Planning a party for your child can be both an exciting and daunting task. There are so many things to take into account, from the budget to the guest list, but you should never forget the most important element-fun! These seven tips will help you plan a birthday party that will be memorable for all of the right reasons.
1. Set Up Fun Carnival-like Snacks
Decorate the table with sweets, treats, and colorful candy. Not only will your guests love it, but this is a great way of saving money on party bags! Fun options for kids include ice cream, candy cane, cotton candy, slushies, and more. And what’s best, you don’t have to do it yourself. You can arrange machines for everything as you can find a Slushie machine hire in Sydney along with cotton candy machines and similar. The kids and adults will love it and it will save you time too!
2. Get to Know the Guest List
Who is coming to the party? Who are your child’s closest friends? Who doesn’t he or she get along with well? These questions are important to ask yourself when creating a guest list, as they can largely determine how much fun your child has on their special day. Your child’s friends should all be there and feel welcome. If the children are really young, you should also invite the parents and have a separate area for parents to hang out, get to know each other, and talk about the kids, as well as keep an eye on them.
3. Make Your Own Party Bags
It’s not necessary to buy party bags in-store, making your own is much more fun! Not only will you save money, but you can customize it however you like with treats for your child’s age group. For example, if you’re hosting a birthday party for younger children, put candy or toy cars in the bag. Older children might appreciate a book, accessories for their DS console, or whatever it is they’re into at that time!
4. Get Creative with Decorations
Make a feature of your child’s favorite things and include them in the decorations. If you know what his or her current obsession is (mine is unicorns!) use it in everything, from the invitations to the cake. Not only will the kids love it, but this is a great way of adding your own touch to the party while saving money! For example, you don’t have to buy balloons or decorations – just print out pictures of their favorite characters and stick ’em on.
5. Organise An Activity
If you’re hosting a party for young children, an activity is a must! If they have something to look forward to as soon as they arrive at the birthday party, it will keep them occupied and entertained until it’s time to open presents. Plus, activities are a great way of breaking the ice before everyone mingles and gets to know each other! Popular ideas include a craft station, a treasure hunt, a dress-up station with a photo booth, a magician or clown, or even an inflatable obstacle course. Whatever you do though, make sure it’s age-appropriate.
6. Keep Them Entertained
This is where the activities come in, but you should also have a playlist of party tunes on hand to keep everyone entertained. This is another great way of saving money – you don’t have to play DJ for hours! Just set up a speaker and let them dance until they’re tired, then it’s time for cake!
Kids get entertained by a lot of things and it’s important to talk to your kid to get the idea of what kids their age like, listen to, what they do for fun, and many more details. Remember, it’s your kid’s birthday and everyone there is their guest, you should make the party what they like.
7. Let Your Child Take the Lead
Kids love to feel like grown-ups and you must let them take control of their own party! If they have an opinion on anything from the menu to who comes to the party, always give them a choice whenever possible. This is also a great way of avoiding any potential fallout – why not let them pick their own gift if they’re heading that way? Your child will be the center and life of the party and making their special day extra special is your mission.
It doesn’t need to be difficult or expensive to host your child’s birthday party-just sit back and enjoy it! If you make the experience fun for everyone involved, it will be a day they won’t forget.
