How To Survive (And Enjoy) Kids Birthday Parties
Kids birthday parties, while they are an opportunity to acknowledge a milestone and have a celebration, can also be very stressful.
There are the invitations, food, venue, cake and more to consider.
Not to mention, the need to entertain and amuse a tribe of kids for around 2 hours.
However, it is possible to actually enjoy the process of planning and hosting a birthday party.
Here are a few tips to help you not only survive, but have some fun preparing for your children's birthday parties.
Tip #1 - Plan Ahead This might seem a little obvious but it is amazing how quickly a birthday party can creep up on you.
Before you know it, invitations must be sent and it becomes a frantic frenzy to get the party organised at the last minute.
With a little forward planning, the whole process will become a lot smoother.
So, take the time to sit down and plan out the party.
You can also use this as an opportunity to brainstorm ideas for decorations, games, food, costumes and the cake.
Create some checklists along with a time plan and then schedule these into your diary.
Make a list of items to be purchased or made and put them on the shopping list.
Lastly, plan out a rough schedule for the party itself allowing time for food, games and any other activities that will be featured.
Tip #2 - Pick A Theme WITH Your Kid One very important thing to remember is that the party is about your child, not you! A lot of parents don't take the time to actually involve their child in the party planning and theme.
Picking the right theme is critical for a successful party.
Not only will the birthday boy or girl be more excited, it means the enjoyment, involvement and anticipation for the party will be greater.
Even if you mess everything else up, if the right theme is chosen, you'll still be on a winner - no complaints, no whingeing.
Tip #3 - Don't Sweat The Small Stuff We've all heard this a million times before but when it comes to kids birthday parties, it is so true.
Remember, the party will be over in the blink of an eye and the emphasis should be on fun, enjoyment and participation.
Children won't care if all the plates aren't colour co-ordinated or that the tablecloth is too small.
They are there to have fun, eat lots of yummy food and play with their friends.
Make that the focus and you're on a winner.
Tip #4 - Keep Numbers Manageable While it is tempting to invite every friend Little Johnny has ever made, don't do it! Unless you have a huge space to accommodate all of his friends, keep the numbers to a small and manageable group.
It makes for a better experience for the children and allows them the chance to feel included and participate in the party.
Too many kids means there are little groups all over the place and it can be so much more difficult to co-ordinate.
One great way to handle this is to ask your child to give you their 'Top 10' friends to invite.
They can usually give this list easily and it makes knowing who to ask very easy.
Tip #5 - Enlist Helpers For The Day Having a few extra adults on hand to help manage on the day of the party is a great idea.
Grandparents, aunts, uncles and so on are usually more than happy to help.
Get their help to not only keep an eye on the kids but to put out food and drinks as well.
One idea is to have one person as the 'games co-ordinator' - this is often a good job for Dad's to take on to get involved in the day.
They can focus on the games and getting all the kids involved without having to worry about food, cakes and other activities.
Tip #6 - Have An Awesome Cake For kids the birthday cake is always the highlight the party.
Now don't get scared here, it doesn't have to be something from 'Cake Boss'.
As long as it's made with the birthday boy or girl in mind, there is no doubt it will be memorable.
Make the cake to match the theme (that your child selected - see Tip #2), don't stress about it being perfect (see Tip #3) and use all the wonderful resources online to help.
You'll be amazed at what you can come up with while having fun along the way.
Surviving kids birthday parties is really quite easy.
In fact, with the tips above, it will not only be easy, it will be a fun day that everyone will enjoy and remember.
There are the invitations, food, venue, cake and more to consider.
Not to mention, the need to entertain and amuse a tribe of kids for around 2 hours.
However, it is possible to actually enjoy the process of planning and hosting a birthday party.
Here are a few tips to help you not only survive, but have some fun preparing for your children's birthday parties.
Tip #1 - Plan Ahead This might seem a little obvious but it is amazing how quickly a birthday party can creep up on you.
Before you know it, invitations must be sent and it becomes a frantic frenzy to get the party organised at the last minute.
With a little forward planning, the whole process will become a lot smoother.
So, take the time to sit down and plan out the party.
You can also use this as an opportunity to brainstorm ideas for decorations, games, food, costumes and the cake.
Create some checklists along with a time plan and then schedule these into your diary.
Make a list of items to be purchased or made and put them on the shopping list.
Lastly, plan out a rough schedule for the party itself allowing time for food, games and any other activities that will be featured.
Tip #2 - Pick A Theme WITH Your Kid One very important thing to remember is that the party is about your child, not you! A lot of parents don't take the time to actually involve their child in the party planning and theme.
Picking the right theme is critical for a successful party.
Not only will the birthday boy or girl be more excited, it means the enjoyment, involvement and anticipation for the party will be greater.
Even if you mess everything else up, if the right theme is chosen, you'll still be on a winner - no complaints, no whingeing.
Tip #3 - Don't Sweat The Small Stuff We've all heard this a million times before but when it comes to kids birthday parties, it is so true.
Remember, the party will be over in the blink of an eye and the emphasis should be on fun, enjoyment and participation.
Children won't care if all the plates aren't colour co-ordinated or that the tablecloth is too small.
They are there to have fun, eat lots of yummy food and play with their friends.
Make that the focus and you're on a winner.
Tip #4 - Keep Numbers Manageable While it is tempting to invite every friend Little Johnny has ever made, don't do it! Unless you have a huge space to accommodate all of his friends, keep the numbers to a small and manageable group.
It makes for a better experience for the children and allows them the chance to feel included and participate in the party.
Too many kids means there are little groups all over the place and it can be so much more difficult to co-ordinate.
One great way to handle this is to ask your child to give you their 'Top 10' friends to invite.
They can usually give this list easily and it makes knowing who to ask very easy.
Tip #5 - Enlist Helpers For The Day Having a few extra adults on hand to help manage on the day of the party is a great idea.
Grandparents, aunts, uncles and so on are usually more than happy to help.
Get their help to not only keep an eye on the kids but to put out food and drinks as well.
One idea is to have one person as the 'games co-ordinator' - this is often a good job for Dad's to take on to get involved in the day.
They can focus on the games and getting all the kids involved without having to worry about food, cakes and other activities.
Tip #6 - Have An Awesome Cake For kids the birthday cake is always the highlight the party.
Now don't get scared here, it doesn't have to be something from 'Cake Boss'.
As long as it's made with the birthday boy or girl in mind, there is no doubt it will be memorable.
Make the cake to match the theme (that your child selected - see Tip #2), don't stress about it being perfect (see Tip #3) and use all the wonderful resources online to help.
You'll be amazed at what you can come up with while having fun along the way.
Surviving kids birthday parties is really quite easy.
In fact, with the tips above, it will not only be easy, it will be a fun day that everyone will enjoy and remember.
