Anyone that has ever attended a children’s birthday party has experienced that they can be a lot of fun or complete chaos. Preparation can make the difference between disaster and delight. Prepare to wave the white flag of defeat if your only plan for a kids party is sugar and some games. Here are some tips for having a great children’s birthday party without the migraine to go along with it.
Set some limits
Your child may want to invite their entire class to their birthday party because, after all, more kids means more presents for them! However, you’re the one that has to supervise and feed all of these children, so setting some limits is necessary. Also, if you plan on having one of those children’s birthday party place type of celebrations it can get expensive real fast as more and more children are invited. Figure out what your budget is for the party and if necessary, see if you can find some other adults that can help you supervise.
Give Plenty of Notice
When it comes to birthday party invitations, always send them out at least a week in advance. People are busy and you don’t want to disappoint your child with a bunch of no-shows. Remember that children can be forgetful and leave the invitation at school or forget to tell their parents. Make sure the children’s birthday party invitation is delivered with plenty of notice so that you can have the maximum amount of attendees. The invite should have all the specifics like the date, time and location of the party along with a phone number or email and a deadline to RSVP with you. It’s also a great idea to mention what food will be served so that those with food sensitivities can let you know in advance. Lastly, you may want to mention some details like the maximum amount for a kids’ birthday party gift. Bringing a gift is a birthday tradition and even if you specify that a gift is unnecessary your guests will probably feel awkward not bringing one.
Plan Activities and the Menu
The parties that get the most out of hand are those with the least amount of structure to them. While a kid’s birthday party is supposed to be fun, it doesn’t have to be complete pandemonium. Kids enjoy activities and exercise, so incorporate those where you can. You can even involve them in the food prep by having them build their own mini pizzas or decorate their own cupcake.
After the dinner and subsequent present-opening ritual, give the kids a chance to blow off steam while supervised outside if possible. This gives them a chance to have some free-play and burn off some of the sugar before their parents take them home. The combination of structured activities and games along with some time for kids to just do their thing helps to make for an interesting party, happy kids and sane parents!
