Parents work hard to give their kids the best of everything. A magical and memorable birthday party is likely at the top of the list when it comes to really wanting to give kids what they want.
Planning a party can quickly turn into a costly event, but it doesn’t have to. With a bit of planning and some imagination, a great time will be had by the birthday child and guests. There are also great resources started by professional party planners that can help along the way.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
The location is likely to have the biggest impact on your budget. While the weather is still warm, it is easy to plan a party in your backyard or the local park.
Most of the time public spaces can be reserved at little or no cost at all. Be sure to give yourself enough time to reserve the space so that it doesn’t get taken.
If you’re planning on hosting the party in your backyard or home, start to think about how many people can fit in the space. Create your invitation list accordingly.
HAVE A PLAN (AND STICK TO IT)
Some people are not natural party planners and that’s okay. They do know when they’ve been to a fun party and how they felt when they left.
The important part is that it’s not about a fancy cake or over the top entertainment, it’s about making everyone feel included and happy. The best way to do this is to have a plan.
BLUEPRINT was founded by Monique Banks and Ariel Banks Baker, a mother and daughter team that took all of their party-planning insights and turned it into a downloadable blueprint plan.
With over a dozen plans to choose from, themes can be customized or just downloaded with a pre-designed plan. A good plan in place means that you’ve also planned your budget.
FOCUS ON HIGH ENERGY GAMES
Kid’s parties are often known to have magicians, pony rides, and professional face painters. This doesn’t necessarily guarantee a terrific time for all.
Monique Banks suggests that the secret to a party where the kids are excited are high energy games. This means that there are no games with winners and losers.
Activities like Simon Says and Musical chairs have kids that are out, getting upset and bored, and waiting for the winner to be announced before the next activity begins.
A successful birthday party has games where everyone is participating. Ariel Banks Baker remembers a marshmallow game at a child’s party. Where the adults joined in the fun because everyone was having such a great time. Bounce houses are another great way to have children play around and release some of that fun energy! With this they’ll have no trouble inventing fun games to play and entertain themselves with.
SKIP THE GOODIE BAGS
A great way to save money and cut the party budget is to skip the goodie bags. These days most parents (and kids) are not going to appreciate a few cheap plastic items that ultimately make their way into the trash.
Instead, have an activity that is also a craft. The kids will have a fun time making something that can be useful, and they get to bring it home at the end of the party.
Just make sure to write each child’s name on the project before they get started, and make sure it’s still there when they are done.
