Ultimate Child Party Planning Tips

Follow these 10 essential Child Party Planning Tips to your Ultimate Birthday Theme Party off to the right start!

Throwing the Ultimate Kid Birthday Party doesn’t happen overnight, it's planned.

On each of the our Birthday Themes you will be given every detail on how to throw the Ultimate Party, but you must review these 10 child party planning tips before purchasing anything for your child’s Ultimate Birthday Party.

By answering and sticking to these 10 tips you will be setting yourself up for throwing the Perfect Ultimate Party for your child (stress free).

After the party is over, you will look back and realize how important this pre-planning was. The hour or two you spend planning and setting limits will save you a lot of time, money and heartache, I promise.

-- Ultimate Child Party Planning --

Child Party Planning Guideline #1
** Pick the Theme **

Your child is going to look forward to their birthday months before it arrives. Starting from their last birthday and all the birthday’s they attend through the year, they will ask the same question continuously, “Is it my birthday tomorrow?” Let them know how important their birthday is and make sure they are apart of the planning process. Start by choosing their birthday theme with them.

Every child is different, including siblings. You’ll want to choose a theme that is unique to what your child is currently involved in. No matter what theme you choose, if they had a part in the decision, they will be excited. If you get no response or participation, try and ask them what they are interested in. Guide them in choosing a theme, without coming out and choosing it for them. Look at the type of TV shows they are watching or books they are reading. If you still can’t uncover the Ultimate Theme, try answering the questions below.

What type of activities do they like?
- Do they like hands-on activities?
- Do they like to put things together?
- Do they like to play with action figures?
- Do they collect things?
- Do they like clean or dirty activities (glue, glitter, paint or cutting)?

What type of games do they play?
- Do they like to play sports?
- Do they like to play tag?
- Do they like individual or group games?
- Do they like interaction games?

What type of themed characters do they like?
- Do they have a favorite cartoon character?
- Do they like to act like a certain character?
- Do they like to dress up in a certain costume?
- Do they like to wear paint, hats or any type of props?
- Do they like to use their imagination and pretend to be pirates or cowboy and Indians?

After you have answered these questions, you should have a good idea on what your child would like and what kind of games and activities will excite your child. If they are really into sports, try a soccer or basketball theme. What about themed parties like Finding Nemo or Spongebob? If they are into dressing up and using their imagination, try a Pirates or Army theme. Narrow the theme down to a few that fit the answers to the questions and let them decide. Once they’ve decided on a theme, it’s time to move to the next step and establish a budget.

Just remember to provide your child with the most memorable experience they have ever had. By letting them get involved, you are giving them the best gift your child could ever want. If you follow these 10 essential party tips, you will ensure your child is given the most unique, one-of-a-kind Ultimate Birthday Party!

-- Ultimate Child Party Planning --

Child Party Planning Guideline #2
** Budget Considerations **

Now that you have decided on a theme, you should set a reasonable budget that is affordable.

This dollar amount is going to help in deciding how many guests, party location, party theme, loot bags, entertainment and many other factors. If you establish this budget early, the rest of the planning will be a lot easier. Each of our Birthday Themes comes with an estimated price based on a certain amount of kids. Choose a budget now, stick to it and your headaches will diminish and you won’t have to worry about having enough money left to make the rent.

-- Ultimate Child Party Planning --

Child Party Planning Guideline #3
** Party Location **

With the theme picked and the budget set, there are two possible locations where you could consider having the party, your home or the community. Both locations have their benefits and drawbacks.

If you are throwing the Ultimate Party for a young child, consider having the party at home. Young children feel more comfortable at home because it is more familiar. Also, having the party away from home can cause the child to misbehave or not join in the festivities. Your house gives you the opportunity to limit the party area by keeping the children and mess in a confined area. Also, there would be no need to run home if you forgot something and your guaranteed to have restrooms! Having a backyard party will also gives you more room for games, limit the damage to your home and usually will be less to cleanup.

If you are still worried about your house being damaged or just don’t feel comfortable with all those kids running around, consider having the party in the local community. There are many parks that allow you to reserve the area for a specific time, which could save you the heartache of showing up and having no room left. Choose a location close to your home in case you forgot any essential items.

Always, Always, have a bad weather backup plan! Make sure you have a designated indoor location in case the unexpected happens.

-- Ultimate Child Party Planning --

Child Party Planning Guideline #4
** Number of Guests **

Now that you have a possible location, it’s a good idea to set a limit on the number of guests.

From my personal experience, the rule of age plus one works best in deciding how many guests you should invite. This rule will allow each child at the party to be more involved in the activities. Large groups seem to keep the shy children quieter and the rowdy kids rowdier! If your Ultimate Party is for young children you should especially heed to this rule, because younger children can be overwhelmed by the noise and action at the party. If you want to go against the tried and tested rule, make sure you have a well planned out party and plenty of parents to help supervise and manage the games.

-- Ultimate Child Party Planning --

Child Party Planning Guideline #5
** Type of Guest **

With the number of guests decided on, you need to make sure your child understands they can only invite a certain type of guest.

Your child is probably going to want to invite every friend they have, but the type of guests (best friend, friend, classmate, etc) will be based on your budget limitations and number of guests. If your child is old enough (6 or older), make sure he understands that the more guests they invite, equals less money for activities and games. Each Ultimate Birthday Theme gives you an estimate on how much each loot bag will cost, which will help determine the type of guests your child wants to invite. Make sure you let your child make the guest list, which will allow them to feel more in control and your suggestions will mean something to them.

-- Ultimate Child Party Planning --

Child Party Planning Guideline #6
** Who should you invite? **

Now that you have selected a certain number of guests, what kind of guests he is going to invite, lets begin putting names on paper.

Start by including all your child’s closest friends. You can also use a class roster or a team picture to invite children. Try to invite a mix of boys and girls until your child asks for an all-boy or all-girl party. Inviting children with similar ages and interests will make your Ultimate Party run a lot more smoothly.

When you are making the guest list, try to group the children together by age and relationship. This will make it easier if you need to cut the guest list off. Your child is probably not going to understand why he can’t invite everyone he knows, so be ready to offer some alternatives. For example, allowing him to bring cookies or cupcakes to his school class or sports team will help your child feel like he isn’t cutting out his friends completely.

After you have completed your guest list, make sure you included any brothers or sisters. You will want to make sure the younger siblings are included in the process too and treated like one of the guests (loot bag and all). If they have an older sibling, they would make an excellent helper and you should utilize them in every aspect you can. Remember, this is a family event and the whole family should be involved.

-- Ultimate Child Party Planning --

Child Party Planning Guideline #7
** Party Time **

With the guest list established, let’s try to pick an appropriate time to throw this Party Bash.

The birthday party time is going to depend on the children’s age. For 3 and 4 year old children, plan on having a 2 hour party (including meal time if you are serving one). You will also want to consider traditional nap times. Try scheduling the party in the morning or right after an afternoon nap. I would suggest the morning party, which will allow you to setup the night before while your children are sleeping. This will eliminate the need to setup the party while the children are awake in the morning or rushing to complete the setup during naptime. Also, consider other traditional functions such as, church, sports and other weekend activities. You should try and schedule your party on a Saturday to eliminate children missing because of Sunday church service. Try and make sure you can accommodate your child’s closest friends and work around their schedule. Your child’s heart would be broken if their best friend couldn’t make it.

If you are having the party during a meal time, make sure you make it clear on the invitation whether you are serving a meal or snack. This will help eliminate the irritable child showing up on low fuel. For 3 and 4 year olds, I would suggest simple finger foods that you can prepare ahead of time. Anything more elaborate will require additional parents to help serve the food.

If your children are 5 and older, you should allow an additional 30-60 minutes for the party. These children are going to be more interested in the games, which will last longer. They will also want to talk amongst themselves during the party. I would also suggest serving snacks they can eat during the party. You can prepare these ahead of time so you don’t miss a moment of your child’s Ultimate Birthday Party!

No matter how old the children are, you should make it clear when the party is starting and stopping. After the party you are going to be ready for a break and you don’t need a parent showing up 2 hours late because you didn’t put an end time.

-- Ultimate Child Party Planning --

Child Party Planning Guideline #8
** Food, Snack or Refreshments? **

After you have established the time of the party, it will be a lot easier to determine if you are going to serve food, snacks or refreshments.

Whether you are going to serve food or not depends on what time the party is and your personal preference. If you are going to serve a food or refreshment, let’s get some ideas down. There are the typical foods like hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza and soft drinks. Or you may want to try some cookies, popcorn or other snack foods. If you can’t make up your mind now just wait until you read the party details in each of our Ultimate Birthday Themes, which includes a suggested food, snack and refreshment section. Don’t worry if you don’t have a definite answer yet, you can decide later.

-- Ultimate Child Party Planning --

Child Party Planning Guideline #9
** Music? **

Are you going to play music during your child’s Ultimate Kid Birthday Party? If you are, there is a little pre-planning that needs to be done. Do you have the proper equipment to play the music (CD/Tape/Radio Player)? If your party is going to be in the community, can you bring your music player with you? Are there any electrical outlets at the party location? If these questions aren't sorted out before the party they could be a large factor on whether your party made the "Ultimate" Party status.

Many of our Birthday Themes have suggested music you could play during the Ultimate Birthday Party.

-- Ultimate Child Party Planning --

Child Party Planning Guideline #10
** Have Fun! **

Now that you've completed all this pre-planning, it's time to sit back and have fun! Just remember, the whole point is to have an Ultimate Party for you child and create memories that will last forever.

Just remember these child party planning guidelines are just what it says, "Guidelines". You don't have to follow them or even read them. But if you do, you will thank yourself for taking the time because you'll realize how much time, energy and headaches you saved in the end.

Good Luck and I hope to see you over in the Ultimate Kid Birthday Party Themes section.

 

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