It was my daughter's 5th birthday this past weekend and we wanted to throw an all-kids backyard party.  Since her first word was "candy" she always asks for it and we barely give it to her, we thought  this may make a great surprise theme. So, we transformed our backyard into Candy Land!
Candy Land is the most classic board game I can think of that makes a great gift for any age. I mean, really, who does not enjoy visiting Lord Licorice, Queen Frostine or Gramma Nut?  If you considering this theme for your child's birthday, here is how we did it:

Every tree is my yard had red and white crepe paper trunks with pinatas in every tree. The "Candy Bar" had tall glass ( I didn't have plastic)  containers filled with Twizzlers, Tootsie Rolls, Laffy Taffy, Bubble Gum and every other kid-friendly candy you can think of. Taped pieces of colored construction paper made the path from the driveway to the entrance and giant gumdrops made of ccolored poster board taped onto wooden stakes made a nice gumdrop pass down the hill to our yard.  The playset was King Castle and the kids had fun swinging, sliding, climbing and digging in the sandbox (sans sand) which was filled with dry dirt  for the "molasses swamp." Hand-passed chocolates were the hit of this station if you dared to listen to  the "scary story" of the swamp.

For games, we played pass the peppermint on a spoon (2 teams race to carry the peppermint to the finish line) and Gramma Nutt made an appearance for a special peanut shelling game (only if all guests are nut-free with no allergies)

The kids frosted Pepperridge Farm Ginger Men Cookies with colored frosting to make their own game piece and snack.

The younger guests  made candy necklaces from licorice string and Froot Loops  while  the older children made friendship bracelets. The jumping tent let kids burn off energy and their sugar high!
Hula hoops hung from the trees (we called them gigantic lifesavers) and the parent-child the big hula hoop contest was a big hit. The finale was a bubble gum blowing contest.

I made a white sheet cake and decorated it like Candy Land.

Playing Candy Land with your child creates memories for a lifetime but there are many versions of Candy Land, not just one with a new version being introduced this Holiday Season. (Candy Land Sweet Celebration).
  
Candy Land - Milton Bradley Board Game
Hasbro Candy Land Castle Game
Candy Land - Dora The Explorer
Candy Land Retro Edition Board Game by Milton Bradley
Deluxe Candyland
Pooh Candyland
Candy Land Book Series
Candy Land DVD Game
Candyland Sweet Celebration
Candyland Carabiner Keychain

If you just can't get enough candy, try these toys too!
  
Scientific Explorer's Tasty Science Chemistry in the Kitchen Kit
Barbie Candy Glam Style Station Styling Head
Candy Matching Game
Grab It!
Thames & Kosmos Candy Factory
Junior 11" Classic Gumball Machine
Carousel King Gumball Machine
John Deere JR Gumball Machine
Make Your Own Gummies

For more toy ideas,  visit toytips.com and follow me on twitter.com/toytips for a daily toy tip!

--Marianne Szymanski