Kid's Birthday Party Planning

Here's What You Need to Plan

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1. Party Theme - Work with your kid to pick a theme for the party.... Princesses, Cars, Dinosaurs, the color blue.... possibilities are endless
2. Location- If this is at home, just make sure that you don't have major construction going on. If you plan to do this outside the home, you will have to book the venue.
3. Guest List- How many kids should you invite? There is a rule somewhere that says, "invite one guest for every year of the child's age". Well... that's fine, but... it seldom works.
   An off-site venue may have limits to how many kids they can accommodate.
   You will definitely have limits to how many kids you can accommodate.
   
   Make a note as RSVPs come in.
4. Menu Decide how elaborate you want the menu to be. This is also dependent on the time frame of the party. If it's an afternoon party, cake and ice cream are just fine. If it's mealtime... serve a meal.
5. Activities- Plan a craft, a story, a clown or pony... something for the kids to do... Pinatas are fun.
6. Games- Kids love games. They don't have to be complicated, just fun (we had a dance contest at my daughter's last party).
   Old standards like pin-the-tail-on the-donkey work for little guys. Scavenger Hunts are fun for older kids.
7. Goodie Favors- These are the take home treats for the kids. You can just let the kids take home their craft and pinata candy. We burned CD's of favorite dance music for one party favor. My other daughter gave her guests Tea Roses for her Tea Party Birthday.
   
   I try to avoid those silly little plastic toys that end up in the trash after a day.
8. Hire Help- OK, this should maybe be first. Find a teen, or two (maybe older sibs?) or a mom who's able to help. It will make the party go smoother.
   Also, hand someone your camera, and ask them to document the party. You will probably be too busy.