Putting on a great party for your child can be much more simple than you may think!
Here are some basic party planning suggestions.
Play some background music on the CD player as guests arrive.
Have a craft table set up with a simple craft for the kids to do as you wait for everyone to arrive. These make great take home favors and can easily be adapted to a variety of themes. Some possibilities include painting sun catchers, decorating door hangers, painting a wooden craft, stringing beads on a necklace, glue sequins on a picture frame cut out of foam paper sheets, or color in theme coloring sheets.
If your party is for children ages 5 and up, it is a good idea to have a main event. This could be a treasure hunt, scavenger hunt, a rented bounce house for the kids to jump in, or centers set up for the kids to go through.
A lot of times favor bags are saved for the end of the party, but right before present time is also a good time to hand them out. This is especially nice for younger kids who get jealous watching the birthday child rip into all those presents!!
At present time when everyone is very excited and things can very quickly get chaotic, here is an idea to make each present giver feel special. Set up 2 chairs and have the birthday child sit in a chair and have a chair sitting next to her. Have each child take turns bringing up their present and sitting in the chair next to the birthday child as they unwrap and admire the gift. This makes the gift giver feel special and also gives the birthday child a chance to say thanks to them.
Saving cake time for the end is nice because the time can be adjusted as needed. If the party is running longer than expected, guests can quickly eat and go. Or if there is extra time, guests can eat and have a little free play time.
Keep your menu simple by serving these sure kid pleasers:
Fruit skewers (bamboo skewers with grapes, pinapple chunks, watermelon, strawberries) served with strawberry dip (for dip mix 1 small tub of cool whip, french vanilla instant pudding mix and a small amount of cream or milk. Cool in fridge until ready to serve.)
Chips
Pizza BitesSpread 2 T pizza sauce over English muffin top with shredded cheese and microwave
Mini pig in the blankets (all you need is 2 crescent packages and a can of cocktail franks. Cut each crescent triangle into 3 and wrap one around each individual frank. Bake 375 degrees for 12 minutes)
Chicken Nuggets with ketchup & honey mustard sauce
Sub sandwiches (get a few French bread loafs in the bakery section of the store and make up subs with cheese, ham, lettuce, tomato. Cut each sub into 4-6 pieces. Leave mayo & mustard in cups on the side)
Jello jigglers
Mac and cheese in a crock pot
Dish of candy
Now for the details of the party: The basic idea of the party is a treasure hunt adventure. It can easily be adapted to a variety of popular children's themes such as pirate parties, tinkerbell parties, or pirate/princess parties. As the guests arrive you can divide them into teams and each child will be given a special treasure hunt shirt in the color of their team to wear for the party (and take home as their special favor.) Then each team is off on an exciting treasure hunt that incorporates fun adventures along the way such as a pirate coin toss, pin the patch on the pirate, tattoo stop, a balloon toss, burying your team under the pillows and blankets in the birthday child's bed and much more guaranteed to get the kid's giggling!!
The clues should lead you around the house to common areas like the mailbox, birthday child's bed etc. and include indoor and outdoor clues. This is so much fun for the kids!! For younger kids each team should have a leader (parents that stay for the party) that follows the team around and offers hints when needed. Your clues can include challenges to do along the way that they have to take pictures of themselves doing to prove they completed it and this gives you lots of cute and priceless pictures of the party!
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