I celebrated my birthday just over a week ago and had a giggle to myself when one of Albie’s school friend’s excitedly asked me “what party are you having?”. For children attending a kids birthday party is the highlight of their social calendar and it’s no surprise since there can be up to 30 a year!! I may not have had a birthday party but I did have a Llama birthday cake which my Beans were all very excited about.
Money Saving
Birthday parties can be expensive, not just the cost of throwing the party but also as the parent of an attendee, it can be difficult to know what to give the birthday boy or girl. KidsToyGenerator is a new online tool which helps to take the stress out of gift-giving and party bag favours as well as reducing the cost since all toys are priced at just £1 each. By answering a few questions the Kids Toy Generator will provide you with a selection of toys according to the age and personality of the child. You can also search for educational toys for maths, literacy, arts & crafts, science and music according to age so you know you’ll get it right every time.
Successful Parties
Having four children means that we have had our fair share of birthday party ideas and attended our fair share of kids birthday parties so we have seen what has worked and what hasn’t.
2-5 years – our most successful parties at this age were the village hall with traditional party games but not everyone feels comfortable entertaining children themselves so soft play parties were perfect for this age group. Look around at local garden centres and smaller play areas or a playbus where the capacity will only hold your party. This makes things slightly less chaotic and stressful.
6-9 years – during this time we have enjoyed crafts parties, sports parties such as football, rollerskating, swimming and tobogganing parties. We have also organised pony riding parties which were a huge hit.
10-13 years – as the children get older you can make things a little more adventurous. My children have loved ski parties, climbing walls and camping parties.
Another really fun idea which all ages really enjoy is a photo booth where you can have lots of fun with props and costumes to make fun birthday memories. Search for Photo Booth Rental Fort Worth to book for your next party.
What the bloggers say:
Looking for inspiration and birthday party ideas, I have been asking around a few blogger friends to see how they have thrown a successful birthday party.
Hire an entertainer! It takes the pressure off you so you can just sit back and enjoy it while they do the hard work! – Laura at FiveLittleDoves
Go to a play area, build a bear, local cinema or somewhere that does a package. It will be far less stressful and you’ll get to enjoy it as well as the kids! – Jade at MummiesWaiting
Try and join up with another child, Last year my youngest and his best friend (thankfully only days between them) had a joint birthday party. We split costs down the middle but was able to split all the things that needed doing too! So we both took care of different things, it meant we were not getting stressed with the lists of all the things that needed doing. – Jaymee at TheMumDiaries
Our most successful party was a Wacky Warehouse – turn up, kids play, eat food & go home. So easy no tidying up – Emma at TheCheshireWife
We always do a village hall. Hire a bouncy castle, make loads of food and have some old fashioned party games and everyone is happy – Louise at PinkPearBear
Portion out party food into colourful boxes instead of laying it out buffet style. You will save on money and waste and the children love it – Natasha at MummyandMoose
Party bags are usually filled with cheap plastic toys that break or are chucked out soon after. You can get great deals on books which make a more long-lasting party bag favour alternative – Clare at RedKiteDays
A successful party doesn’t have to be a huge-invite-the-whole-class type party. We did one for my 6-year old involving mosaic kits from our local craft shop with ten kids in total at our house. There is a lot of pressure to hire halls and book huge parties. Small and friendly is fine too – Jodie at MaidenHeadMum
Try not to feel pressured by other people’s birthday parties. Also, I used to think I was saving money by having it at my home and actually I spent more than it would’ve cost me at Wacky Warehouse – Sophie at YorkshireFamilies
My daughter’s birthday is New Year’s Day so it’s a bit of a tough one for a party! Everyone is always busy or parents are hungover.
Oh no that’s a shame for her now, looking forward though everyone should always be up for a party when she is a young adult 😉
I agree, with Kids its all about the parties and my nephew has 4 this month alone, the last one they went to a cinema.
Mine have never been invited to a cinema party, I can’t imagine them all being able to sit quietly for long enough 🙂
Fab tips! Parties at home can definitely cost more than going out if you’re not careful. Beach hut parties are a favourite with us ?
Oooh, I haven’t heard of a Beach Hut party, perhaps because I don’t live near the coast, but I think my children would love that!
I prefer parties for my children where someone else does all the tidying up, such as a softplay however that can be expensive. We have also had smaller parties at home which the children have enjoyed just as much.
The catered for parties I find are much easier when you are inviting a lot of children.
I love organising my children’s birthday parties! The one Hey Duggee themed party I did for my son was a big hit!
My youngest would have loved a Hey Duggee themed party too!
I had a circus themed party for my 40th last year. We had a dress up photo station, fairground games, a fortune teller. It was great fun.
Oh I love the sound of that, what a great idea 🙂
There can be so much pressure for parents to put on a good party. Sticking to a simple theme that is fun and easy is key for sure xx
You are so right, children often enjoy the simplest of parties. I think it’s a case of parents getting competitive which adds the pressure x
i love the idea of a camping party! why didnt i think of that – my daughter is born in september so its still warm enough for one kind regards Pati Robins