Party Planning 101: How to Plan a Kid’s Birthday Party

Did you know that many parents spend $400 on average for their children’s birthday parties, not including the money spent on presents?  

Planning a successful party for your child requires many components. 

Throwing a birthday party doesn’t need to break the bank or become too stressful, there are many ways to save money and sanity. 

Continue reading to discover how to plan the best kids’ birthday party that your child won’t forget! 

1. Select a Theme

One of the first steps in planning your kid’s birthday party is to pick out a theme.

Talking with your child about what they like, or just paying attention to their interests, can help you decide on what the best theme would be. If you are going with a surprise party, you may need to do further research on the theme.

Most often, your child will appreciate having the ability to select the theme. This will make it more enjoyable for them and easier for you. 

If your child can’t select a theme, you can easily decorate with their favorite colors and include pictures of them throughout the years. Don’t be afraid to work on DIY projects, your child may want to help during this step as well. 

2. Figure out the Numbers 

When planning a party you will need to consider how many people will be attending, this includes both kids and parents. 

Once you figure out how many people you want to attend, you can check out our wide variety of birthday invitations to send out to guests. 

When designing the invitations, be sure to include the time and location of the party, RSVP information, and any other information that may be necessary. Make sure that you give plenty of time and send out invitations weeks in advance.

This will help you better prepare for the event and order the correct amount of food. Along with ordering the proper amount of drinks and food, you will also need to know how many people are coming so that you can have enough seats for guests. 

3. Get Food and Refreshments 

Food and refreshments are one of the biggest parts of throwing a birthday party.

Besides getting a delicious cake filled with candles, having a meal and a wide variety of drinks can keep the party going. 

Don’t forget to ask if any children have any food allergies, or just try to avoid common food allergies. Staying away from peanuts (yes, even peanut butter), shellfish, and milk products can help you prevent any issues.  

If you want to be extra careful, you can include a spot on your invitations for parents to write down any allergies. 

4. Find Fun Games and Entertainment 

Every birthday party for kids is going to require a few games to keep the kids happy and having fun.

Getting entertainment, such as a petting zoo, magician, or band can make any party go above and beyond the average expectations.

Games are also a large part of parties and talking to your child can help you identify the best games to include. Limbo, Bingo, hitting a pinata, and playing other fun games can help keep the kids active throughout the day. 

Other ideas that you can use at the party for entertainment can be watching movies, roasting marshmallows over the bonfire, and even water balloon fights. 

5. Decorate

Decorating and setting up the party as much as you can ahead of time can help give you the opportunity to relax on the day of the party. 

Before purchasing or making any decorations, you should be sure of the selected theme and base the decor around it. Streamers, balloons, and confetti are often used to celebrate birthdays.

The decorations and theme should go hand in hand for the party, giving yourself plenty of time can also help save you money by getting sale items. Decorating is one of the best parts of preparing for a party and shouldn’t be put off until the last minute. 

Ways to Save Money on Your Next Kids Birthday Party 

As mentioned above, parents often spend several hundred dollars just to throw a birthday party for their children, but there are many ways that you can save money and put it towards better things.

Throwing a party doesn’t need to break the bank, take a look at some of our DIY decoration ideas that you can easily include! Giving yourself enough time to plan can help save you money in the long run, you can begin purchasing materials for the party earlier and on sale!

Other ways that you can cut costs for the party are by baking the cake yourself, not hiring a caterer, using DIY decor, and no-cost games. 

Saving money can help make the party more enjoyable to you and also help your child pay attention to planning.  

Cheers to Another Year 

Planning a kids’ birthday party can be stressful and overwhelming, utilizing the guide above can help you plan the best celebration of the year! 

Before going too far into the party planning, it is important to sit down with your child to have a discussion and plan for how many people will be attending. Once you have a list, you can begin the fun parts!

Don’t be afraid to ask friends and family for help with decorating and cooking if you are in charge of it, there are too many components of throwing a party to do it all yourself. 

Be sure to check out our blog for more articles, like this one, that can help you plan for any celebration!