Tips for Organising a Child's Birthday Party

Birthday parties are a great way to provide entertainment and fun for children. They are also ideal for bringing friends and family together. If you plan to organise a party for your child, you need to consider many factors in order for the event to be memorable and exciting. Below are some useful planning ideas and tips which might help you out in your planning efforts.

Leave plenty of time

Make sure you plan the party a good 2 weeks in advance, as their will be a lot of organizing to do, for example write the guest list; order supplies and decorations; plan the menu; and choose which games to play.

Take into account the ages of the children

Before planning the party an important consideration to take into account is the ages of the children as some parties will be more appropriate for some age groups than others.  You do not want to have to deal with bored teenagers or confused little kids!

Make a checklist

Before you do anything, sit down and make a check list of what you need for the party and in what quantity. This will help you keep track of what you have ordered or bought and what you still need to get. If you do this you won’t have any nasty surprises on the day, like forgetting the cake.

Budget

Once you have decided all the things you need for the party, perhaps you should think about drawing up a budget. This will help you keep control of your spending, as costs for kid’s parties can start to spiral out of control if not kept in check.

Keep up to date

Decide a theme for the occasion. It is best to choose a theme based in the interests of your child, be it their favourite cartoon character or television show. Ask your children who they like at the moment, as kid’s tastes can change all the time.

The themed party

Once you have your finger on the pulse regarding which children’s films, cartoons or programmes are “in at the moment” you can set about basing the party on their favoured subject.

You can go all the way and have decorations, fancy dress outfits, and music based on the chosen theme.  Other party themes which are popular with kids are:

Treasure hunt: Get into the swing of things by having costumes, jewellery, treasure maps and puzzles. This kind of party is great fun for children and can keep them occupied for hours. You can let your imagination go wild, basically, with this kind of party anything related to pirate stories or Treasure Island goes.

Magic parties: This is always good fun at kid’s parties. Hire a magician for the afternoon, and hey presto the magic can begin. Kids are usually fascinated by magic and marvel at how the rabbit managed to fit inside the hat, or at the magician retrieving all those handkerchiefs out of his sleeve. You could even hire the magician so they give the children an insight into the tricks of the trade.

Fancy dress: Why not have a fancy dress party, either get the children to come to the party in their own fancy dress outfits, and let the children have fun dressing up.

We can all remember all those hours of fun we had dressing up. This type a party is timeless. Obviously caution will have to be taken, dependant on the ages of the children as the older ones may find this kind of party “uncool”.

You can be as imaginative as you like with this, it doesn’t just have to be fun for the kids, and you can enjoy yourselves too.

Invitations

Create/buy unique invitations and be sure to send them 1-2 weeks before the party.

Cake & Decorations

Look for a custom birthday cake or consider cake decorations that fit with the theme.

Buy decorations and party supplies (from The Party People). We sell a great range of affordable decorations like balloons, plates, cups and tablecloths.   Helium balloons are an inexpensive way to add an instant party feel, and can be purchased in all different shapes, sizes and themes.

Entertainment

Furthermore, make it a point to choose games and entertainment that can keep children busy and engaged. You can go for traditional games or board games. Providing music is also great to get the children dancing and singing while enjoying the event.

Depending on the time of year, hiring a bouncy castle can provide hours of entertainment for the kids and precious peaceful moments for you.  Just make sure that the bouncy castle is supervised at all times. 

Menu

Plan the menu for your party. Be creative with the food, serve sweets, fruit snacks and finger foods.

Have party bags

A nice touch at a party is to give the kids party favours when they leave. They don’t have to be anything too expensive, just a nice memento for them to take away. If you are having a themed party, the favours can correspond with that theme, for example if you’re having a pirate party you can give the kids a bag of gold coins each.

Most importantly - have fun and enjoy the day!