A child’s life is full of fun, friends and learning new things. Their birthday will be one day your child remembers, so be sure to make it special! Hosting a fun and fabulous birthday party is just one way to assure your child has a fun and special day that will leave lasting memories upon everyone who was involved. As a mother of a three-year old and a one-year old, I love to throw birthday parties! Whether you have a themed party, or just a gathering of friends, use the following tips as your guide for success!
Compose a guest list of all the people who are special to you as the parents, as well as special to your child. Any adult friends that love your child are perfect candidates for sending an invitation to. Everyone loves celebrating your child’s life with you. Invite a nice mixture of kids and adults if you want, or you could simply invite some of your children’s best friends over for the morning. Send out the invitations at least a week before the party and be sure to include a phone number to RSVP to.
You will want to be sure to plan some fun birthday party games. If you have adults, be sure to plan a few games that will engage them as well. Some classic kids games include, relay races, pin the tail on the donkey, treasure hunts, and balloon tosses! Some adult games to toss in may include guessing games, unwrap the present, musical chairs and a spin off game of hot potato. What ever games you come up, be sure that while playing everyone is having fun, and that the games do not drag on. If people appear to be bored, move on to the next one as soon as you have a chance.
Presents are a part of every birthday party, but try to not make them the focus. If your guests choose to bring presents, be sure to have your child open them one by one and check the gift over before moving on to the next. I would suggest not giving your child the presents from yourself to avoid over stimulation during present time. The more presents there are, the less your child will enjoy them. Make sure you take note who gave your child what and be sure to promptly send out thank you cards.
Food is also part of every birthday party no matter what the age! Serve age appropriate foods. If you have children and adults, be sure to provide some simple food for the kids and some more nutritional food for the adults. Chicken nuggets, noodle meals and finger vegetables are great for kids. Serve salad sandwiches or hot sandwiches for adults. Fruit salads are also a great choice for a healthy treat. Of course, you will need to finish off the meal with a cake, or cup cakes for kids. Decorate the cake simply and top it off with just enough candles for your child’s age.
One more great tip is to take lots of pictures! Your child will never have another birthday just like this one, so take lots of picture for memories. Be sure to get a picture of each stage of the party; games, presents, cake and play! Try to get each guest in at least one picture so that you can remember all the people who helped you celebrate your child’s birthday!
