine the health of their future relationships, job title, and their baseline emotional state.

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How to host a Nerf Party?

The first step in planning a Nerf Party is finding an appropriate location. Luckily, if you have a backyard, you can use it as long as you don’t mind finding darts scattered here and there a week after your party. 🙂
Next, you’ll have to equip your arsenal with a few Nerf Guns. There are 3 types – Elites, Megas, and Rivals. Elites are ideal for 5-9 year olds, 9+ tend to skew to Megas, and adults tend to enjoy Rivals. To reduce your expenses, you can always ask kids to bring their Nerf Guns and purchase just a few for those who might not have one at home.
Now, you’ll have to build a base. Hasbro, the creator of Nerf Guns, has invented an affordable mini-bunker inspired from Battle Bunkerz that goes for $34 for 4 pieces. You only need about 12 of them which will run roughly $100. And the best part is, they’re inflatable, easy to store, and can be reused by your kid or extended family member in the future.
Darts are extremely important. The general rule is, the more you have, the more you’ll find in random locations in your house a week or even a month from the party. You won’t need that much and they aren’t very expensive if you buy them from 3rd party vendors on Amazon.
Nerf Goodie Bags are also a nice treat for your guests, and you can put whatever you’d like inside them. Some people like to put an economical Nerf Gun that runs at $3 a piece or wristbands in. While others put candy and other edible goodies. This is based on your preference.

Get in on the Fun!

This type of birthday party is great for all ages- in fact I’m wondering I can have one of these 🙂 With more shutdowns looming for the epidemic this could also be a fun way to get the family out of the house and play together too.

It is especially ideal for kids in grade school. It’s during this time, they’ll be exposed to independent social situations and can reap the most rewards from learning about teamwork, collaboration, and communication.

I hope you found this guide useful and begin to explore opportunities to teach valuable life lessons while invoking maximum fun during your kid’s birthday.

What do you think? Does this of birthday party sound fun to you? What are some other of your favorite birthday themes?