20 Gymnastics Party Ideas

Hosting a gymnastics party? With the 2016 Olympics coming up in Rio, you might be interested in throwing an Olympic Gymnastics Party.

If not, here is a list of 20 other gymnastics party ideas: some gymnastics activities, crafts and other party ideas. Also, head over here for some gymnastics party goody bag ideas.

Gymnastics Activities

If you are having your gymnastics party home, you will need some fun gymnastics activities.

1. You can watch a gymnastics movie– two of my favs are Stick It and the sports inspirational movie, Peaceful Warrior
2. Go to a college or high school gymnastics meet
   • Here’s a full list of the Division I & II colleges with gymnastic programs and links to their official websites that you can use to look up their meet schedules.
   • Check out your local high school websites to see if they have gymnastics teams.  If so, they probably have gymnastics meets on Friday nights and are likely hosted at local gyms.
3. Have your party at the gym!  Many offer birthday parties on the weekends.  Here’s more information on what to expect from your gymnastics birthday party and what to bring if you decide to have a  party at a gym, but check with the actual gym for more information.
4. If there is a big gymnastics meet going on in the few weeks leading up the party (like Worlds, the Olympics etc.) record it, and then play it at the party like a movie with popcorn and pizza.
   • Here’s a list of televised gymnastics meets from the USA Gymnastics website.  These are the major ones, but many times big college gymnastics meets will be televised as well, so keep an eye on your local TV listings in the weeks before the party. 

   Gymnastics Crafts

   Another way to have fun at a gymnastics party is to do a craft. The craft you make can be what the gymnasts take home instead of a goody bag or party favor.

5. Decorate bags. Gymnastics requires a lot of gear, and it’s easier to have a designated bag to keep everything together. Making customized bags is a great birthday party craft!
   • Gym bag– For practice, you don’t typically need a large duffel like you do for meets. A cinch bag like this one is great for snacks, a change of clothes, water etc. For a party, buy plain bags like this one and fabric paint pens like these and let the kids decorate them with their name, gym club name, etc. Here is an American girl drawstring bag kit.
   • DIY Tie Dye Leotards- These are an absolute hit with gymnasts who love crafting – and what better time to do it than together at a party?! They’re available in a USA design with red/white/blue and Spring design with magenta/teal/purple dye options. Teammates will love being able to “twin” in the gym with their own unique twist with their personally designed tie dye patterns.
   • Grip Bag– Once gymnasts hit level 4, they are usually expected to wear grips on the uneven bars to protect their hands. Most gyms have buckets/bins/cubbies for the gymnasts to leave their grips each day, so they don’t have to worry about forgetting to bring them one day. Decorating grip bags is a great birthday party activity and also makes it easier for gymnasts to find their grip bags. You want bags with a tight drawstring or zipper to make sure nothing falls out when gymnasts are shuffling through the bins. They should be big enough to fit grips, wrist bands, tape and pre-wrap but small enough to fit into the team competition bag. Look for small zipper or cinch canvas bags like these, sparkly ones like these, or a plain grip duffel bag.
   • Snack Bag– If the gymnasts have long practices, frequently attend all-day camps, or go to gymnastics competitions, having a snack bag could be convenient to make sure nothing spills on clothes or competition gear. Decorating these with paint pens would be cute and practical!
   • Hair accessories bag – As we’ve discussed, gymnastics requires a lot of gear. It’s important to have neat, pulled back hair for meets so keeping a bag of hair essentials (hairspray, bobby pins, hair nets, hair ties, glitter spray etc.) in the competition bag ensures the gymnast is always prepared. Here’s a plain zipper canvas bag or here are some colorful ones that are slightly smaller (you would have to use travel size hairspray, or just use this one for hair ties/ribbons/pins). These would be cute to decorate and then have bobby pins, hair ties, etc be the treats inside the bag.
6.  Decorate hair pieces/scrunchies/ribbons:
   • Here is a tutorial on how to make a hair scrunchie . You could also just buy different colors of ribbons and use paint pens to write each child’s name on one end and the gym’s name on the other side.
7. Practice different hair styles. Since gymnasts have to wear their hair up every day, practicing different hair styles could be fun for the girls—chance to mix it up! Fishtail braids, French braid, sock buns, bow buns, and more–check out my Gymnastics Hairstyles Pinterest board for more inspiration and tutorials.
8. Make pillow cases where everyone signs their names on each one. Here is a set of 20 plain white pillowcases and fabric markers.
9. Decorate record/score book (For competitive gymnasts)– Great way to keep track of their scores early on! Here is a gymnastics score book to decorate.
10. Decorate small mirror to put in gym bag– Good to have when doing hair on the go! They can put in their gym bag or competition bag.  Here is a Melissa and Doug princess mirror craft set for younger gymnasts, or an idea for a wooden medallion mirror from Pinterest.
11. Decorate water bottles. Buy inexpensive plastic or aluminum water bottles and then decorate. Here are some ideas to get you going from pinterest– here and here. You can use puffy paint to decorate them. 
12. Make goal sheets/posters- Here are tips for setting goals. This is a great activity for an older gymnast’s party.
13. Paint nails – If it’s during the off-season! Here is a 24 color set of nail polish and some gymnastics nail decals.
14. Make door handle decorations. You can do simple ones with wood and paint ‘gymnastics’ or ‘love’ on them, or foam ones with the children’s names and gymnastics stickers.
15. Decorate plastic frames and take a picture with everyone attending. Later, print and give out the picture to all who attended so they can insert it in the frame (Here is a 6 pack of basic 4X6s and craft paint).
16. Print off motivational quotes and let the kids cut them and decorate them to hang in their rooms. Here are 100 motivational sports quotes.
17. Have a gymnastics shaped/themed cake
18. Party favors: Hair ties, gymnastics stickers, mini brushes.
19. Awards:  If it’s an end-of-year party, have an individual award for all of the gymnasts and awards for the coaches as well. Remember to thank the parents as well!
20. Slideshow: If it’s an end-of-year party, show a slideshow of pictures from the last season.

What other gymnastics party ideas do you have ? I’d love to hear in the comments 🙂

* Cake Image Credit

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