Fun Hot Wheels Party Ideas to Set the Mood

Keep your race car decorations fun and simple by covering your table with a green vinyl table cover or a race car-themed table cover. Use yellow paper plates or race car paper plates, black-and white-checkered napkins and race car cups to make clean-up easy. Or, for a fun touch, purchase black cups and glue on red, yellow and green circles vertically to create a cute traffic light effect. You might also make Candy Bar Race Cars to set in front of each guest's seat at the party table, or Race Car Sugar Cookies for your guests to decorate as an icebreaker activity. For added authenticity, hang homemade traffic signs off the back of the party table chairs, and let each child take one home with them. Finish off your table decorations by making a centerpiece out of Matchbox cars and a toy track.

Use chalk to draw a "Track" on the driveway and/or sidewalk leading up to your front door. Then, line your walkway with orange traffic cones. Hang two crossed checkered flags over your door for added effect. If the party is outside, you can also use hay bales and old tires to simulate a racetrack atmosphere.

Other fun race car party decorations for indoor and outdoor use include black- and white-checkered streamers, balloons imprinted with race flags, balloons with race flats, race car piñatas, and racing helmets. For easy wall decorations, purchase a racing magazine, cut out pictures of various drivers, and tape them to the walls around the party area. You can also use colored construction paper to make racing flags, and then hang them on the walls of the party area, too. To help you with this project, here's a list of the various colored flags used in racing and what each signifies:

• Green Flag - Signals the start of the practice session, qualification attempt or race, and all race restarts after a caution or red flag period.
• Royal Blue Flag with Diagonal Yellow Stripe - Alerts a driver that a lapping car is attempting to pass and instructs him to give the lapping driver consideration.
• Black Flag - Directs a driver to proceed to the pits on the next lap and follow the instructions of the officials.
• Black Flag with White Cross - Notifies a driver that officials have ceased scoring his car until further notice.
• Yellow Flag - Signifies caution. When this flag is waved during practice or a race, all drivers must reduce their speed immediately, maintain their positions and yield to track safety vehicles until the green flag is displayed. During a qualification session, a qualification attempt is halted.
• White Flag - Displayed when the leader starts the final lap of the race.
• Red Flag - Signals the immediate stop of the race, regardless of the cars' positions on the track.
• Checkered Flag - Marks the end of the practice session, qualification attempt or race.

Set Up Race Car Party Stations

Set up several party stations for your guests to visit, and label them with racing signs. Here are three station ideas to get you started:

• "Victory Lane" - Display prizes at this station and send the winners of each activity over to pick up what they've won.
• "The Pits" - Set this sign on the dining table so partygoers will know where to "fuel up" with drinks and "recharge" with food.
• "Infield" - Post this sign in the game/activity area.

Serve Up Some Speedy Fare

Set up a concession stand where the children can "purchase" lunch as if they were at the track. Have hotdogs, soft pretzels, nachos, popcorn, lemonade or sodas, and other snacks available.

Make "Stop Lights" using a round object, such as a cookie/biscuit cutter or the top of a glass, to cut out circles of green, yellow and red Jell-O. Line the circles up on yellow paper plates, and serve these Stop Lights to your guests.

For a sweet finish, serve race car-shaped sugar cookies. You should also check out our racetrack cake before calling your local bakery, or decorate a round cake to look like a tire or steering wheel. You can also use a race car cake pan to create a race car-shaped cake using your favorite cake recipe and the decorating tips that come with the cake pan.