Parenting comes with a lot of stress. For starters, there’s figuring out eating, sleeping, and keeping them safe. However, perhaps nothing causes a mother or father more dread than when a birthday is coming up for their little one, and they have to plan a party. How many kids are coming? Do I have space in my home? What do I serve? What can they do? Some parents seem to take to this naturally, while the rest of us struggle to figure it out. A birthday party is important to a kid. While it’s probably not true, they think their party will reflect on them; if it’s lame, the other kids will think they’re lame. As a parent, you just want them to have fun. Luckily, kids are easily amused. So if you’re unsure what to do, here’s how to make an awesome birthday party for your kids.
Have a Theme
Having a theme does a couple of things for you. Firstly, it helps you have a framework for everything that happens at the party. It’s easier to build a party plan when you have a theme than if you’re just coming up with things randomly.
Secondly, it’s fun! Your theme can be anything. It can be based on characters that your child and their friends like, it can be on a certain subject, like space, or the theme can be general, like wild animals. Just make sure that you pick something the kids will like or that they can relate to.
Manage the Guest List
Decide who should be coming to the party. If your kid is a baby or even a toddler, their party will likely be mainly for adults. However, if they are getting into kindergarten age and older, you have to be aware of hurt feelings.
If you invite people from their class, make sure not to invite everyone but one kid, for example. Be inclusive and invite as many as possible or a select few. You also have to take into account the space in your home. If the guest list looks like it will be substantial, consider an exterior venue for your party, like a community center.
Decor
If you have chosen a good theme, then the decor becomes easy. You don’t have to worry about color patterns or anything like that. You can base the decor on the theme. If you have chosen characters, then party stores may even have packages and items with those characters on them. You can go above and beyond as well by paying attention to details.
For example, you can get custom toothpicks flags with whatever design you want. So if your party theme is the Avengers, those flags can have a different character on each one. If your theme is the jungle, you can have different animals.
Invitations
It’s always fun to make an impression early on with the invitations. It’s somewhat of a lost art with more people using email, and a creative invitation can increase the anticipation for your party. Send out invitations based on the theme.
If your child likes football, send out an invite shaped like a football, for example. The invitation should be detailed and outline everything a child and their parents might want to know, such as what to bring. Do they need a bathing suit? What about clothes to get dirty in? Laying out all the information will minimize questions before the event and save you extra work in having to answer.
Activities
The activities are really what it’s all about. This is what the kids will remember and what will make the party fun. A great thing you can do is create a scavenger hunt based on your theme. Have little figures around your house in the shape of objects that connect with the theme. A pinata is always a hit as long as you do it safely. Have prizes and giveaways for the kids, but not just based around winning. You can do a prize for the most enthusiastic, for example.
Music
When you’re dealing with a bunch of kids in the same space that’s not school, then there’s already going to be energy. So go with the flow and add to it with fun, energetic music. If they are little kids, then go with your favorite children’s singers, or create a playlist based on the theme. If they are a bit older, you can play popular pop songs. Just ensure there is nothing inappropriate if you are not 100% sure all parents will approve. You don’t want to get nasty texts afterward.
Cake
Fun is the game’s name, so feel free to over-decorate your child’s cake however you want. Make sure there are lots of sprinkles, icing, and even candy to top it off. If you’re not a baker, then buy one from the grocery store and decorate it yourself. You can also pay for a custom cake from a professional, but it will probably cost you extra.
Food
Food is important, but don’t overthink it. Sometimes kids are so excited about playing and the coming cake that they don’t eat the meal. Something kid-friendly, like pizza, is just fine, and you can also save the leftovers when the kids don’t eat it all. Hot dogs are a good choice as well.
At this point, everything else is gravy. A kid’s party is great because you don’t need to worry about being stylish or having amazing hors d’oeuvres. All you have to worry about is that the kids have fun. You can be as creative and as zany as you want. If you aren’t naturally creative and zany, you can use these tips to help stoke your imagination.
