Are you a stressed parent who works all day? If you have a birthday party to plan, you may feel overwhelmed.
Kids today expect a lot for their birthday parties, and it’s up to parents to provide. Today parents are expected to throw themed parties, hire entertainment, provide all their favorite foods, and invite a guest list the length of their arm. But how do you plan a party these days that is a unique experience that doesn’t break the bank?
Keep reading if you’re planning a birthday party and want it to be a momentous occasion. We have eight tips to help you ace your kid’s birthday party planning.
Table of Contents
Tip #1. Set a Budget Early On
The biggest tip we can give you is to set a budget right from the beginning. Knowing how much you can spend will make your party planning process less stressful. The only challenge is to stick to it.
Setting a budget early on means you won’t overpromise and underdeliver. If you can’t afford to hire a photo booth, it’s best to know before you promise your thirteen-year-old kid.
Tip #2. Invite the Whole Class
Your guest list will heavily depend on the age group of the birthday kid. The tip is to invite the whole class if your kid is between three and eight. Asking the entire class means no one feels left out.
Of course, this depends on your kid. If they already have close friends, you can invite them and no one else. If your budget extends to asking only part of the class, limiting the number of party guests the birthday child can invite is okay.
Tip #3. Consider the Day
You’d be incorrect if you think the day of the week the party is hosted doesn’t matter. Specific benefits to particular days of the week can make a big difference to your party experience.
For example, if you’ve chosen a complicated theme that needs more preparation time, consider hosting the party on a Sunday. That gives you the Saturday to pull together the final pieces. If you invite many kids, throwing the party on a Saturday means you have Sunday to rest before Monday.
Tip #4. Consider Your Venue
The venue you choose may depend heavily on the budget you set initially (remember tip number one?). You might consider throwing the party at your house if you don’t have a limited budget.
However, hiring a venue may be a better option if your house needs to be larger to accommodate everyone. Some birthday party venue ideas can include:
- Laser-tag Facilities
- Paintball Facilities
- Bowling Alleys
- Pizza Restaurants
- Ice- or Roller-Skating Rinks
Tip #5. Plan Something Fun
If you’re hosting a birthday party for young kids, you can guarantee most of them like making a mess. Our tip to make a birthday party memorable is to offer them a chance to make a mess – that you don’t need to clean up. We hear you saying, “Impossible!” but you can by making DIY sidewalk chalk paint.
Mix equal parts water and cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Divide this mixture up into as many cups as you have colors. Drop one or two drops of food coloring into each cup, stir, and it’s ready to use.
Give the kids paintbrushes, sponges, and other art supplies, and let them paint the chalk paint on the sidewalk.
Tip #6. Pack Great Party Favors
Another tip when planning a birthday party is to leave the party on a good note. One way to do this is to provide great party favors the kids can take home after the party. Don’t worry; the party favors don’t need to be sweets.
This is one of those party parts that you can get creative with. Some great ideas for kids’ birthday party favors are:
- Comics
- Small toys
- Stickers
- Bubbles
- Coloring Sets
- Temporary Fake Tattoos
- Pack of Cards
Of course, these party favors will depend on the age of the kids receiving them. And there is no set rule on giving party favors, so if your budget doesn’t accommodate them, don’t worry about it.
Tip #7. Avoid Holidays
Our seventh tip when planning a birthday party is to avoid hosting it on a holiday. While it may seem convenient to host the party on a day you know everyone is off, there are better choices than this one. Many people use public holidays to go away if they fall adjacent to a weekend, and your child may get fewer RSVPs than they expect.
If your child’s birthday falls on a public holiday, waiting until the weekend or another day might be better. If your budget has a smaller guest list, you may get away with hosting on a holiday, but our advice is to choose another day.
8. Pick an Easy Theme
Our final tip for birthday party planning is to choose an easy theme. Planning an elaborately themed birthday is a great idea, but by the time you get around, you may need more time, and effort for planning. This will make following through on the promise of an intricate theme more challenging than you need it to be.
To combat this, we recommend choosing a simple theme to throw together. It doesn’t have to be boring, but you don’t need all the added pressure of a complex party theme.
Make Planning a Birthday Party a Breeze
Planning a birthday party doesn’t have to be challenging. With these eight tips, you should be able to go about party planning stress-free. By setting a budget early, you’re less at risk of overspending. If the birthday child is young and has no close friends, invite the whole class if you can afford it. Remember, there is no rule on inviting the entire class.
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