Party Planning For Kids By Kids

One of the most popular places to hold a child’s birthday party is in the home, whether it be the parent’s home or someone else’s home.  But no matter where you decide to have your child’s birthday party, there are some tips we can share with you to ensure a fun and stress free time to be had by all. 

#1 – Plan A Party For Kids By Kids - Talk with your child about what they want to do at their birthday and involve them in the planning process.  Kids like to be involved and can be quite helpful if they are motivated.  They might also have some ideas you would have never come up with on your own!  Let them plan the location, theme, guest list, menu, and games.  They could even create the invitation with supplies at home or on the computer as well as put together the goody bag and help decorate.

#2 – Make It Manageable – Although you could invite the entire class as well as the soccer team that doesn’t mean you have to, and most likely you will regret it if you do.  One party planning standard is to have the rule of inviting the same number of guests as the child’s age.  On average, a children’s birthday party includes 8 other children.

#3 – How Long? – For a toddler or pre-school party, one hour is about the right amount of time.  For older kids, two to three hours is recommended.

#4 – Keep Them Busy – Plan plenty of activities, generally 5-1 5 minutes long each, that will keep the children interested and occupied.  Wacky relays and scavenger hunts are always fun and can be adapted to become more challenging if you have an age range of kids or as your child gets older.  It’s also fun for the kids to do an art activity that relates to your theme.  For example, mask making with paper plates, markers, and some textured materials would be great for a superhero theme. 

#5 – Plan B – If you are planning an outdoor party it’s helpful to have an alternative location in the back of your mind in case of weather issues, such as rain, wind, or even too much heat.  There are a variety of indoor games that could be just as fun.  Some examples include hot potato, duck duck goose, freeze dance, limbo, parachute games, and even relays could be set up indoors.

#6 – Thank You – Help your child to build their social skills by teaching about the importance of saying thank you.  “Thank you for the gift.” “Thank you for coming to my party.”  Writing thank you notes are important social skills builder and one more creative activity you can do with your child after the party.

If you don’t want to have your child’s birthday party at home there are usually a variety of locations in your area that would also be great for a kid’s birthday.  A community park, aquarium, zoo, museum, swimming pool, dance studio, or even a simple movie outing are all examples of places to be with your child on their special day.  It could be as simple as getting your family together for your child’s favorite meal, some birthday cake, and opening a few presents.  The point is to make sure your child is doing something they love and that they feel special!

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Julianne Sando, Special Events & Birthdays Coordinator, has been with Kidspace for over five years and in that time has helped implement unforgettable special events for thousands of children and families visiting Kidspace.  Prior to Kidspace, she worked as a camp counselor, after school program educator, soccer coach, and Peace Corps Volunteer in Zambia.