Children’s parties – how to plan the most amusing party!
Here below you will find a quick checklist – 10 things to consider when planning a kid’s birthday party!
Here you will also find links to our other pages with tips for the children’s party – invitation cards to print, lots of tips on different theme parties, tips on food, drink and cake and of course the children’s party games that make the party really fun! The children’s parties differ, of course, depending on the age of the children; specific tips and advice on the different parties you will find in our party guide under parties for 4-year-olds, for 5-year-olds and so on.
10 tips for the children’s party
1. Invitation
Be clear in the invitation to the children’s party; this will make it easier for the parents of the invited children and for you. The questions will be fewer and the whole thing will run smoother. Put both a start and an end time for the party. Will you be indoors or outdoors, are special clothes needed? Let them know if you will offer food, as this will allow parents to plan other meals. Does the party have a theme, inform and invite in time so that any outfit can be prepared – it’s always fun. If you invite your child’s friends from preschool, please be aware that all parents may not know where you live and how to get hold of you if you do not know each other so well, so also be clear with the address, rsvp-dates and your contact details.
In our cool invitation card app you can make and send your own party invitations right in your phone and additionally then easily keep track of who is coming. All completely free!
Read more and download the app here>>
2. Who to invite?
Who should be and who will not be invited may be a sensitive question, for example, among the friends at kindergarten or school. If you invite everyone in the group/class you can usually deliver the invitation at the preschool or school, but always check this with the staff first. If you do not invite everyone, contact the parents directly and try to avoid talking about the party in front of other children.
3. How long?
2-3 hours are usually right for a children’s party. It will not be more fun just because it is longer, instead it might be the other way around, if the children have time to get tired.
4. How many?
Adjust the number of children according to the space you have available. If you don’t have a lot of room indoors, it’s also fun to have a party outdoors, in the garden, in the yard, in the park or at the playground. Just make sure to inform parents that the children should wear clothes according to weather. Should it rain, don’t worry – the kids probably think it’s great fun to jump in the puddles. When choosing the place for the party, do not forget that access to bathroom facilities within a reasonable distance is important. You do not want to have to run around and take 20 children to go pee, who’ve drunk a lot of juice, because then you will hardly have time to organize anything else.
5. Planning & Theme Parties
Plan well. A party with planned children’s parties’ activities often become less messy than an unplanned with “free play”. In addition, it may also be more fun and memorable. Having a theme for the party is fun, and you can’t pretend otherwise.
You can have any theme – and of course it should be the birthday kid who chooses! A theme can be created with relatively simple means and do not need to cost more, just give it some thought. Go for costumes games and food that suits the theme. Popular themes are children’s favorite characters, ranging from Frozen and Batman to Pippi Longstocking, pirates, princesses, jungles and animals, circus or superheroes – only the imagination can put a limit on the fun.
Learn more about theme parties here and get tips on how to fix a party with different popular themes >>
6. With or without parents?
If the children are smaller, it may work better if the parents stay at the party and some children may not want to be left in a strange environment and with new friends. If so, also prepare something for the parents. Although they are not the ones who are invited to the party, a cup of coffee and a bit of cake for them as well is always nice. In addition, take advantage of the “resource” you have in the other parents; the party will be more fun even for them if they can join and help with activities and other things.
7. Food & drink
It is always good to provide something to eat at the party, if the kids first eat some “real” food, there will be less cake and candy, and altogether a little less sugar. But put some thought into planning the food, and make something that’s easy to eat. Children in the company of their friends at a party will not sit still very long. Avoid sticky food, as cleaning after the party will be easier. For example, make a skewer with meatballs, sausages and vegetables with vegetable sticks and serve in a paper mug with a napkin. Works perfectly to eat sitting on a blanket if you are outdoors, or on the floor of the playroom inside. You also save on the expensive paper plates and other accessories with theme motifs. Another great party food is pizza rolls (see recipe below) or perhaps a classic such as hot dogs and some good toppings. A bowl of juice, some fruit soda and fruit pieces make a really festive party drink.
8. The cake
Cakes decorated with fine motifs that fit the theme of the party is of course great fun. If you want to cover your children’s birthday cake with a marzipan cover, marzipan is available in different colors to buy at the store. However, as a beginner, it can be quite difficult to roll the marzipan thin and make the cover stay in one piece. The ambitious of you will buy a special metal rolling pin that makes it easier, those who want to take a shortcut adjust their color choice to the pre-rolled marzipan covers available in the grocery store. Another popular and relatively simple option is to make your own ice cream cake. With square ice cream blocks, meringues, chocolate sauce, biscuits and sweets, you can build almost anything – a castle with towers, a car, or a train.
Here you will get more tips on food, drink & cake for the children’s party>>
9. The Goody bag
It is difficult to arrange parties without the obligatory goody bag, most children simply will not think that a fruit at the end of an exciting treasure hunt is an acceptable option. But keep in mind that the candy bag does not need to be filled to the brim. A small candy box and a lollipop are good enough. The appeal for the children is getting candy, not how much they get. You can also do something a bit more fun and a little more useful, if you make your own candy, and for example give each child a cone with caramel popcorn (recipe on the page with party food).
10. Games for children’s parties
Think carefully when choosing children’s party games and take the age of the children into account. Pick games that include rather than exclude, and avoid children’s games where someone is “eliminated” or “out”. Even older kids might find that hard. And keep in mind that the main thing with kids’ activities and games is not that they are carried out to the letter as they were intended, but that the kids have fun! If there’s something that doesn’t really work the way you intended to, move on to the next thing.
Treat the kids to a Treasure hunt!
A treasure hunt of some kind is probably the absolutely most amusing kind of children’s game; it works both for children’s parties at home and children’s parties outdoors. One way to do it is to simply draw a treasure map with the treasure marked on it and perhaps also some other stations along the way where you make up challenges or riddles to solve. Want to get the right feeling on a treasure map? Use the old trick of crumpling it up a little, drag a tea bag over the paper and gently burn the edges with a lighter.
Read more about children’s party games here>>
We at grapevine develop ready-made party games and fun activities – and one of the funniest things there is, is a children’s party! With us you will find lots of different treasure hunts on different themes, each with a fun story and a mystery for the kids to solve using clues and tricky riddles and challenges. In our packages you get everything you need, you order, pay and get the file delivered immediately via e-mail. You then print out everything that you need to very easily fix the best children’s party game! Easy for you – lots of fun for kids!
Most treasure hunts can be implemented both indoors and outdoors and are available in two levels of difficulty, for children aged 4-6 years and for children approx. 7-10 years.
All our fun treasure hunts can be found here>
For the older kids, we have cool smartphone treasure hunts that are carried out outdoors, anywhere – the organizer decides for themselves the route and the children then carry out the treasure hunt with map and riddles on their phones!
