Army Birthday Party + Printables
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Army birthday party made EASY! Games, missions, and free printables for a fun, low-stress celebration at home.
When my oldest son turned 7, he asked for an army birthday party. I think it was his way of getting to wear his Halloween army costume one more time! (Do you have boys who want to dress head-to-toe in camo too? Must be a boy thing.)
Our parties are never huge or fancy—they’re usually just a step above a regular playdate. This army birthday party fit perfectly: simple to plan, low stress, but seriously fun.
Army Birthday Invitations
The first step to any great party is a fun invitation. I created this simple invite that set the scene and told the boys what to expect. (Download below)
Party Prep
Here’s what I prepared besides the main activity:
- Camo fabric strips – for head, arm, or leg bands.
- Plastic dog tags – every soldier needs one, right?
- Goody bags – for each boy to take home.
- Gold coins – for the “Secret Treasure” after the missions.
Army Birthday Party Plan
Ethan’s friends (and his younger siblings) arrived in their army gear and immediately entered “Basic Training” after reading this mission letter:
Dear Soldiers of the Elite Team:
Our nation’s security is under attack by a rebel group. They’ve uncovered the location of our President’s secret treasure and are planning to steal it. Your mission: get the treasure before the enemy does and bring it safely back to Fort Dulgarian.
First, you’ll undergo serious training to prepare physically and mentally for combat. This mission is dangerous—follow all directions carefully. Good luck!
—The President’s Closest Advisor
I made it clear that participation was optional, but every boy jumped at the chance—non-stop smiles all around!
Basic Training
The boys started with some fun exercises:
- Sit-ups, jumping jacks, push-ups
- Mental challenges like basic math problems
It was a perfect mix of physical and mental training—and I made it very clear to all the boys that this was completely optional and if there was anything they didn’t want to do, they certainly didn’t have to, but every boy jumped with excitement for each mission and consequence and there was non-stop smiles for this activity!
Secret Mission
After basic training, the elite soldiers went on their secret missions. Each mission was simple but hilarious. After every mission, I drew a random “outcome” from a paper bag, which added funny consequences like being blindfolded, hopping on one leg, or losing the use of an arm.
Examples of Missions:
- Fun Run – Run 2 laps around the yard—one forward, one backward.
- Roll Call – Line up tallest to shortest on the driveway.
- Chalk Art – Draw an army tank or airplane with sidewalk chalk.
- Sing Aloud – Sing a short song with a partner (Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle, or Jingle Bells).
- Crawl Under Fire: Crawl under a “laser” (string or streamers) without touching it.
- Obstacle Course: Run around chairs, cushions, or cones set up like an army obstacle course.
- Target Practice: Toss beanbags or dart onto a target
- Minefield Walk: Step only on “safe spots” (paper plates or mats) to cross the yard.
- Grenade Toss: Throw small soft balls into a bucket or laundry basket from a distance.
- Hurdle Jump: Jump over pillows, shoes, or small objects.
(10 more ideas in the printable pack)
Possible Outcomes for Missions:
- Lose a leg – Hop on one foot.
- Lose the use of an arm – Tuck arm in shirt or behind back.
- Go blind – Put on a blindfold or cover eyes with a bandana.
- Be scared silent – Tape mouth or cover with bandana.
- Freeze in place – Stand still until the next mission.
- Healing – The whole team was “healed” and back in action.
These silly challenges had the boys laughing nonstop. One of my favorite moments: a “blind” boy with a “disabled” arm trying to cross the monkey bars—chaos and laughter all around!
Wrap Up
After completing the missions, the soldiers found the bag of “gold” on Ethan’s bed. Then we opened presents, had Camo Cupcakes and ice cream, and sent everyone home!
Easy prep, minimal stress, and a TON of fun—exactly how our parties usually go!
Army Party Printables
Enter your name and email address for immediate access to the army birthday invitation, banner, goody bag tags, and mission ideas + mishaps. Get ready to throw a party your kids will never forget!
What a clever idea, and what fabulous memories for your little boy. Awesome.
Sounds like so much fun! Thanks for sharing your idea.
great ideas..I have 6 and 7 year old boys..this would be fun for cub scouts, too.
Your kids are so lucky to have a great mom like you! This sounds like the perfect party for boys of that age!
looks like they had a blast!!
How awesome is that!!!! I Love it!
Sound like you did it just right! Focused on the kids and the fun! What a cool party!
What a cute idea! I will have to store this one for when my little boy gets a little older!
What an awesome idea! This sounds like it was a lot better than having the kids play for a couple hours. LOL
super fun!
what a fun idea!
That sounds hilarious! I've saved this for future reference – my little brother would love to do something like this 😀
I was laughing just reading it! Wil have to book Mark this one!
very cute!!
What an absolutely fabulous idea! I am so used to tea parties and princess parties with 7 girls, one boy and three grand-daughters. Our poor son never stood a chance. Ha! You a are super mom! ~Kelly
unDeniably Domestic
Such a fun party! Can I borrow E and throw a party that doesn't include princesses?
WOW!!! What a fun party and what memories you will all have. Wish I would have been more creative when my girls were growing up. Good job.
Creative party and looks like the kids were having fun. Will pass this idea to my son for his little boy as he is Army.
Joyce
I LOVE blogs 🙂 I;m new to this, but there are so many neat ideas out there…I'm happy we all get to share ideas!
Great idea… my son turns seven today! I am going to file this for a future party. Great idea!
What a fabulous birthday party. I'm sure he loved it! Wonderful and creative job!
I so want a party like that for me 🙂 what a fun idea – thanks for sharing!
~ Emily N. from "too Blessed to Stress"
Great party! Looks like everyone had fun.
I hope you'll drop by AtticMag to tour my home.
Allison
Such a great idea! I have three boys (7, 5 and 2), so you can imagine how much Army Man playing we do around here! I will bookmark this for a return trip one day. 🙂
What a fantastic idea for a birthday party it is! I love this. I might just steal this and use it for my step son's birthday this year.
I can just picture the blind boy with only one arm doing his activities. How funny.
So creative and fun! Thanks for sharing with Made it Monday! Jules
That's a really good idea. Make them sweat a little! Lol.
I don't know what those guys on the other chat room were talking about. I loved this idea! I have a 7 year old boy who would love this party. I wanted to throw one for his next birthday when I read about the idea. Life is not always pretty, but sometimes you just got to lighten up a bit. There's a time to be serious and a time to not be. A 7 year old boy's birthday party is a time to have fun. Throw serious out the window! These boys had fun!
How fun!!! What a great idea…
Thanks for joining Get your Craft on Thurs. Please join me next week for another great party.
Lori
Hi- When I first read this I thought what a great idea and I think it still is. The other board had valid points about the kids pretending to be hurt. But I have two boys and that is the way they live it. My oldest and I throw superheros at each other in a fight! I heard someone say once that you can try to keep guns away from them but they still have their fingers. We just teach ours that guns and killing on TV is not real and we don't mess with "Real" guns. Which we do not have in our house. My oldest went to a Spiderman party where a "spiderman" taught them how to fight like a super hero. I got a little nervous when he taught them a Karate Chop. But, so far he hasn't tried it on his brother. They had a blast and I am sure he would like this and he is 5
I wish I could shield my boys from playing like this, but it just seems to come naturally. So I know they would have had an absolute ball at the party, thanks for sharing this!
-Tiff
FUN ideas!!! I’m using some of these as inspiration for my own son’s 7th army birthday party. Thanx!
Love these ideas. My 6 year old boy wants to have an army birthday party. This is a fun way to start. We are going to get army hats at a 1$ store for all the kids. I thought that would be cute!
Do you have any idea of creating a perfect atmosphere for sweet 16 crazy sleepover party? I am planning to surprise my daughter on her 16th birthday this year.
How fun!! Looks like they had a great time!! Great ideas 🙂
Thanks, Crystal! They had so much fun 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Wow, thanks for sharing. My wife just informed me that I’m in charge of coming up with the military themed activities for my five year old son’s birthday party. Which is two days away. So not a whole lot of time to prepare. Your post is a lifesaver. Thank you!
You’re welcome Ian! I hope the party is amazing!!!!
I laughed so hard, picturing some of those activities, great idea, I can’t wait to try it out. I have a foster son and a grandson with the same birthday, so I can’t wait. my eyes are still watering.
So glad you like this idea! Have fun with your foster and grandson! 🙂