When your kid’s birthday is knocking at the door, it becomes the most hectic and overwhelming period. It leads to confusion on what to start with. This stress makes us fumble around trying to do everything at once, ultimately achieving nothing. It also makes us forget important aspects of the party and creates complete chaos. In reality, planning a birthday is fun and helps to improve one’s organizational skills. Here are some of the basic and most important steps to keep in mind while trying to plan a birthday party –
Choose a birthday party theme
A child’s mind is full of fantasies about their favorite cartoon character or a comic book hero, they read a lot about. It is not mandatory to have a theme for the birthday party, still, it can be a good way to create a special bond within the family. Themes make the party more engaging and fun for all the other kids. It adds a unique tone to the party and differentiates it from other parties. Some common themes include fairies and princesses, unicorns, mermaids, and dolls for a girl child. A boy would like more of a superhero theme or a theme about their favorite TV show or movie. Keep in mind the availability of props for the theme while confirming it.
Make guest list, send invitations
When starting, this can seem easy but the list keeps on getting longer and longer. To avoid this is by prioritize the guests for the birthday party. Do it by putting close friends and family first as the main guests. If the budget allows inviting more people, add them as well. It’s important to decide what kind of party is wanted – with only friends or friends and family.
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There are other things that you should look into after making a guest list. These include checking the availability and capacity of the venue or assessing the number of guests the house can host without being too compact. You also need to decide the type of invitation cards. Invitation cards are of three types. Ones that are bought from stores are more budget-friendly but have a generalized approach that may not go with the theme. Customized cards can cost more but will add uniqueness to the card. Lastly make some DIY cards which can take up a lot of time, but at the same time be joyous.
Select Venue for Birthday party
Choosing a location for the birthday party requires a lot of calculations. A party thrown at home can reduce the budget and make room for other expenditures. At the same time, it makes it almost impossible for parents to spend time with their kids. They have to prepare for the other activities and look after the house. Booking a venue provides some leisure time for the parents to spend more on entertaining their guests and enjoying themselves. When finalizing venues, make sure that open spaces are vulnerable to bad weather. A banquet hall having a lawn will be a safe fit to host a party. Assess the budget before choosing a venue. Please avoid such scenarios if possible. Finally, make sure to check age restrictions in certain venues before fully confirming the venue.
Arrangements for food
While this may seem relatively easy among all the steps, this is one of the most sensitive decision. How tough can choosing and ordering food be? Well, some children may have special dietary requirements or may be allergic to some food or dairy products. It is best to contact the parents and enquire if there is a requirement for the above-mentioned diets. If not then a generalized order would be easy. If there are requirements, make proper arrangements well before the party to ensure on-time preparation. A common but loved dessert serves as icing on the cake to the party and ends it on a happy and sweet note. Brownies, apple pie, and cupcakes act as some universally loved desserts. Ordering beforehand and a little surplus ensures a smooth eating session with no problems.
Ensuring party props and decorations
Generally, rented venues provide the decorations and complete them by their staff. It saves up work and stress for the organizers. Some venues do not provide the decorations so you can buy them separately and provided. You can buy Balloons, table cloths and banners from a nearby store. You can make Ribbons and confetti at home. It also saves a lot of money by doing basic stuff by ourselves.
Setting up games and activities
Games and activities bring life to the party. Children love to play games. Select the games according to the age group of children so that everyone gets involved and enjoys the games. When the games and activities are organized, someone senior should always supervise the children to prevent any harm or injuries to the kids while playing.
Making a to-do list to keep ourselves organized
A to-do list to mark all the above things will keep you organized. Make sure to take care of all the items and they must arrive in time with schedule.
All the things mentioned may not be as per the requirements of the specific party. It gives a generalized idea of what to do and take care of. You can also take help of a professional birthday pary planner.
Just to add a thought, we spend so much time preparing for a child’s birthday or a teenager’s birthday party that we do not keep in mind that the older people in our house deserve a party too. To spend quality time with them on their birthdays and make them feel involved and wanted can be the best gift we give them.