Oklay so you need to arrange a kids birthday party, where do you start?
Firstly don’t be daunted, all you need is a bit of organisation and preparation and trust me it will all be OK!
1. Send out your invites about 3 weeks before the party, be aware that if you are not inviting the whole class be subtle about handing out invitations. There are some free printable invitations for pirate, princess, animal and dinosaur themed partys in our ‘free printables‘ page. Don’t forget to include directions to the party venue and ask for mums to make it clear if their child has any allergies or special dietary requirements.
2. Theme It! It’s much easier to make a birthday party come together if you have a theme. Give your child a few suggestions and ask them to choose, unless they already have an idea you can develop. Don’t be scared if your child asks for a character themed birthday that isn’t available in the shops, think outside the box a bit (a Charlie & Lola party could become a craft themed birthday, a Little Einsteins party could be musical themed, a Spongebob birthday party can be underwater themed and so on).
3. Music. Every birthday party needs a bit of music. Don’t forget to take a speaker if you are holding the party a venue other than your home. You could make a playlist of your child’s favourite music if you have the time. Children’s TV theme tunes are usually a safe bet, especially for under 5’s.
4. Decorate it! You can help create an instant party atmosphere with balloons, bunting, pin the tail on posters. It can take over an hour to decorate a venue, so maybe blow up balloons in advance to make sure you have enough time.
5. Plan your party in advance. We've written a few party plan to help make sure that you don't run out of party games or time to blow out the candles.
6. Buy paper tableware if you've got a 2 hour slot at your venue it will make clearing up much easier.
7. Food! Keep it simple, but don’t forget the classics. Kids tend to get a bit disappointed if the party food doesn’t include things like jelly and ice cream. Make as much as you can in advance so that it is all in the fridge and ready to bring out after the party games. Don’t try to do too much, children won’t remember if they had hot food at your child’s party, but they will remember the party games they played.
8. Take a few extra party games. It is always a good idea to plan a mix of energetic and quiet party games. Kids will arrive excited and need to run off some energy, so some sort of outside activity is ideal, especially for boys.
Try to adapt the party games so that they fit in with your party theme. For a pirate themed party, for example, you could organise some 'walk the plank' style assault courses which can be done in teams or why not organise a treasure hunt? Kids are great explorers and naturally want to take part, whatever the weather, especially when they know there’s treasure to be found!
Don’t forget the ‘prizes’, you will need one prize for the winner of each party game. When someone is knocked out when playing musical statues, musical bumps or 'Simon Says', get them to sit with you and be your helper to spot the next person to be out so they are less likely to be upset.
9. Nominate one of the Mums or Dads to be the photographer. You'll be so busy that you wont have time to take those precious pictures of the special day!
10. Enjoy it! After the party sit back and take the glory! You've hosted your child's party and given the birthday girl or boy a really special, unique and momorable party. Well Done!