Planning the Perfect Kid’s Birthday Party

Pulling off the perfect birthday bash for a kid is sometimes tricky as you may overlook something you think is trivial but which means a lot to the kid. The costumes, food and drinks, games, décor and much more must be gotten right for the kid to feel the bash was good and amply entertain her/his friends.

The best way to ensure everything is considered and taken care of is by having a checklist of activities and items needed.

Planning checklist

  • Make a guest list and a budget
  • Choose 2-3 dates and time agreeable to the must attend guests – give special consideration to your child’s best friend(s) and close family members availability.
  • Look for a birthday venue if not having the party at home
  • Choose the party theme and décor
  • Select menu. If you want the food catered for by a catering firm, look for one and make the menu together
  • Send invites. Digital invites work better for easier RSVPs and Thank you notes

You will need different preparations depending on whether the party is being held at home or at an outside birthday venue. If the bash will be away from home;

  • Check whether all needed décor items are purchased
  • Check out the party favors offered at the venue. Look quality stuffed animals and goodie bags and see if the venue allows you flexibility to pay for ONLY the amount used of these items so you can pre-order larger quantities to ensure no last minute run-outs.

If you engage a birthday venue, let them run everything so that you are stress free. Let them decide on the what/when/why/where questions of the bash.  The venue usually has a timeline that works well to ‘Make it All Happen’.

  • Review the venue website and brochure to see what to expect before, during and after the bash.
  • Confirm what can and cannot be brought to the venue,
  • Book party décor items like balloons through the venue,
  • Confirm that venue has standard utensils, discuss color of utensils to ensure they match with your theme.

If the party is at home ensure;

  • The needed kitchen and table wares have been bought. Take an inventory of forks, plates, knives, cups, cake lighter, and serving utensils and buy anything missing
  • Order whatever party rental you will need (Tables and chairs)
  • Schedule the cleaning service 1-2 days before
  • Plan for 2-3 hours of activity and games
  • Order entertainment services (Inflatables, trains, reptiles, characters…etc.)
  • Plan for a cleaning service to come 1-2 days after the event to get your house back to normal.

2-3 days before the party;

  • Confirm with the birthday venue regarding guest counts / give-aways / food / timeline
  • Assemble all needed items not provided at the venue; drinks, costumes, goodie bags etc
  • Prepare the camera with fresh batteries

1 day before the party

  • Buy perishable food items and chill the drinks
  • Pick up the cake
  • For a home party prepare food items that can be refrigerated

Bash day

  • Designate an assistant to help you out
  • Decorate before guests arrive
  • Have a gift check-in system
  • Prep thank you cards
  • Prep the birthday kid on how to say thank you

After the party

  • Share photos and videos on social media
  • Send Thank You notes

Ultimate Arena Aliso Viejo

3 thoughts on “Planning the Perfect Kid’s Birthday Party

  1. Our son is having his first ever big party, and as I’ve never planned a huge party for a kid before, I really appreciate your tips for keeping everything fun and in budget. Checking to see if the venue has party favors is definitely a good idea, and that may factor into who I consider depending on the theme we go with. We’ll be sure to look at catering as well, as you suggest, because I definitely don’t want to cook for all of those kids.

  2. Birthday cakes aren’t indispensable part of this cheerful celebration, and for many people their best part of the party. Since it’s such an important part of the celebration many people give a lot of consideration when it comes time to select the birthday cake.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *