Top 12 Birthday Party Lessons

 Helpful advice for party planning parents.

Top 12 Birthday Party Lessons

12. Plan ahead.  It’s no surprise that a birthday will happen again each year.

11.  What is your budget? Be realistic. Stay within it.

10.  More is less.  Better to do some things well rather than nothing at all.

9. Don’t over invite.  One sure way to cause stress is to invite lots of people and be overwhelmed by them.

8. Plan to do something.  Don’t expect eating and gift opening to be activities for children.

7. Traditional games are fun.  Freeze tag, memory, blanket forts, dramatic play, puzzles and card games.

6.  Crafts are great, they make an easy activity and take home favor.  Necklaces, bracelets, decorating loot bags or party hats are very inexpensive and fun.

5. Invite older children / tweens / teens  to help organize the kids and run activities.  These ages often love this responsibilities.

4. Limit your party to two hours.  One hour of activities, one hour for cake, food, etc.  It’s far better to send kids home wanting more than longing to leave.

3. When it comes to loot bags- less is more.  Try to give away one better quality item then a whole bunch of throw away ones.  A comic, coloring book, markers, a ball or a jar of play dough will likely be played with several times.

2. Cupcakes or cookies. Lots of children are very happy with a small cupcakes or cookies.  Large pieces of cake are often wasted.

1.  Remember to include the birthday child in the planning process (especially as they get a little older).  The kids can make decorations and help plan the activities that will make lasting memories for their friends, and especially for the birthday party child themselves!

Happy Celebrating, Happy New Year!

Check out Cindy’s post from last month: 10 Tips for a Gift Giving Treasure Hunt party.

Cindy Despins is the founder of dressupandplayparties.com.  As a stay at home mother of 2, she loves to provide her children with opportunities to play, be creative and learn.  She loves to share these ideas with other children and help parents out with her birthday party packages.