Stress-Free Birthday Party
Planning your child’s birthday party can bring beads of sweat on your forehead! Whether you are planning the "BIG ONE", or subsequent very important birthdays, children’s parties have turned into major social events! And planning them has become a major task for parents. But don’t give up and call the Party Planner yetÉ.here are some tips to the rescue!
1. If you are planning a party for a toddler, pick their favorite "TV friend". There are party supplies for the almost all the "happening" toddler friends, i.e. Blue’s Clues, Sesame Street, Barney, etc. You only need to buy "themed" plates & cups for the kids, save some money and buy solid paper ware to match for the adults attending.
2. Pi–atas are always a blast, but for toddler birthdays "pull–string" models are much more fun and safe. The children pull the strings until one opens the latch and the treasures come pouring out! If you are doing a pi–ata, fill it age appropriate. Remember, the birthday child is the star, so use them as a guide. If you have a few younger or older kids at the party, it is easier to buy a few extra appropriate favors than to try to please EVERYONE with one sweep. Fill the pi–ata with candy and favors, and then hand out favor bags for the loot. Additional favor bags & goodies are not necessary (I am sometimes amazed, my daughter comes home with more "presents" than the birthday child of the party she was invited to!)
3. If you are planning your child’s 1st birthday, it is thrilling to go from store to store to find just the right supplies (unless you are working full-time and time is tight!), but that search can be traumatizing when you are going from store to store with any children over one! Especially party stores! SoÉshop online! You can buy your complete party, down to the confetti, via the Internet.
Keep it simple
Parents often ask me for suggestions for games at the parties. I always recommend keeping it simple. For children 1–5, a two-hour party is sufficient. By the time they gather, play a little, open presents, have some cakeÉwell, the party is almost over! Here are some simple games that have been "tested" and received rave reviews
For children old enough to coordinate their arms! Purchase enough "Sticky Hands*" (Wands with a sticky, gummy, hand attached) to give one to each child. Also purchase plastic "Gold Coins*" which usually come in a gross. Pour the gold coins on the floor or on a cardboard box if you are outside. Stand the children in a circle around the coins, closer for little ones, a little further for older. Then let the games begin! The children have to try to "grab" as many coins as they can with their sticky hand! This is a guaranteed half–hour game, if not longer, and the kids love. You can time the chaos and give the child with the most coins a small prize, and just let the others keep their coins. (*Sticky Hands, coins, and other toys/favors mentioned can be found in party supply stores or on my website at http://www.fantasticfests.com)
For children3+, you can purchase plain colored paper party hats. Also purchase small bottles of Elmer’s glue, and little knick-knacks to glue on the hats. For example, for a Princess Party, glitter and gems make great decorations. We did this and glued streamers on the hats for girls, and bought gold paper crowns for the boys. Write each child’s name on the hats before the party, and then let them decorate their own hat. WARNINGÉ.give them space. I recommend setting up a separate table for this craft. You can also buy foam shapes, glitter markers, feathers, yarn balls, etc to glueÉlet your child’s imagination run wild!
Children 4+ love treasure hunts! Purchase small favors as prizes. Split party up in two teams. Make clues of pictures for younger children, riddles for older ones. A fun variation is to take pictures of the clues before the party, and put the pictures in envelopes at each "station". Have enough favors at each station so each team member gets one. Great prizes are pencils, bouncing balls, fun erasers, marbles, etc. These can be taken home as favors in small favor bags (again, no additional favor bags necessary!). The winning team gets an "extra" prize, i.e. small notebook with neon markers.
Heike Boehnke-Sharp is a mother of two, and sells party supplies from her home at http://www.fantasticfests.com. In her "spare" time she is working on a book, and writes articles on "AP with a Twist", some of which are now featured on her website http://goddessinthegroove.com
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