Monday, March 30, 2015

Tips for Planning Children's Birthday Parties!


My youngest is about to turn one and I can’t believe it! Where did the time go? It seems like just a day ago we were dealing with poo blow-outs and wondering why is she spitting up so much?! This will be our final “one year-old party” so I want to make it special. (not only for her but me too… I survived once again!) We will be doing a glamourous (so easy) pink and gold princess party. Then after we wrap this one up, it’s time to start planning my almost-4-year-old’s Cinderella party! Here are some tips that I found really helpful with planning my girls’ birthday parties!

First things first, find a place to host your party:

Personally, I don’t like to host the parties at my house. Too much mess! We have so many beautiful
parks here in Seattle and at most parks you can reserve a picnic table or a shelter for a small fee for
a half a day. With the weather ever-changing here in Seattle, it’s hard to know if the weather will be
nice for the party. If you prefer an indoor venue, there are lots of kid friendly spaces that can be
rented for birthday parties too including the Cottage! With two spring birthdays, I don’t trust the
weather so both parties will be at the Cottage.

 

Pick a few games or an art project:

Depending on the theme of your party and the ages of your party guests, it’s a great idea to have some games ready to play! Parachute games or for the slightly older kiddos, a relay race or a good ol’ fashion
pin the tail on the donkey/horse or pin the crown on the princess. For my one year-old’s party the older
kids will be making princess magic wands. At Michaels, I found some cardboard white stars and I hot-
glued them to white craft sticks. The best part: super easy and super cheap!  The kids will glue on
sequins, rhinestones, stickers etc. Done!


Table-scape and Party Favors:

I love consulting Pinterest when I have a party coming up. It’s such a great resource for ideas. I
think balloons give the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to decorations. I always have
a lot of balloons, vinyl table clothes that go with the theme and the cake/cupcakes on display. 
That says “party” to me!  For some other great ideas, make sure to check out our
Pinterest board.

As far as party favors, let’s face it; we all despise getting a bag full of “junk” as party favors. I always
do some type of edible party favor. My favorite lately have been chocolate covered pretzel rods or personalized shortbread cookies that I found on Etsy.com. They are inexpensive and save me a lot
 of time buying them rather than making them… plus I love supporting other small businesses!

                   
                                
            Etsy: Treats by Taryn 
   
Etsy: Stone House Oven                                    
                                          
I’d love to hear about what has worked well for you for your kids!