Planning a child’s birthday can be stressful and time consuming. You want to make it magical and bespoke for your child and his friends, and you also want parents of other children to be taken care of too! In order to make sure your party is planned to a T (and you’re not missing out!), take a peek at our checklist of the top 10 things to keep in mind while you plan.
Pro Tip: Ideally, your planning should begin two months in advance!
1. Choose a Party Theme
Observe your child or simply have a chat with them to see what would make their day magical. It could be princess or a superhero, or simply a colour combination.
2. Set a Date
Children love when their parties coincide with their birthday, so we recommend planning your child’s celebration for the weekend before or the weekend after their big day.
3. Venue & Budget
Depending on your budget, think about hosting your party in a banquet hall in a hotel or a restaurant (where catering will be checked off your list!). If you’re looking to save even more, consider hiring out a church hall. Either option will allow you to transform the space, and it will offer your guests plenty of room!
4. Mood Board for Décor
Once you have finalised your budget and venue, start creating a mood board filled with ideas for décor and even invitations. Pinterest is one of the best places to start your search! You can easily find ideas for complete themes or just ideas for invitations, décor, cakes, party bags, entertainment, food, and more.
Pro Tip: Keep all of your inspiration in one spot for easy reference, and once you see a theme in your pins, stop searching! Keeping an edited board is key.
5. Guest List & Invitations
In order to have a party, you need to invite guests! Put together a list of your child’s friends, and make sure to add family members who will enjoy the fun too. Then send out your invitations at least three weeks prior to your party so guests have enough time to save the date.
Canva has created this amazing tool which helps you to create your own party invitations which you can opt to print and send by hand or, send online anytime via email or share through your social media accounts.
It’s easy to use, has a wide variety of templates to choose from that can match your party’s theme coupled with inspirational articles that can help boost your design.
Here is the Link:
https://www.canva.com/invitations/
Pro Tip: Personalised invitations add a special touch to any party! If they incorporate your child’s chosen theme, your little guests will become even more excited because it acts as a surprise element for them.
6. Book Entertainment
Whether your budget is low or high, you should make sure you have an entertainer to keep your little guests engaged. In the end, children remember the things that kept them joyful throughout the party, plus children love to talk about the mascots they were able to meet!
7. Birthday Cake
Similar to choosing a venue, choosing your child’s birthday cake also presents options! Think about hiring a cake designer to bake a very special creation, bake a cake yourself (a great idea for children with food allergies!), or pick one up at the supermarket.
Pro Tip: We love when cakes have an extra special touch – a personalised cake topper from Etsy or even small balloons.
8. Catering
Never plan a party without food! We always like to ask parents if any children have food allergies so we can make sure there are plenty of options for everyone. If you are going to hire out a venue, make sure you have small hot portions, which appeal to the kids. If you are doing the food yourself, some of the best options are healthy sandwiches or wraps with carrot sticks and hummus. If you would like to serve hot food on your own, pizza is always a fun and economical choice!
Dessert is always necessary! We love designing sweetie tables because you can customize them according to the theme of the party. Think about including themed cupcakes, candies, cake pops, and ice-cream! There are so many items from which to choose.
9. Party Bags
Children always love leaving a party with a party bag, and we highly recommend creating them! Most party bags include stationery, bubbles, stickers or tattoos, and you can always add a little something extra, like a journal (perfect for older children), a colouring book, or even a picture book to read. Also, think about reusable bags – children (and parents!) love bags that can transport goodies home from a party and can then be used for weeks and months to come for school, outings, and more.
10. Birthday Present
Amidst all of this planning, do not forget to buy a birthday present for your child!
Are you planning a birthday party for your child? What tips would you add to our list?