Planning Children's Birthday Parties

With my little toddler's 2nd birthday fast approaching, I know I have a lot of planning to do.  Favors, themes, guest list, activities, etc.  I came across an excellent website called The Party Works to help.  And I was so excited that Lisa from The Party Works offered to write a guest post for my blog to help me and my readers out!  Here is her excellent party planning 'to-do' list:

Kids’ Birthday Party To-Do List

When it comes to throwing your child a birthday party, you can never be too prepared. It’s a lot more difficult than many people think to pull off a great children’s party. You have to send out invitations, get some Mario party supplies, buy food, make food, and do what seems like a hundred other things depending on what your little one wants at his or her party. Even if you start planning weeks in advance, it’s still likely that you might forget to do something in preparation for the party. That’s why it’s essential to make a to-do list to help remind you to do everything you need to do. Here are some of the more important things you may need to do in preparation for your son or daughter’s birthday party:

 

1. Send out invitations early.

 

You may want to send them out up to a month in advance. This will give all the party guests time to RSVP and adjust their schedules as necessary to be able to attend the party.

 

2. Ask a few parents to help you chaperone.

 

You’re going to want to ask around early to see which parents might be open to helping you chaperone the party. You may also want to ask your parents or other family members to come to the shindig. Having a few extra adults at the party can be a huge help.

 

3. Get the cake, snacks, party supplies, and favors a couple of days in advance.

 

You’ll probably want to get these one or two days before the party. If you’re going to bake the cake, it’s a good idea to bake it the night before the party. You don’t necessarily want to save running errands to pick up these essential party items until the day of the party when you’ll have a whole lot of other stuff on your plate.

 

4. Create a party agenda.

 

Get together with the birthday boy or birthday girl and make a list together of the games and activities the children will play at the party. If your child wants to play board games at the party, make sure you have these board games on hand. Having an established party agenda will help the party go smoothly, since the kids will be too busy with activities to get into any trouble.

 

5. Go easy on yourself.

 

Planning a child’s birthday party is hard work. Don’t expect everything to go exactly as planned, and don’t blame yourself if something goes on at the party. Just deal with whatever needs to be dealt with and make sure both you and your child have fun.

 

Author’s Bio: Lisa is a mom and guest poster on the topics of party planning, child rearing, and being a working mother. When she’s not working or hanging out with her family, she likes to paint, draw, and write.