How to throw a kid-friendly Hamilton and Schulyer Sister Party (Costumes Included)

In the summer of 2020, Hamilton dropped their full-length film on Disney+ and instantly became a family favorite. Our 3-year-old fell in love with the music, the characters, the costumes, the dancing, and especially the Schuyler sisters. Work!

I was proud to have my little brown baby want to be just like the “princesses” (everyone wearing a big dress is a princess to her) who were beautiful brown women, just like her.

The Hamilton soundtrack became our soundtrack of 2020. My toddler decided that she was Eliza, I was Angelica, and baby sister would be Peggy (naturally).

When little sister turned 1 it only made sense that we would have a Schuyler sister themed party. I searched Pinterest and was surprised to find no one else had done this yet!

So, here is how you throw an awesome 1st birthday party–Schuyler Sister-style. I hope you’re satisfied 😉

Click below for more details about:

Food

Pinterest helped inspire these Hamilton-themed dishes.

We served Aaron Burr-gers (sliders), A.Ham & Cheese Sandwiches, Satis-fries (french fries), “3 fundamental fruits at the exact same time” fruit salad, cannon balls (meatballs), and a “Raise a glass to tea-dom” ice tea station. Oh and don’t forget to make star cookies!

Two drink containers full of water and tea on a table next to a stack of pink, blue, and yellow paper cups, star cookies, and fruit. — Raise a glass to Tea-dom! Every great party from 1776 includes a little tea.

A glass bowl full of meatballs behind a sign that says — “And the cannons go BOOM!” You can serve meatballs as cannon balls.

A plastic tray of fruit and a spoon, including watermelon, cantaloupe, and strawberries. — “3 Fundamental Fruits at the Exact Same Time” fruit salad. A hit with the kids.

Decorations

I love decorating for parties! We made sure everything was in the Schuyler Sister dress colors – pale yellow, light blue, and light pink. Luckily if you google “unicorn party” or “gender reveal” you will get the right shade of colors for this party theme.

Paper Lanterns

A perfect non -plastic decoration to add color to your party. I loved the lanterns and candles hanging during the “Satisfied” scene and wanted to recreate that feeling under our gazebo outside. We hung these lanterns on the string of cafe lights under the gazebo to decorate the space overhead.

Pale yellow lanterns $20.98 on Amazon.

Pink and blue lanterns $14.87 on Amazon.

Plates, Napkins, Cups

If you’re like me, you’ll want everything to match.

These pastel plates and cups will keep the Schuyler sister theme going strong for food and dessert.

Purchase at Party City for $27.

Hamilton Peg Dolls

I couldn’t resist! They are both decorations and toys to play with.

Both girls have enjoyed reenacting scenes from Hamilton with these dolls. They are made well and built to last through even the toughest toddler throws.

Place these anywhere to add a little Hamilton pizazz to your decorations. I put a few next to the cake, a few next to the food, have fun!

Purchase on Etsy for $145 for the complete set, or cheaper for just the sisters.

Dessert

Smash Cake

Can’t forget the smash cake! I’ve been to parties where the little 1 year old is surrounded by family with cameras all waiting patiently for them to take their first bite.

Sometimes those kids are too nervous, or just don’t feel like putting on a show and doing what we all want them to do – smash the cake!

Lucky for me, our little one-year-old did not have the same issue.

Maybe it was the recipe, Nana’s excellent baking skills, or she was just hungry…but the birthday girl dove right in–mouth open wide. No hands necessary!

Check out this recipe for the best smash cake.

Cupcakes

Because you have to have a dessert for the rest of the party!

We had 3 flavors of cupcakes to represent each Schuyler Sister:

Angelica – strawberry
Eliza – funfetti with blue frosting
Peggy – lemon

If you’re local, we highly recommend Angel Cakes in Oakland for all of your cupcake needs. Or toddler loves it so much she requested cupcakes from Angel Cakes for her birthday too!

Hamilton Themed Party Activities

Hamilton Trivia

Play a round of Jeopardy with the party goers – the team that answers the most questions correct wins!

What you’ll need:

Large sheet of white paper
Different colored index cards (pastel if you can find!) for each question category. I wrote the question and answer on the back of the card.
Sharpie to write on the index cards
Somewhere to tape/hold up the large white paper
To decide – will there be teams? How will we keep score? What is the prize for the winner(s)?
The questions! Click this link to get the free list of questions.

Hamilton Coloring Pages

Kids of all ages loved coloring the dresses and images from these Hamilton-themed coloring pages. Even our 1-year-old joined in on the fun. Don’t forget to provide the crayons or pencils!

Hamilton Costume Pages Etsy $5.25 digital copy

Hamilton Broadway Scenes Pages Etsy $5.99 digital copy

DIY Schulyer Sister Costumes

Dress to impress with some DIY Schuyler sister dresses. I love quick sewing projects. Pull up a chair, queue up something on Netflix you’ve been meaning to watch, and get to WORK!

Step One: Buy Materials

You’ll Need:

Needle & white thread
Fabric scissors (or very sharp ones!)
Pastel buttons
White felt sheet
½ yard lace trim or ribbon
3 pastel-colored long sleeve dresses in the size you need (purchased dresses for toddlers here from Amazon for $13.49)

Step Two: Create your dresses

Peggy: Shorten sleeves by cutting two inches off of the end of the sleeve. Take the leftover sleeve fabric and cut it into 4 squares with the finished trim at the bottom. Sew those squares along the waistline. Hand sew lace along the sleeve opening. Sew buttons along the middle of the bodice (from waist to neckline) in a straight line.

Eliza: Cut neckline square. Shorten sleeves by cutting two inches off of the end of the sleeve. Hand sew lace along the neckline and sleeve opening. Sew buttons from the center of the waistline towards the left armpit in a diagonal line.

Angelica: Cut neckline square. Shorten sleeves by cutting two inches off of the end of the sleeve. Hand sew lace along the neckline and sleeve opening. Measure white felt along the neckline. Cut a triangle (see Angelica’s photo for a fancy triangle shape) with the point ending mid-chest and the top of the triangle as wide as the neckline. Sew or glue to the bodice.

Hamilton’s Schuyler Sisters is a great theme for any party – especially for a little sister.

Since revealing our birthday party theme on Facebook many fellow parent friends were shocked to hear that I allow my little impressionable child to watch such blasphemous television.

Sure, they say swear words and there are references to sex or adulatory. Sure, some of the words inspired my inquisitive daughter to ask questions she might not have asked if not for watching Hamilton.

But what am I afraid of? In this controlled context I can expect her questioning and be prepared to respond.

Why is “Peggy in the red dress” kissing Hamilton?

What does “bastard” mean?

What happened to Phillip?

~curious 4 year old

You can make the call whether or not your little one is old enough to have those conversations.

Sometimes I’m prepared to have those conversations, and sometimes I’m not! You can always say “That is a great question. I am going to have to think about it a little and get back to you” if you’re caught off guard.

Has your little one ever caught you off guard with a question that you just weren’t prepared to answer just yet? I know I’m not the only one. Please share in the comments below!

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Angel

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Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.