Ideas for Kids Birthday Parties

From LoveToKnow Kids

If you're looking for great ideas for kids' birthday parties - look no further. Throwing a great birthday party goes well beyond simply choosing a theme or having some decorations. A birthday party that will be remembered for years is one where even the smallest details are given their due attention.

Tips and Ideas for Kids' Birthday Parties

With theme packages from places like Birthday Express and Oriental Trading, pulling a party together is a snap. However, it's planning for some of the smaller details that really make a party outstanding.

Invitations

Start your party off right with sending unusual invitations. Don't settle for the invitations that might come with a purchased theme package. Try some of these more innovative ways to invite people for the big fiesta:

Buy blank craft puzzles at your local craft store and write the invitation on them. Disassemble the puzzle and send the invitation that way so the invitees have to put the puzzle together to get the message!
In lieu of party favors, buy each guest a t-shirt (you can purchase them inexpensively at a craft store), and some decorative fabric markers. On the invitation instruct guests to decorate their t-shirts and then wear them to the big event. You'll be surprised how they'll all want to sign each other's shirts!

Ideas for When Guests Arrive

It's always difficult to know what to do in between the time that the first guest arrives and when the last one arrives thus officially kicking off the party. Try some of these tried and true tips for keeping party goers entertained:

Have a craft table set up with open ended crafts for the kids to do. . .water colors and blank paper, play dough or clay or just about anything else would do fine. The idea is to keep little hands busy while other guests are arriving.
Along the same lines, have kids decorate a photo frame. As the kids come in, snap a digital picture. Have a parent print out the pictures on the computer at some point during the party and have the kids go home with a framed picture of themselves at the party.
Have older guests give birthday wishes on a video camera as they arrive. While older kids are more likely to mingle without as much direction, a video of birthday greetings will make for a fantastic video later.

Enlisting Help

No party is complete without some parental help. The trick to getting willing volunteers is to simply let parents know that you'll need help on the day of the party. Before you hand out invitations, make a list of all the things you will need help doing. Keep in mind that most of the time, parents who come to a party and stay would prefer to be doing something rather than nothing. Don't be shy about giving out small assignments like cutting out cake, etc. This ensures that the adults have a good time with the added benefit of things running very smoothly.

Opening Presents

Opening presents can be a tricky time, especially if your party is for the younger set and especially if there are a lot of presents to open. Consider some of these no fail tips to help things run more smoothly:

In lieu of a present opening time in front of everyone, have your child open presents as the gift bearers arrive. One advantage to doing this, is that both you and your child can remember who the gift came from. Secondly, there's no wiggly eyes watching for minutes on end while the opening happens.
Give family gifts later instead of during the party to help shorten the present opening time.
Little bodies in particular love to creep closer to the birthday child as presents are being opened. Use colored tape to section off an area so that everyone can see and so that the birthday child has some breathing room.

Party Favors

Ditch the candy bags and junk in favor for party favors kids might actually use. Most parents spend about $5 per bag. Here are a few things $5 can go towards:

Chalk and a small chalkboard.
A large bucket of sidewalk chalk.
Bubbles
Play dough
A book
A small stationary set
A nerf ball

The sky is really the limit - just remember there are a slew of things that the kids will think are cool, that fit into your budget, and that don't add to your guests' dental bill!

Sending Thank You Notes Afterwards

Once the party is over and the guests have gone home, make sure that your child sends thank you notes. Many children hate to write, and consequently, hate to write thank you notes. Try these tricks for making the thank you note writing process painless:

Use stamps that say thank you or even letter stamps to spell out the things for which you are thanking people for. Stamping is fun, and you'll likely here less complaints.
Let your child draw or make a picture and then photocopy it for each thank you note. The homemade memento will be heart warming, and photocopying it will make life easier for you and your child.
Take a picture of your child wearing or using the present to send with a thank you note. After all, when you give a present, don't you want to know that it is well liked?

Kids' birthday party ideas abound, and a little creativity is all you need to throw a fantabulous birthday party!

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