Planning Children’s Birthdays

Planning Children’s Birthdays

June 13, 2015 Off By Jane
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Birthday parties are fun for everyone. Whether you decide to have the traditional party at home or go a step further by having the party at a popular kids venue, the choice is yours. However, planning and implementation can be time-consuming, expensive, and arduous if not handled in a savvy manner. With the right approach, steps can be taken to make the planning of the party as stress-free and successful as possible.

Planning

The key to every successful birthday party is timely planning. Believe it or not, the best time to start planning is anywhere from one to three months before the party. This allows time for unexpected incidents to take place without completely upsetting party plans. It also allows some time to fix any of those unexpected incidents that may come up.

Perhaps the first step in the process should be a discussion with the birthday boy or girl. Get an idea of what he or she may want to do. Decide how many people to invite and consider the entertainment.  Of course, if the party is going to be held in your home, there’s more flexibility in planning. However, if you plan on celebrating at a popular children’s venue, it’s extremely important that you set a date and make reservations. Failure to make reservations early enough could result in a missed opportunity to have the party at your chosen venue.

A Month Before

About a month before the party, before you set the date in stone, make sure that essential guests will be able to attend. This is the time to change dates if it means that an important guest has limited availability. This is also the time to send out invitations and start planning the substance of the party.  What activities are going to be a part of the celebration? Anything planned for the outdoors should have an indoor alternative as a backup, in the event of bad weather. Opening gifts should be left for last, in case time is short. This is one activity that can be skipped if necessary. Last but not least, get that all-important list of supplies you will need for the big day. If anything needs to be ordered, do so now so that there is adequate time to receive it.

The last few weeks should be used to go over the guest list and reach out to any guest who failed to RSVP.  Plan your menu and round up your volunteers. If you are making the cake from scratch, bake it ahead of time and freeze it. The cake can be iced the night before the party. Make last minute safety checks of the areas where the party is supposed to be held, if necessary.

Birthday Venues

If you are having the party at a venue, call to ensure that everything is set to go as planned. Take the time to verify plans so that you know what to expect from the package that you paid for. The wonderful thing about parties that are held at popular children’s venues is that most of the work is already done for you. The parent can sit back and just enjoy the day. Generally, there is a party host to guide the party and custom-fit the celebration to suit your child’s wants and needs.

Whatever you and your birthday boy or girl plan for the big celebration, there are ways to go about the planning that save time and headaches. If the choice is to have the celebration at a popular birthday spot, it eliminates a lot of work. Most venues have party packages that cover everything from food to activities. Little is left to do, allowing kids and parents alike to sit back and enjoy.