How to Plan a Children’s Birthday Party

By Crystal Arcand on January 8th, 2009

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The Young One is about to happen upon the Anniversary of His or Her Birth and wants a party to celebrate. Welcome to one of the nightmares of parenthood. Trying to get it right year after year has become a ritual for most parents. What most parents don’t realize, however, is that it doesn’t have to be the horrific experience that we all whisper about over double shots on Mom’s Night Out.

Decisions, Decisions

The first thing to do is arguably the hardest: making decisions. You’ll have to decide when and where to have the party, who to invite, and what kind of cake to have. Then it starts to get complicated with all the options there are:

• Theme: Do you want to have one, and will you choose or will the child? Once that’s decided, how far will you take it? Will you get themed invitations and a cake or buy the Super-duper Deluxe Has Everything You Could Imagine party pack?
• Menu: Will you just serve cake, or cake and ice cream, or cake and ice cream and punch? Some parents – believe it or not – spring for catered affairs with a meal, servers, and that big tent thing in the backyard.
• Entertainment: You can have a movie that matches the theme playing (easy), or you can hire a character or clown to entertain the guests. For teens, a band is a [loud] possibility.
• Activities: These often serve as the entertainment. Crafts are popular with girls and kits are easy to find. Boys find sports and building things (kits are also easy to find) to be the most fun.
• Take-homes: Also known as The Goody Bag – a kid’s best friend and a mom’s eyeroll-inducing Thing to Throw Away ASAP. If your entertainment/activity is a craft or building project, you’re just about set. Throw in some cheap candy and party favors and you’re good to go. There are more creative options, like printed candy wrappers and personalized gifts that you can look into, as well.
• Parent involvement: You’ll need to determine if you want parents to just drop off their kids for the party, or stay with them. Most parents drop their kids off, so if you want them to stay, you’ll need to make it very clear on the invitation. Otherwise, be prepared to handle Timmy the Tyrant.

The Mommy-Do List:

Now comes the running part. While it can look daunting at first glance, you can spread your to-do list out over several weeks to keep your sanity in shape. About a month before the party, schedule your party, finalize the theme decision, and put together your guest list. A good rule of thumb is to invite the same number of children as your child’s age. For example, you’ll want to invite 3 for Brandon’s third birthday and 6 for Sarah’s sixth. Three weeks before the party, send out your invitations and buy all your supplies. This includes party favors, decorations, craft kits, and games. Make sure you have a handful of games and activities lined out two weeks before the party. Games and activities usually go faster than planned, so arrange for several more than what you think you’ll need. Plan your menu and look for help for the day of the party two weeks beforehand, as well.  A week before the party, be sure to order the cake (or make and freeze it) and make any party foods that can be frozen ahead of time.

The day of the party, you need to take care of first things first: Breathe! Remember, your child most likely won’t even remember the party if he or she is young, and the goal is fun for your child, not to have the biggest, best, most whatever. If your child is having a good time, you have succeeded. Try to relax and enjoy the fun, too.Once the party is over, pay the entertainer, clean up the mess, and help your child write thank-you notes for the gifts.

Then get a jump start on next year’s party.