Planning a Birthday Party for Your Child
Planning a birthday party for your child doesn’t need to be stressful. Everyone will have fun at the party, so you should have fun planning it. Kids don’t need overblown, hyper-structured events planned by professionals to have a good time, especially when they’re young. All they need are their friends, some cake, and fun games to play for a memorable birthday. As your kids get older, these will become cherished memories, but don’t let that stress you out. Mistakes and birthday disasters are the moments we remember, not the perfectly executed birthday party that went off without a hitch. Relax, blow up some balloons, and have fun with it—because the kids will.
When it’s time to decorate for your child’s big day, Amols is ready to assist you. We have a huge selection of birthday party supplies in San Antonio at our brick and mortar store and also online, with delivery available anywhere in the country.
Plan the Budget
Wanting to have a special day for your child doesn’t mean you have to spend two months of your salary to do it. The best birthday parties are the ones that get creative and involve some imagination in the planning. Set a budget for the party and stick to it. Whatever you can afford to spend and whatever you are comfortable spending is fine. If you set a low budget, reach out to friends and family to see if they have anything you can borrow. Most parents are more than happy to hand off things they don’t need anymore, so take advantage of it.
Involve Your Child
Don’t put the onus of planning the day on your child, but let them help. Involve them in picking the theme so you know what decorations to buy. They will absolutely have an opinion on that. Have them write out the invitations so that it’s more personal for their friends. On the big day have them help you with the decorations. That will be a lot of work and you’re going to need some help with that. Giving them some skin in the game will show them how much work goes into their big day and hopefully make them appreciate it a little more.
Send Out Invites
Invitations are important; if they don’t go out, then you’ll have no one at the party and one disappointed little kid. Send out the invites at least two weeks ahead of the party. That gives the parents enough time to plan and set the day aside so their kid can attend. Set a date for invitees to RSVP by so you know how many kids will be in attendance. Sending Evites makes things very easy, provided you have a list of emails, but that is very impersonal. Have your child handwrite invitations to their friends and hand-deliver them or drop them in the mailbox. Include some space to write on the invitation so the parents can include any food allergies or dietary restrictions.
Plan a Menu
When planning the menu, consider the audience. You will be feeding small children with small hands, so the food should accommodate that. In addition, the party’s timeframe will also determine how much food to prepare. if the party is only a couple hours, you won’t need much, but if it’s an all-day thing then make sure you have enough for the inevitable grazing that will happen later. Serve small, snacky finger foods that are easy to hold and eat. You’ll have a terrible time getting them all to sit down for five minutes, so give them grab-and-go foods. Mini pizzas, wraps, pigs in a blanket, sliders, and fresh fruit are perfect for a birthday party.
Choose a Theme
Having a good theme for the party will set the tone for the whole day. Involve your child in this process, too. You want them to be happy with the theme and have it reflect their personality and interests. It doesn’t make sense to have a PAW Patrol theme if they don’t like the show. Another possibility is no theme at all—just have a straight-up birthday party theme with balloons, party hats, streamers, and colorful banners. We have everything you need to decorate, including paper plates, cups, and dinnerware. Include some small accents to the party if they choose a popular theme, such as Batman or Frozen, and make them giveaways so the kids can take goodies home.
Buy or Make a Birthday Cake
The birthday cake is the second most important party component, next to the birthday boy or girl. Everyone wants to see the cake and, more importantly, eat the cake. If you plan on buying a cake, let your child have some input on what kind it is and how it looks. You probably know their favorite cake flavor, but ask them all the same and have the cake match the party theme. Making a cake for the special day will add a little something extra to it. Even if you aren’t an expert baker, the effort is noticed and the kids love it, even if they are too busy playing with their friends to say it.
Plan Activities
Kids don’t need every minute of their day structured and lorded over by adults, but it’s a good idea to point them in a direction. Come up with some fun games for them to play together. Don’t make the games too long or overly complex; their attention spans are still very short. If you can take the kids outside, give them a soccer ball or football to play with and let them create their own games. No matter what kind of activity you decide on, make it physical—after all, they’ll need to burn off that extra energy from the birthday cake.
Goodie Bags
Goodie bags are a fun way to thank everyone for coming to your child’s special day. Give them out at the end of the party as everyone is leaving. You can have the bags match the party theme. Put small toys, candy, or even a handwritten thank you note for your kid. If you have a pile of leftover food, send the parents home with a goodie bag, too. it’s better to give it out than have it rot on your countertop waiting for you and your family to eat it.