Whether they’re turning three, six, or nine, the chances are that your little ones are asking to host a party to celebrate their birthday. It’s easy to feel daunted and perhaps a little overwhelmed at the thought of a dozen kids and their parents coming to your home, but the truth is that with a little planning and preparation, kids’ birthday parties can be lots of fun for all: even you! Below, we’ve put together some tips to make sure yours goes off smoothly…
Whittle down the guest list
Perhaps one of the most difficult things about planning your child’s birthday party is deciding who you should invite. Many primary schools insist that if your child is having a party that every member of the class is invited so that nobody feels excluded. Whilst this is a good idea in practice, it can make your party expensive - especially if you’re not hosting it at home. It’s a good idea to sit down with your child and ask them who they want to invite to their birthday party - and if it’s more than a handful of school friends, then it makes sense to invite them all.
Don’t want the whole class to come? Don’t hand out birthday invitations at school - send them via post or social media to your children’s friend’s parents, instead. Reaching out to them personally will allow you to make it clear that not everyone was invited, and if possible, consider hosting the party outside of term time to avoid any upset. If your child has a big friendship circle, invite fewer than half of the class - the last thing you want to do is exclude just a handful of children who will feel isolated if the rest of the class is talking about a party.
Think about activities
Activities can make or break a kid’s birthday party, so plan them in advance and consider having some ‘back-up’ games in mind should the children need some extra stimulation. Though many will be happy to come up with their own games and activities, a planned itinerary will keep your party on track and ensure nobody gets left out. Here are a few of our favourite activities - they’re free, lots of fun, and can be tweaked to suit your party’s theme:
The Floor is Lava: In this game, kids can’t touch the floor - instead, they must move around on cushions or other objects you’ve placed there, serving as “islands”. Keep a close eye on their feet - whoever accidentally touches the floor is out of the game!
Treasure Hunt: Buy a treasure chest and fill it with goodies like chocolate, toys, and colouring-in sheets and hide it somewhere in the garden. The kids can work together to solve clues and find the treasure - and share it between them when they do.
Stomp the Balloons: Prepare to get noisy! Blow up 50-100 balloons and place them around your living room. When the whistle blows, the kids must pop as many as they can: consider colour-coding and put the kids into teams to see who is faster.
Have background entertainment
The truth is that not every kid is going to want to get involved in all of the activities you provide, so having some background entertainment is another good idea. Whether you play some of their favourite songs from Cbeebies shows or you even play kids cartoons like Everything’s Rosie in the living room, having somewhere kids can unwind away from the jumping and shouting will make the party more enjoyable and take off some of the pressure.
It’s important that you consider kids with different sensory needs; having a quiet area in your home where they can go to sit and decompress after a noisy game of football could be a wise move - speak to parents to make sure you’re catering for any special requirements.
Get food and drink covered
Whether you’re inviting five kids to the party or fifty, the best way to cover a kids’ birthday party is with party food. Organising a buffet with some finger foods and snacks (think crisps, cakes, sandwiches and fruit and vegetables) is much more straightforward than planning a sit-down meal. Not only is it cheaper and more convenient for you, but it means that the kids can eat as and when they feel hungry, allowing them to focus on enjoying their special day.
If you’re feeling really creative (and brave) then you could make food and drink part of the party itself - we’ve got some great free recipes for kids on the Everything’s Rosie website. From apple and chocolate with walnuts to cornflake cakes, spooky spider cookies and cookie ice cream sandwiches, there are lots of fun and inexpensive ways to add a foodie element to the party - just be prepared for messy fingers and lots of cleaning up at the end!
Plan your escape route
Even if your little ones are having the time of their lives, the chances are that you won’t want your kid’s birthday party to go on all day. To take some of the pressure off, we recommend setting a start and end time for your birthday party - that way, parents know what time to collect their little ones and you can plan your activities accordingly. What’s more, if you’re tired of screaming voices and endless running and chanting, you’ll find the day is a little more bearable if there’s an end time in sight. Three to four hours is usually enough to have some fun, play games, eat some food, and celebrate in style: all-day parties are fine for us older folk, but little ones tend to get tired and grumpy once they’ve got bored of playtime.
Put timings on the party invitations and remind parents when they drop off their children - doing so means you’ll be less likely to have little hangers-on who outstay their welcome!
Do you have advice for planning the perfect kids’ party? Let us know your thoughts on social media - tweet @RosienFriends - and check back soon for more parenting tips and tricks.