Children’s parties are fun and can be some of the best memories a child has. So, how do you make them the best they can be – with these 10 tips of course.
- Staying Close to Home
Consider having the party in your own home or garden. This will make it much easier for you to organize activities and you don’t have to haul various supplies and food around. You can even ask a relative or good friend if you can borrow their house for a few hours if your living space can’t accommodate all of your guests.
Make it clear that you will do all the cleaning up and setting up afterwards, as you suggest the idea. Or, whenever the weather permits, you can even use the local park. It will certainly be much less expensive draping some streamers on a picnic table, than it would be using just any other venue you can rent.
- Be Cautious About Guests
When planning the party, it’s just natural to have the urge of inviting all your family, friends, and even people who’ve invited you to their parties previously. However, don’t forget that the bigger the gathering, the higher the budgetary requirements, and the more hectic the party will be.
Rather, you should look into limiting the amount of guests to a manageable figure, and be careful not to invite more people at the last minute. If it’s a children party, then only invite people that can enjoy a few hours in house full of children.
- Go for Simple foods
Of course, food is the centerpiece of a good party. But this doesn’t mean that you have to serve your guests a full meal. Juice, cake, and a couple of snack should keep the toddlers happy. Check out my list of best finger foods for kids parties.
- Classic Games are Ideal
Just as they adore watching an interesting magic show, children will be delighted with playing great games. Classic titles such as musical chairs and Pin the Tail on the Donkey can never go out of style. You can even use a sack race and skittles to create a carnival atmosphere to make the games more interesting.
- Consider Hiring Undiscovered Talent
For those who like to keep away from the limelight, but still want to have an entertainer brighten up the kid’s party, then networking can help a great deal. Do you know someone with a steady hand with face painting, or juggles exceptionally well? Many dads and uncles have put on the clown suit several times, and have been the soul or life of the party.
You can also opt to post at the noticeboard of your local college. The drama club students like to make a few bucks on the side doing some magic tricks or putting on a fairy princess’ outfit.
- No-Fuss Invitations
Rather than spending a few hours trying to channel your inner crafter to make some handmade invitations, just let technology do the job for you. Invite people through social media and email; it will be much easier, and your guests to save date.
- Creativity with Plates
There’s a huge chance you have more parties in the future, so why not have them in bulk? Rather than getting those themed supplies, why not get paper plates, cups, napkins, and plastic cutlery in various colors at your local store? When it comes to kids’ stuff, you don’t need to take any gender or age specific items. Plus, you should be able to use them in many years to come.
- Party Bag Fillers
One key money-waster for parties is plastic toys for the party-bags, which are inevitably just thrown away or get lost almost immediately. Why not try something different? Stocking up on huge packages of art supplies like stickers, glitter pens, kids glow sticks and stamps is one great way to do this. You can then break up the sets and give every child a piece of each.
- Choose Non-Peak Time
For working parents, it may be quite difficult to find the time to plan the party at your house. However, this doesn’t mean that you give up on holding one, even when on a budget. Look for local venues that can host at good prices. For instance, some of your local restaurants can cater for your party at a much lower cost if you opt to hold the party during their off peak hours, such as during the afternoon.
- Share the Party
You can also get together with a few friends who have birthday parties for their children near your child’s, and even form a group party. Such a plan might work best if the children are below 4 years of age, since they probably won’t care if the party isn’t just for them.
You will also be saving a lot of money, since you will be splitting the expenses between a few families. Be sure to sing a birthday song for each of the children, and have several fairy cakes instead of just one big cake.