Kids’ birthdays are a time where parents’ patience and stamina are mercilessly tested: with dozens of little feet running around, shouts and laughter ricocheting across the party venue and scores of curious eyes always on the lookout for a chance of adventure, a birthday celebration can drain your energy and leave your nerves a broken bundle of pain. Fortunately, there are a few easy tricks that can help you organize a memorable birthday party without stress overkill: follow the steps listed below and throw your child a birthday they will never forget while allowing yourself to have fun and stay normal after the party ends.
Backyard Piñata Sessions
Yep, this one will involve some after-party cleaning, but it is definitely worth it. Children adore piñata, so if you want to make your little one’s birthday extra special, include a backyard piñata trashing session in the program. You can make the piñata yourself using a handful of affordable supplies and fill it up with candy bars, sweets, chocolate and other yummy filling.
Cool Costume Party
No wonder themed birthday parties are hip: they are extremely exciting for both parents and kids. Before you dispatch invitations to the parents of your kid’s friends, include a note about the mask-on dress code. Your child can pick their favorite cartoon characters which he/she would like to attend their party, so you can list these as recommended costumes.
Start the Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are a very popular party activity, so incorporating this game into the birthday program will definitely add a dash of adventure to your little one’s celebration. If you do not want to go to extra effort, you can hire an entertainer and inform them to include scavenger or treasure hunt in the party agenda.
Clowns and Magic Tricks are always Fun
Entertainers disguised as clowns and magicians are every parent’s invaluable ally when birthday parties turn into too much commotion and one too few nerves. Children love magic tricks and funny stunts, and professional entertainers know how to get children to quiet down as birthday whizz peaks off.
Board Games to Counter Boredom
As the party pace drops, whip out board games to keep boredom at bay. Ask other parents to bring along Monopoly, Scrabble, Risk and various math games for kids or order a few more sets if you are planning a big party. ‘The more, the merrier’ is a rule without exceptions when it comes to kids’ birthday celebrations with many little guests.
Put on a Puppet Performance
Puppet theatres are another engaging quiet time activity which can be included into the party agenda. Of course, you will need to work on your manually-operated theatrical skills and come up with an interesting script – but you can always leave the acting to professional entertainers if you do not feel like it. (Beware: puppet theatres are magnets for both kids and parents, so you can ask a friend to help you stage a play – you will certainly have tons of fun preparing for the show!)
Ready, Steady, Action!
Okay, so your kid may not spend hours watching reruns of their own birthday, but capturing the fun-filled moments on camera is still an excellent birthday party idea. You can film the birthday boy/girl and their guests playing from various angles, have them pose or act for the camera, and granted basic video processing skills, you can even edit the footage and create a mini-movie about the big day to send to kids’ parents together with a Thank you for attending note.
Kids’ parties are often a time of stress and they involve meticulous planning, but with these cool activities, both you and your child will have tons of fun organizing the event. Keep smiling: the party will be over soon, so have a blast and make memories while it lasts!