The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a classic picture book by Eric Carle, turns 50 years old this year. Throughout May and June, we’re asking people to help us celebrate by getting involved in The Giant Wiggle or throwing a caterpillar-themed birthday party.

The Giant Wiggle is a wiggle-y walk for families, schools and nurseries around the UK. It’s a fun way for kids to get active, learn about healthy eating, and raise money for vulnerable children. It’s also a perfect excuse for a children’s party. So why not make an event of it?  

Whether it’s a classroom session or Friday night sleepover, here are some fun ideas to help you throw a caterpillar birthday party.

Make a feast

The Very Hungry Caterpillar loves to eat food. Before he turns into a beautiful butterfly, he eats everything from chocolate cake to swiss cheese. What would a caterpillar party be without a delicious feast?

Try serving up some of the food eaten by the cute critter during his journey to becoming a butterfly. Here are some delicious, easy recipes you can make from scratch with your little ones:

Dance and wiggle

Everyone loves a good dance party - and kids will enjoy practising their wiggle-y caterpillar dance moves to music. We’ve made a playlist of some of our favourite songs to help! 

Getting everyone dancing isn’t just good exercise - it can also be a handy warm up for The Giant Wiggle.

Play with arts and crafts

Crafts are a great way to encourage creativity. Try the below at your caterpillar party.

Design caterpillar birthday cards

Ask your kids to make a birthday card for the caterpillar. You can use whatever supplies you have to hand - at school, for example, or around the house. Use The Very Hungry Caterpillar picture book to help give them ideas, or ask the children what they think the caterpillar might like on its birthday card. Help them paint, draw, or stick materials on to paper.

Make your own caterpillar mask

CREDIT: Pauline at kidsactivities.com

Set up an area at your party for mask-making, and help the children create a caterpillar mask.

MATERIALS

• Craft foam (red, yellow, green, purple, blue)
• Hot glue gun
• Elastic
• Scissors

METHOD

1. Cut out the various shapes for the mask. Green and yellow circles for eyes, purple antennas, and red circle for the face.
2. Using the hot glue gun, join all the various pieces together. (Use with caution. If you feel unsafe with children using a hot glue gun even with supervision, a strong glue will work just as well)
3. With all the pieces of the mask glued on and secure, make two small slits on the side of the mask. Thread some elastic through these holes and secure so it fits well when the mask is worn.

Read the book

No caterpillar party would be complete without reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar. If you’ve made masks, ask the children to wear them while you read the story together. At the end, try playing a guessing game about what the caterpillar might eat once it’s turned into a butterfly.

Take pictures!

We want to see your pictures. If you’re planning a fun caterpillar-themed party, make sure you send us photos of your day. We’ll post our favourite on our social media accounts and give a shout-out to the best caterpillar party ideas.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook for updates.

Don’t forget to sign up for The Giant Wiggle! We’ll send you a free fundraising pack full of creative ideas and activities to get little ones ready for a caterpillar conga with their school, nursery or family. Plus, every child who takes part gets a very hungry caterpillar sticker.