The art of throwing a successful kids party definitely takes practice and organisation, but it can be executed well with a little help and a little creativity.
Making your child’s birthday party or other event as special as possible is always the ultimate goal. Try following these four tips to make your party planning process a little less stressful.
1. Pick a theme
The first step to throwing a successful kids party is choosing a theme that the kids will enjoy. Picking a party theme early in the organisation process is key because it can help narrow down items you need to purchase later (decor, cake, etc).
Although it may seem obvious, asking your child what kind of party they want will always give you a good idea of where to start. Kids are always open to sharing their opinions and expectations which are often unrealistic anyway, but getting a theme in mind allows you to narrow down your immediate checklist.
Once you have your theme, start figuring out what you need to fulfil that theme. Use party idea sites and local party stores to help you pick out items like party decor, costumes (if necessary), supplies, and more.
Plus, these kinds of online examples can spark ideas for your party that you either: would have never thought of or wish to copy because you really like it.
2. Use online tools for RSVP and ticketing
Going paperless is becoming even more important today and especially for kids parties, moving away from traditional invitations to a party will help cut down the hassle of waiting for parents to take care of the invites and respond on time.
Instead, try online event organisers that can host the party’s details, theme, date and time, etc. Not only will this save you money on invitations and sending them, it will provide ease to the party-goers who can easily RSVP through the event’s page.
Often the kid’s parent is the one RSVP on their behalf anyway, so introducing this process online will only streamline the process and help you figure out how many people to expect.
3. Hire some entertainment
Keeping a group of kids entertained during a party can be an overwhelming and daunting task, but try hiring a form of entertainment to capture the attention of the little ones for a while.
Although things like clowns and magicians can be cliche, try jumping castles and arts and crafts, which can entertain kids for multiple hours.
It’s all about filling the time with fun activities and the more time you have filled with things for the kids to do, the better chance you have of it being successful.
4. Feed the party something easy
Just like entertaining, providing food for all the kids at the party should be taken into consideration, as it can make or break a party. Instead of something elaborate, it’s best to keep it simple, because often the kids won’t care anyway.
For the “big meal” keep it simple and order pizza and wings or throw the best barbecue with hot dogs, hamburgers, and french fries. It’s good to remember that kids will eat about anything that’s presented in front of them, so making it convenient for you as the party planner is the most important.
And for the cake, sticking to the theme of the party can bring smiles to the face of the kids. Whether it be Toy Story or Spiderman, try sprucing up dessert with a cake that the kids will enjoy eating. Plus, sticking to a theme will save time at the grocery store weighing your options about which option to buy.