When it comes to your kid’s birthdays; the most important thing is to make some lasting family memories and to ensure that they feel special. If you’re thinking of throwing your little one a birthday party, there are several areas that can help them enjoy their day. You might feel a little daunted by everything there is to organize, but don’t; simply check out the following tips and ideas to help you plan then perfect celebration for your child. Get your notepad and pen ready to make a list, and let’s get going!
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Fun With Food
The party guests will all need some sustenance if they’re running around and enjoying the fun of the day. Therefore it’s important that there’s plenty of options for little (and big) hands to grab and nibble on. Whether you’re making everything yourself, buying food from the grocery store, or hiring in caterers (lucky little ones), you’ll need to provide a variety of options. Firstly; check that there’s the right balance of sweet and savory edibles and a good mixture of healthy nibbles and naughty treats (it is a party after all).
Starting with the sweet (and probably the most popular) things; cupcakes, lollies, ice cream, and cookies are all classic delights that will appeal to everyone, young and old. You don’t have to provide the whole lot; however, you can serve a variety upon paper plates around the table, or venue (more on that later), so that guests can pick up a pretty cake or iced cookies whenever they feel. For some inspiration on baking for kid’s parties, visit Pinterest and write down all your ideas and recipes. However, you might want to limit what you bring out and when you serve it, especially for younger children’s parties; you don’t want a load of sugar crashes all at the same time and everyone to leave in tears! Be creative with your decorations on baked treats; you could get the children to help and ice their names and age on things; as long as it tastes good, the kids will love it!
Savory options are quick and easy to rustle up yourself. For snacks; place bowls of potato chips and salted popcorn (you could always mix this with the sweet stuff too) around, so that party guests can grab a handful when they’re peckish. Sandwiches could be a mixture of fillings and on both white and wholemeal bread so that there are some healthier options. You could use cookie cutters to make the sandwiches into fun shapes, like dinosaurs or numbers, to ensure that every bit of the party has been thought through and reflects a theme. For more ideas on how to make your kids sandwiches fun, take a peek here: https://www.babble.com/best-recipes/recipes-sandwich-ideas-funny-food-kids-insanewiches/.
Don’t forget that the array of snacks you’ve provided can be fresh and healthy, and don’t have to leave the little ones on a sugar high. Vegetable sticks of carrot, celery, and cucumber are colorful, crunchy, and tasty additions to any table setting, and chopped cherry tomatoes can provide the perfect eyes to a salad face you’ve created! Chopped fruit and raisins are sweet alternatives to treats that are full of refined sugar; just appealingly present them, and the kids (and their parents) will thank you for it!
A Photo-worthy Party Theme
If your children love a particular character, movie, book, or story at the moment; you already have an awesome theme to run with for their special day. The theme may influence the venue, the food, and who, or what, the kids arrive dressed as, so it’s worth putting some thought into. Whether it’s superheroes, Disney princesses, or Lego, that your child wants the party to revolve around; if you're making it fancy dress, you’ll need to send out the invites in good time and write what’s expected clearly (again, their parents will thank you for it). You could always provide a box of masks and costumes for the children to grab, especially if you don’t want to put any pressure on the party guests, or it’s a last-minute decision to run with a zoo animal theme.
There are an array of companies out there who specialize in kid’s parties, and children’s entertainment; so if you want to ease the pressure and hire in some help, these might be the perfect option you and your family. You can hire an individual entertainer, like a clown or a magician, or you could hire a company (or a team of fairies) to take care of the whole event; visit Fly by Fun to get some ideas on what’s achievable. If you decide to run with a movie, or kid’s T.V program; you could book a venue, like a movie theater or somewhere with a large projector screen, and the kids can sit down with their popcorn to watch the animation. Book and story ideas often suit an outdoor or garden setting, an Alice In Wonderland tea party, for example, would be the perfect event to hold in your backyard or at a local park. There are a plethora of options when it comes to party serve ware too; the most popular children’s characters of the time often have a range of printed paper cups, plates, and bunting, to choose from (and they’re always disposable, so no washing up).
If your little one’s party is a classic and traditional get-together, full of party games and food; a color or printed theme will tie the whole event together. You could go with classic candy stripes, or polka dots, in a specific color that your kid loves (even if it’s lime green), or a mix of rainbow hues. Remember, it’s an event for children to enjoy, not a grown-up party, so pick bright and vivid shades when you’re buying your balloon, paper streamers, table cloths, and bunting. Tieing crepe paper ribbons on the backs of chairs and throwing down colorful cushion and blankets, are great ways to infuse a cheery, kid-friendly, addition to the day.
For some ideas on traditional party games and competitions with a twist, take a look here: http://www.smartparenting.com.ph/celebrations/party-planning/8-party-games-with-a-twist (and get your notepad out again). You don’t have to spend a fortune; children are often just excited to be at a party, especially if they’re dressed-up and eating cake, so you can keep it as simple, or as elaborate, as you want.
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Party Bags And Prizes
It’s always a treat to take home a treat or a prize (or both) from a party, whether it’s for winning a game or simply for attending, so start thinking about those little things that you can hand out. Again, this is an area that doesn’t require loads of money (unless you want it to) and you can be creative with what you give to guests. Party bags are a lovely memento to take away from the party, and kids will be excited to open them up in the car on the way home. You can fill them will edible treats, like a slice of the birthday cake wrapped in a themed napkin, small bags of candy or raisins, or maybe a selection of what you’ve been serving throughout the day (a great way to save money).
As for small games and toys; there are always options to buy little party bag fillers in bulk to save money, and kids are usually just excited to grab what’s inside their bag, so don’t put too much stress into your decision. Puzzle games are a great way to keep them occupied and quiet after their parents have collected them, or perhaps you could pop in a tiny figurine that relates to the party theme. If you’re feeling creative, you could print off your own party-related quiz, puzzles, and pictures to color; then add in a little box of pencil or wax crayons for the children to use. You can roll up any paper or cardboard additions in ribbon, or use stickers to seal them; it just depends on how far you want the color palette and theme of the party to travel.
When it comes to party prizes from games like, pass the parcel and musical chairs, you can simply grab those little bags of candy again, or use chocolate bars. For a more official selection of prizes, you could print out certificates, or get medals and a trophy made; a little awards ceremony at the end of a sports themed party would go down a treat (and it could be something that the parents could come and enjoy too).
Whatever you choose to do for your little one’s birthday party, they will love the effort you made and will grow up appreciating their childhood memories. Make sure that you take plenty of photos, and keep special family birthday cards, so that you and your kids will have something to back over together as they grow up. Bear in mind that your kids will remember how they felt and the fun they had on their special day, over any color schemes and cookie designs. So, focus on them having a magical experience, over spending loads of money on specific decorations, and you’ll create memories to treasure for a lifetime.
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