- 1 - Involve the child
- 2 - Two parties
- 3 - Gift-giving
- 4 - Goody bags
- 5 - Party games
Children’s parties can be a stressful occasion, especially when you’re throwing the party at home.
It involves a lot of planning but it can be done with as little stress as possible if you follow these 5 easy tips:
1 – Involve the child
It’s very common for parents to go a little overboard in the party planning and neglect to get the opinion of the child who’s going to be celebrating the birthday.
It’s also great to ask them who they want to invite, how many guests, and the food they want to serve their guests.
Some kids might want just a small gathering with their closest friends while others want to invite their whole class and even their neighbours. Asking their opinion will also make the party a little more memorable for them since they got to actually enjoy the day.
2 – Two parties
You might want to consider throwing two separate parties; one that involves the grown-ups like aunts, uncles, grandparents, as well as cousins and other relatives, and one for the child’s friends and classmates.
Each party will need different things. The grown-up party will last longer and require adult food. It should be mellow enough for people to talk to one another and catch-up.
The one for the kids will mean serving age-appropriate food, nonstop games, and should only last for about an hour or two for your own sanity.
The exception to this would be a baby’s first birthday since ages will mix for the guests and no one-year-old can play games yet.
3 – Gift-giving
A kid’s party won’t be complete without gifts. If you want your child to get something usable and worth-while, you can include bookstore gift certificates and other educational items in the invitation.
Also, don’t open gifts during the party. It’s best to wait until everyone leaves before opening presents as there are going to be a lot of other kids who might feel jealous of the presents the celebrant received. Seeing new toys might lead to other kids having tantrums during the party.
Write down the names and the kind of gift they gave so they can receive a nice thank-you note after.
4 – Goody bags
Another kid’s party essentials are goody bags. Children love getting one; they don’t care what’s in them.
This means you don’t have to spend too much time and money on these party favors. You can buy a bag of candies and slip a few of those into each bag. You can also include a box of sidewalk chalk and throw in a bottle of blow bubbles. You can use cute and colorful pails as containers or you can opt to use decorated paper bags.
And another piece of advice, don’t forget to make a bag for the birthday celebrant too even if they got presents for their birthday.
5 – Party games
After their first birthday, you may have to start including organized games on each birthday thereafter.
When it comes to games, you always want to do something that will get every kid warmed up. A nice activity would be making birthday hats they can wear. You may also want to look into having someone do face-painting or washable tattoos, or hire a bounce house for the day. Not all kids love this but there are those that do. You can ask a friend or a teenage sibling to do this and set them up in a nice corner and let kids come to them.
And lastly, at the end of the games, make sure everyone gets a little something, even if it’s something as small as a sticker or a ribbon for participating.
About the author: Eliza Brooks is a travel and outdoor blogger who loves to write about outdoor games, party ideas, and themes. She is currently working with Jump N Bounce, one of the best party rentals companies, which offers bounce house Orange County rentals, bounce and slide combos, water slides, obstacle courses and more.
