A simple and inexpensive Mary Poppins birthday party, based on the original 1964 film. I used on-theme home decor and a few craft projects.
When my daughter requested a Mary Poppins birthday party for her 3rd birthday theme I was so excited! Mary Poppins was one of my favorite movies as a young child. It’s fun to watch my daughter enjoy it so much too.
I had so many fun ideas for how to decorate and what food to serve. I wanted the theme to stand out. But I didn’t want to spend too much money and I didn’t have a lot of time. This is a fun, simple Mary Poppins birthday party that any busy mom could pull off!
Mary Poppins Birthday Decorations in the Dining Room
I started in the dining room because that’s where the food was The key to keeping things simple is to focus all of the decorating efforts on the main gathering spaces. Since it was not the 1960’s, stores did not have any decorations for the original Mary Poppins movie. I was on my own to hunt down or create the decor.
Let’s Go Fly a Kite
My daughter’s favorite song from Mary Poppins is “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” so kites were my main decoration in the dining room. I made several kites using poster boards, construction paper, paint, and streamers. I cut out the kite shapes in various sizes and colors, then I decorated them and cut streamers into strips for the tails. There is a larger kite with multicolor polka dots and I used a “Birthday Princess” sash for the tail. I was trying to mimic the “Votes for Women” sash that they use in the movie.
For the table, I used an orange striped bedsheet as a table cloth. Bert, Dick Van Dyke’s character, has a white suit with orange stripes during the scenes inside the chalk painting. It was a happy coincidence that I had sheets that fit the party theme perfectly.
I love using a tablecloth for parties because it makes cleanup so much easier. Plus, the orange stripes added a fun pop of color. I bought some white flowers the day before the party and set them on the table. I felt like the flowers matched the cheery vibes from the movie scenes in the chalk painting. I found a few Mary Poppins printable posters with movie quotes on Etsy. I printed off a bunch of those and framed them around the house.
Mary Poppins Cake Toppers
For the party itself, I served fruit kabobs, pigs in a blanket, and doughnut “pops.” Doughnut pops are just Munchkins from Dunkin Donuts on a cake pop stick. They were a fun treat for all the kids running around.
I also had a cake that I just picked up at the grocery store. Since there wasn’t an original Mary Poppins design as an option for a cake I bought a regular off-the-shelf cake with roses on it. I purchased some printable cupcake toppers from Etsy and just used those to decorate the cake with the Mary Poppins birthday party theme. It kept things simple, quick, and inexpensive!
The living room was another location I knew people would congregate, so I decorated our mantle to match the Mary Poppins theme. I framed an Etsy printable that said: “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” to tie in with the dining room decorations. I added a little kite to the mirror too!
I already had a framed theater program from when I saw Mary Poppins here in Richmond a few years ago. The key to decorating on a budget is to work with what you have. I have several random colorful bottles that I keep for decorating purposes, so I pulled a few out for a pop of color.
Decorating the Living Room
My absolute favorite decoration of all of them is the little DIY Mary Poppins banner on the mantle. I love the little kites and movie characters! It’s so so cute! I made the kites using leftover paper from the kites in the dining room and tiny strips of streamers. The characters are actually more of the cupcake toppers, just hole punched and strung up.
I’ve moved this little banner up to Mara’s bedroom because I really do not want to throw it away.
There are also some more cheery white daisies. The red and pink bottles came from my home decor collection. The colors are perfect with all of the other decor. I also added another kite to the mirror for good measure.
I’m really proud of how I brought this Mary Poppins birthday party together in a small amount of time and on a limited budget. A themed party doesn’t need to be expensive or stressful. Just a few simple touches can completely make a theme.
For more fun party ideas check out: Moana-themed 2nd birthday and Encanto party!
