Kids Birthday Party Planning

How do you plan a birthday party?

Kids birthday party planning can get complicated.  I’m a planner by nature but even when you plan, surprises are bound to pop up………

Scenario.....You’ve invited 12 guests but 20 (you know, the cousin who is here from out of town, the older sibling whose soccer practice got canceled) show up.  You've made personalized favors and now have nothing for the other 8 children.

Planning is the key to taking the stress out of preparing for your child's birthday and giving you time to actually enjoy your party.  A big party with lots of "stuff" does not necessarily mean a great party, especially for younger children.  Good planning, however, is essential for a great birthday.  Kids birthday party planning is a breeze if you follow our birthday party checklist.

Case in point....

My Kids Birthday Party Planning Experience (or lack of)

Spoiler Alert......It turned out great!

Just last year when my youngest daughter was turning 12 I was extremely busy and I just couldn’t seem to get around to planning her birthday (mind you, I love planning birthdays but sometimes you just can’t get to it). Nothing big, after all she had already had her official party before the end of the school year, so this was really her unofficial mini party.  I figured she was old enough to take care of planning her own birthday. So she made her own invitations on the computer for about 6 of her friends.  She put them in a bag and went off to theater camp. Well, I forgot my daughter is also very busy so 2 days before her birthday I asked her if she had given out the invitations to which she replied “not yet”.  I’m not quite sure what she was waiting for but I went on to “prepare” for the party by buying black plain t-shirts, 3D glow-in-the-dark fabric and face paint and an ice cream cake(that's what she wanted)…. And that was ALL I had time for!

To make a long story short, she forgot to give the invitations out so the day of her birthday 2 girls showed up and I thought “poor thing” only 2 out of the 6 showed up. They went in the pool (sprinklers or a hose work well too), made glow-in-the-dark t-shirts and did face painting, played blind make-up (look at games for details), sang and danced, did gymnastics on the inflatable mattress and they were having such a great time the girls called their parents to ask if they could sleep over. Yes, it turned into a sleepover party!

Moral of the story when it comes to kids birthday party planning….

You don’t need lots of people or lots of “stuff” to have a great party but a little planning goes a long way.

There are many do-it-yourself and homemade party ideas to have a great party.. We’re so used to buying and ordering that "making" something is not our first thought. So......

Kids Birthday Party Planning
Here's Where We Start!

These are some of the topics we will cover in detail:

• Budget
• Time & Length of Time
• Party Theme
• Guests
• Party Themes
• Party Invitations
• Decorations
• Party Supplies
• Cakes
• Party Food & Drinks
• Party Favors
• Entertainment
• Party Games
• Activities/Crafts
• Rentals
• Music
• Places for birthdays
• Party Checklist
• And much much more!

Budget - Times are tight but it’s your child’s birthday and you want to do it all....but you can't. Set a budget you can live with. You really don't have to spend a lot to have a great and memorable birthday. We'll go over it more on our "Birthday on a Budget" page but here are some examples of what I'm talking about.

1. Make your own cake and cake topper (I made the cake topper for my daughter's first birthday)

2. Make your own invitations- get creative and fold them into an origami shape, or into a suncatcher, write the party details on a balloon, etc., do you see what I mean? And they're so much more interesting!
Go to Birthday Party Checklist to continue.......

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