As more people are getting vaccinated and COVID restrictions are loosening, gatherings are becoming more frequent. With that comes attending and planning kid’s birthday parties. I recently planned my daughter’s birthday party after not having one for the last four years. At first I was stressed out, because I felt like there was so much to do and I did not know where to start. Once I got started and talked to my daughter about ideas it got much easier. This post is to help you ease the process of planning your kid’s birthday party. You can use it as a checklist or guide to make their big day really special.
Budget for the party
Having a budget before you plan anything is a good idea. There are a lot of things to consider in your budget. Your price will include; location, food, invitations, decorations and party favors. A good starting point is to have a max amount that you want to spend, and try your best to stay in that range. A way to save money and cut costs is to think about the things you can make or provide yourself. Another way to save is to ask family and friends to bring things or if they are crafty have them make something. Always think about what is going to work best for your family’s budget.
Location of Kid’s Birthday Party
The first place to start when planning a kid’s birthday party is where are you going to have it at. Once you know the place, you can figure out the date and everything else. This is the second most important step, because your location really determines a lot of the other plans of the party. Having it a place where they host kid’s parties might be the easiest option for you because what they provide. If you have space at your home or backyard that could be great too. Parks are fun and easy because they have playgrounds and are usually little to no costs to rent out pavilion space. You may want to have a party bus or gaming bus, that will have kid’s parties. Something more intimate might be at a restaurant in a private room. Another option is having an experience, such as petting zoo, come to you. Whatever you choose make sure it is what your kid would enjoy.
Theme Ideas for Kid’s Birthday Party
Once you’ve picked the location for your kid’s birthday party it is time to pick a theme. The theme can be tied to the location of the party or something your child is really in to. For instance, we had our daughter’s party at an escape room. So naturally the theme was puzzles and mystery. My son is enthusiastic about Blaze and The Monster Machines and the movie Cars, come October I’ll probably choose either of those. The key to picking a theme is to make sure that it is easy to get decorations and party favors to go with it. For babies and toddlers popular theme ideas are Elmo, Mickey Mouse, princesses, wild animals/jungle, and anything that comes on Nick Jr. or Disney Jr. Older kids can help you decide their theme. A few popular ones I’ve seen with school-aged kids are; gaming, sports, super hero, outer space, spa and unicorn.
Invitations
Now you have your location, date and theme, it is time to create or pick out the invitations for your kid’s birthday party. Must haves on the invitation are time, place, location and RSVP instructions. Include the theme in some way on your invitations so your guest can get excited and know what to expect. You need to decide if you want to do paper or digital. More people are choosing to use sites like Evite, for easy RSVP and delivery. Plus Evite will send out reminders to your guests. Paper invitations are great if you don’t have everyone’s contact information. Obviously as a content creator I made my daughter’s and sent them via text. Try to get your invitations out one month to 2 and a half weeks before your event to give people time to plan.
Food and Drinks
After all the fun the kids will be having they are sure to work up an appetite. Some party places will offer food, some will let you bring in your own. If you are not getting it catered and deciding to make your own, make sure you consider common allergies. Have options for those allergic to nuts and gluten or those who don’t eat meat. For my daughter’s party I went with fruit, cheese and pepperoni pizza, and Chick-Fil-A nuggets. Pink lemonade and water to drink. Think about if you want to have cake or cupcakes. In these COVID times it made more sense for us to go with cupcakes, plus Publix has cute cupcake designs that look better than cakes. If you know parents are going to be sticking around for the kid’s birthday party, have something to offer them.
Decorations for the party
Okay now you are getting ready for the fun part of your kid’s birthday party. Picking out the decorations should be a breeze because you already know the theme. Even better if you have a simple theme like specific colors. The must-haves for decorations include; balloons, tablecloths (usually plastic), and plates/cups. If you want to go the extra mile have props and a photo wall, center pieces, party hats and more. If you choose to go with a party place they may provide the decorations for you at an additional cost.
Party Favors for Kid’s Birthday Party
Don’t let your kid’s friends leave the party without a little party favor. Just like the invitations the party favors should go with the theme. Some themes are very popular that you can search on Amazon, “kid’s birthday party favors” and will find exactly what you need. With my daughter’s party being at an escape room and a puzzle/mystery theme I chose to make them myself. I bought small gift bags and put in small rubiks cube, a puzzle eraser, invisible ink pen and notepad, and candy. I tied it all together with antique style keys. 4-8 items should be enough, and candy or treats is always a big hit.
If you need ideas on where to get birthday presents, check out that post. I hope that you have a stress-free planning of your child’s party. Treat yourself afterwards with a glass of wine, I know I did. 🙂
