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How to Plan a Children's Birthday Party

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  • Introduction

    • Children look forward to their birthday parties with great excitement, but the same can't always be said for parents. The thought of dozens of children descending on your home, waiting to be entertained, can be quite overwhelming. Who to invite? How long should they stay? What on earth are you going to do with all those kids? Here's how to create a birthday party that your child will love, while maintaining your sanity.

  • Step 1: Decide Who and When

    • Knowing who you want to invite, when the party will be, and how long it's going to last are your first key decisions.

  • The Guest List

    • Be smart about the guest list. A party that gets out of hand with too many kids isn't fun for anyone.
    1. Take your child's age into consideration when deciding how many guests to invite.
    2. As a rule, the younger the child, the shorter the guest list.
    3. Older children will require less direct supervision, and won't be overwhelmed if you have a large group of friends.
      • Ages five and up can enjoy a party with 15 guests, though for your own sanity you may want to invite fewer children if the party's away from your home.
    4. Ask your child who she wants to invite, and make sure she okays the guest list.
    5. Plan to invite a few more guests than you actually want, as two or three children will probably decline.

  • Timing

    • The length of the party will vary depending on the attendees' ages.

    1. An hour is fine for children who are three and under.
    2. Two hours is perfect for ages four and up.
      • Remember, it's better for kids to leave wanting more than having them worn out and fed up by the time their parents arrive to collect them.
    3. Older children can enjoy a party that lasts longer than two hours, as long as there's plenty to do.
    4. What time of day will the party be held? For toddlers, a late morning or late afternoon time is best, so children can have a nap beforehand if needed.
    5. If you don't want to serve a full meal, have the party in mid-morning or mid-afternoon so that the children will already have had a meal at home. That way you can stick to providing snacks and cake.
    6. Schedule the party for a weekend, so it's more convenient for parents.

  • Your Helpers

    • Will you need anyone to help out on the day? Even if you think you can manage, a helping hand (or two or three) lets you have more time you spend time with your child on her special day.
    1. Recruit help at the same time as when your invites go out.
    2. It's more than likely you'll have to step away from the party to arrange food or games; make sure there will be enough adults on hand!
    3. The number of helpers you'll need depends on the size of your guest list. You'll want a ratio of one adult per four toddlers.
    4. For six to ten-year-olds, make sure there's one adult for every six kids.
    5. Grandparents, aunts, and uncles usually enjoy the chance to help make the party fun. And because they're used to interacting with you and your child, they'll know just when to step in.
    6. If you're having trouble finding help, hire your baby-sitter and her friends to assist with the festivities.

  • Step 2: Choose a Theme

    • A theme can tie your entire party together, and actually make planning easier, since you can make decisions about activities and food based on your theme. A theme doesn't mean you need to restrict yourself to official character party supplies. You can still make your own activities and crafts, using your theme as a starting point.

    1. Is there a favorite character your child would love to build a party around?
      • If your child picks a themed character, say Winnie The Pooh, don't feel that everything in the party has to feature that character. You could have a Winne the Pooh cake while the rest of the decorations are in Winnie The Pooh colors of red and yellow.
    2. Younger children would love to bring a toy from home, so a teddy bears' picnic or dolls' tea party is a great excuse for them to bring along their favorite toy.
    3. A theme can also incorporate your older child's favorite activities. A bowling party can be fun, or a few hours at a roller or ice rink.

  • Step 3: Select a Venue

    • Knowing your theme, you can now decide whether you'd prefer to have the party at home or at an outside venue. If you're having a glitter party, home is fine (as long as you're fine with your house becoming a little sparklier). If your theme is baseball, you might want to find a park where you can play ball. You need to decide where can you best accommodate (and occupy) your guests.
    1. Having the party at home can cut down on costs and make it easier to supervise (but there's no getting out of clean-up duty).
    2. If you're celebrating a spring or summer birthday, you may be able to host your party out of doors, if the weather goes along. This can cut down on mess.
    3. If you like the idea of a home party but simply don't have the room, would a relative be willing to hold the party at their house if you did all the work?
    4. The cost of an outside venue may be worth it if you can find a location that will handle food and/or entertainment.
    5. Kaboose has ideas for different venues, like a nature center, movie theater, or karate studio.
    6. Parents.com offers 15 ideas for party locations, including an ice-cream store, a fire station, or a zoo.
    7. You may be able to find a room in your church or community center.
    8. Some schools and youth clubs also hire out their halls at the weekend.
    9. Make sure you'll have the facilities you need: if the location you're considering won't provide food, check if there is a kitchen, or even just a place to make drinks.

  • Step 4: Send Invitations

    • Time to invite your guests!
    1. Send out invitations about a month before the party.
    2. Indicate on the invitation whether or not parents should stay.
      • For young children, note if you will have help on hand so parents know if they do not need to stay.
    3. Put a start time and end time on the invite. It will let parents who aren't staying know when to return, and will let everyone know your intended schedule.
    4. If he's interested, let your son help with the invitations. He can draw pictures or write addresses. Or print your own invitations and then color them in.
    5. Don't forget to request an RSVP so you'll know how many children are coming.
    6. Keep a checklist near the phone to note replies, or use a service like evite to send your invites and track attendance.

  • Step 5: Entertainment at Your Party

    • Decide whether you wish to hire entertainers or whether you'll go it alone. There's no reason why you can't handle the entertainment yourself, especially if you plan ahead and have plenty of things to do. But having an entertainer come in will give you a break and let you enjoy more of the party.

  • Party Entertainment

    1. Plan to hire someone at least four weeks before your event.
    2. Ask friends and family if they have recommendations about who you should hire.
    3. Or search Partymakers, a website that lets you find appropriate entertainers by inputting your child's age and interests.
    4. Expect to pay between $100 and $300 for the person you hire.
    5. Make sure to get at least two references before hiring anyone.
    6. Sign a contract to confirm when the entertainment should show up, and how long they'll perform for.

  • Party Games and Crafts

    • Remember, it's better to have too many games and activities than too few; you don't want to have a house filled with bored kids! Use your theme as a starting point to find the right games and activities, and you won't have to worry about what to do with your young guests.

    1. Have a range of activities on hand: a simple craft to keep kids occupied as they arrive; more boisterous games for the middle of the party; and quieter activities for when the celebration is winding down.
      • An activity that's in progress as the party begins can also draw shy children into the mix.
    2. The type of games you can play will be determined by how much space is available and the age of the children.
    3. Toddlers will most enjoy simpler activities, like blowing bubbles or drawing.
      • Check Fisher-Price for more game ideas for younger children.
    4. Older children will enjoy a scavenger hunt or bingo.
    5. Kaboose has printable activities, like paper dolls and word searches, and suggestions for fun party crafts.
    6. Parents.com has more party ideas, including making sock puppets and mini-pinatas out of paper bags.
    7. Don't forget classic games, such as Pin the Tail on the Donkey and Simon Says.
    8. Line up CDs that kids will enjoy listening to (and that can provide background for a game of musical chairs).
    9. In order to prevent squabbles, have plenty of small prizes for games, rather than a few large ones. And make sure everyone wins something.
      • Your local supermarket or discount store may have bags of small plastic toys such as dinosaurs or dolls.

  • Step 6: Plan a Menu

    1. This party is not the time to try a new recipe. Hot dogs, hamburgers, and pizza are all popular kid fare.
    2. Have lots of smaller servings; finger foods are easy to present and let children decide how much they'd like to eat.
    3. Older children might like to make their own pizza.
    4. Healthier options include fruit slices, popcorn, and fruit juice instead of punch.
    5. Be considerate of any attendee's food allergies; if you cannot change the menu to accommodate the guest's needs then let parents know.
    6. If parents are staying, make sure to have snacks and coffee on hand for them as well.

  • Birthday Cake

    • The birthday cake should be a real event. This is one of the main things your child will remember about the party. And the cake offers a great photo opportunity when the candles are lit.
    1. If you decide to make your own cake, Martha Stewart has a step-by-step guide to cake decorating.
    2. Or bake a regular cake and decorate it with powdered sugar or toasted coconut.
    3. Fun cake ideas include: dragon cake; volcano cake; and sports ball cakes.
    4. Healthier cakes are served with less frosting and yogurt instead of ice cream.
    5. Cupcakes are always popular. Plus there's no need for forks and no waiting for the cake to be cut.
      • As an additional activity, you can let kids decorate their own cupcakes with sprinkles, cookies, and candies.
    6. iVillage has a recipe for Birthday Cake Cones (birthday cake baked into ice cream cones). It's a fun, easy recipe that also lets kids get hands-on with their food.
    7. If you're baking a cake, bake it ahead of time and freeze it until the day before the party.
    8. If you decide to buy a cake, order it at least a week ahead of time.

  • Step 7: Shopping: Decorations and Party Bags

    • Besides your food, the supplies you'll need for craft activities, and prizes for games, you'll also need to go shopping for decorations and goody bag treats.

  • Party Decorations

    • Think glitz and color; it's almost impossible to go over the top at a birthday party.
    1. Again, your theme will play a big part in your decorating scheme.
    2. Balloons and streamers are classic decorations that will complement any birthday theme.
    3. Get your kids involved in decorating; they can make a colorful "Happy Birthday" banner.
    4. If any rooms are out of bounds, tape a length of party ribbon across the door to prevent access in a festive way!
    5. Don't feel that all your decorations have to be color-coordinated. Children love sparkle and color; they won't be checking out how perfect your color scheme is.

  • Prepare Party Bags

    1. The goody bag can also tie into your theme; comics for a superhero party or tiny cups and saucers for a tea party.
    2. A party bag doesn't necessarily need to be a bag: you can fill plastic pails with goodies. Or create a surprise ball: kids will love unwrapping an assortment of toys from a crepe paper ball.
    3. Parents.com has great original goody bag ideas, like buying mini canvas totes for the kids to decorate.

  • Step 8: Final Preparations for the Big Day

    • Just a few more things to organize before the big day!

  • Before the Party

    1. Check in with parents who didn't RSVP.
      • Make sure your son or daughter didn't "forget" to tell you about replies he or she received at school.
    2. Decide whether your child can open gifts during the party.
      • If there are going to be more than 20 children attending, it may be wise to wait until after the party to open presents.
    3. Think about whether guests will sit where they like, or whether a seating plan might avoid squabbles.
    4. Make sure you have supplies for all crafts and games.
    5. If you've hired an entertainer, call to confirm.
    6. Check you have candles and matches for the cake.
    7. Your camera and/or camcorder should either be charged up, or stocked with batteries.
    8. Finalize your schedule of activities (but be prepared for changes!).
    9. Remind your child about party manners: guests should be greeted politely, and thanked for their gifts.
    10. Clean your house, safely stowing any cherished breakables.
    11. Put up decorations.
    12. If you have room, place a side table near the entrance for party guests to leave their gifts.
    13. Prepare the food that you can beforehand. Get finger food ready the day before. During the party, put ice cream into paper muffin cups instead of portioning it out at the table.
    14. If you can, fill goody bags.

  • Party Tips and Troubleshooting

    1. If any child is particularly overexcited or troublesome, try involving them in helping out. Sometimes a task such as helping set up an activity can prevent a tantrum.
    2. Have a quiet place where an upset child could be accompanied to have time out from the noise and excitement.
    3. Don't be too rigid in your planning. Be prepared for a game to be played differently than you'd thought, or for the children to be distracted when you'd planned on them sitting quietly.
    4. If opening gifts at the party, arrange a circle so everyone can see.
      • Keep track of who gave what so you can send thank you notes.
    5. Take accidents and messes in stride—they're to be expected.

  • Conclusion

    • Forward planning will give you confidence on the day of your party and can help your child enjoy the treats in store. When you've organized all you can, try to relax and enjoy the fun. Just don't forget about thank you notes when the party ends.

 


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