Organizing a kid’s birthday party or an adult birthday party might sound like the easiest thing in the world; Balloons, cake, something to drink. How hard can it be, right?
But like so many other things in life, there is always more to it.
In this post, I will help you make a plan and ensure that you can organize a fun birthday party. All it takes is my seven small steps. When you complete these steps, You will be ready to host the best birthday party.
Set a date and time for the birthday party, set a realistic budget, send out invites in advance, ensure there is enough food and drink, pick a suitable party theme, and plan some exciting party games and activities for the birthday. Use a Checklist to ensure that everything is taken care of.
1. Setting a date for the party
Setting a suitable party date is more important than you might think. Stay clear of Thanksgiving, the 4th of July, and other significant event dates.
When setting a date for the birthday party, you should also choose when the party should start and end.
If the birthday party is too short, it can feel too high-paced and feel like it’s over before it even gets started; on the other hand, if the party is too long, you might end up with a boring party and kids that are getting restless or even burned out from all the activities.
Make sure you keep the birthday within the recommended length of a birthday party; if you don’t know how long a birthday party should last, I’ve made a post where you can see the recommended length of a kids’ birthday party right here.
2. Set a budget for the party
Knowing your budget limitation is crucial for planning a birthday party. There is no right or wrong answer here; it all comes down to how much you are willing to spend on a birthday party. In other words, the budget directly impacts what you serve at the party and perhaps even how many guests you would like to invite.
3. Make the party invite fun
It’s much easier to know how many you should invite to the birthday party after setting a budget. If the birthday party is with family and friends, then make sure that the birthday child gets to invite some friends as well, so isn’t only friends of the parents.
If it’s a kids’ birthday party for schoolmates, keep in mind that some schools have rules that the whole class needs to get invited so no one is left out.
Remember to send out invites to the guests for a 6-year-old birthday party 1-2 weeks ahead of time, but if it’s a sweet sixteen, you might want to send out invitations earlier.
Make the invite fun
Instead of sending out normal invites, you could send a box with a treasure map for a pirate theme party or perhaps a cowboy hat for a wild wild west theme party. This little trick helped me set the mood before the party started.
4. Pick a theme for the birthday party
Picking a suitable theme for the party helps the birthday party come together. When selecting a birthday theme, keep it consistent throughout invites, decorations, and party games.
The most popular theme party ideas for a kid’s birthday parties are themes where the kids get to be dressed like Superheroes or princesses and ride on unicorns. For more action; a cowboy or cars theme might be suitable. Toddlers love bubbles and rainbow color parties.
Kids love costumes, so why not make a costume party that fits the theme?
It doesn’t have to be over the top, a cowboy hat may do the trick for a cowboy theme birthday.
11 Best themes for kids’ birthday parties
I have listed some of the most popular themes for kids’ birthday parties below, where you can find inspiration for the party you are planning;
- Superheroes
- Princess
- Unicorn
- Rainbow
- Bubbles
- Sports
- Hawaii
- Dinosaur
- Pirates
- Cowboy/Cowgirl
After you have picked a theme, try to find 2-3 colors that allow the decoration to stand out.
5. Plan games and fun party activities
You’ll need to pick some great party games and activities to make the birthday party fun. And if you choose suitable games, people will talk about your birthday for ages.
You can do a treasure hunt, rent a bouncing castle, or perhaps make a Sumo wrestling match in the backyard.
Treasure hunt
A Treasure hunt is always an excellent idea for a kids’ birthday party. If the kids are pre-schoolers you can use images instead of text, to make the treasure hunt easier for them. Make sure the treasure hunt isn’t too long.
Unicorn or pony race
Make a Derby horse or unicorn race. This is a fun party activity played on Pony hoppers or unicorn hoppers. These are not available in all countries or states, but you can make a relay race if you are out of luck on the pony hoppers.
Sumo-Wrestling
Sumo-Wrestling suits or Superhero suits are fun. I use them for wrestling, Relay runs, and Soccer matches. It’s an easy setup, but you must monitor the kids to ensure they don’t get injured while playing.
Bumper soccer or King of the Hill
Perhaps you are unaware that Bumper balls are made for kids and adults. The kids’ versions are made for the age of 7 up to 12 years old. Teens can use bumper balls for adults.
Popular bumper ball games are Bumper soccer and King of the Hill.
If you want more inspiration for fun and games for your kids’ birthday party, we have made several articles on the topic. Find the articles on fun party activities here.
6. Food and drinks that matches the theme
You should have picked a theme for the party by now. And now it’s time to make a birthday party menu suitable for the theme.
As I mentioned earlier, under picking a theme, you will get a long way by choosing a few colors for the theme, and the same goes for the food and drinks that you want to serve at the party.
Popular Food & Drinks for Kids birthday parties:
- Slushies
- Cupcakes
- Popcorn
- Candyfloss
- Candy apples
- Mixed fruits with a chocolate fountain
- Pancakes
I am working on a post on how you can make the Food and Drinks for a kids’ birthday party more fun.
7. Planned out the birthday party in steps
Then you have finished with the first 6 steps, then it’s time to build your step-by-step plan for the birthday party.
The reason why you should plan out the birthday in steps is to make sure you don’t skip a step doing the party.
My recommendation for what steps to include:
- Greeting the guests and tell them about the secret happening to create suspense
- Give your phone number to the kids’ parents and get their number if they are not staying, so you can contact them if needed.
- Play the first game
- Eat cake and get something to drink
- Open the presents
- Play the second game
- Surprise happening
- Fun fruit drinks for the kids
- Free play until it’s goodbye
As you might have noticed I have put in a step for a secret happening or surprise happening of sorts.
If you have any suggestions or fun ideas for a kids’ birthday party let me know in the comment section.