12 (and 1/2) Steps to Planning the Birthday Party your Child will LOVE!

Having a birthday party is an absolute blast! I get all excited to plan them. Maybe a little too excited; Soon enough the feelings of overwhelm begin, followed by some frantic searching on Pinterest, and then some more excitement (usually laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, imagining a new game idea or cool party favor). Do you feel this way when planning a party for your precious child? Or maybe you feel some dread or overwhelm without the excitement? Either way, you’re in the right place. I’d love to help you plan the next big bash!

For our 3, we don’t do and annual party, inviting friends and family every year, but we do try to plan some here and there. One at age 2, another for 5, one for 10 (which was supposed to be the Golden Birthday at 9, but covid). And here I am again, now planning for the age of 6! Each party has been so different, with different people invited. But each birthday party has been very special, and so much fun to plan!

How do we plan this incredible birthday experience? Let’s jump in.

#1 Brainstorm Your Birthday Party Theme

For me, it’s hard to determine the most enjoyable part of birthday party planning. Brainstorming ranks up pretty high! This is the dreaming. This is the imagination and searching and solving aspect of the whole thing. Brainstorm using the following guides:

With these answers in mind, let the brainstorming begin. Pinterest is a great place to find ideas that will match your theme. It could be a generic theme like cars/trucks or a more specific theme like “Lightning McQueen” & “Mater.” The ideas to search for are listed in the following steps. Let’s keep reading.

#2 Set the Time and Place

Before any more details can be formulated, the Location, Date, and Time should be set. Get out the calendar, and talk it over with Hubby. Make sure he’s on board with these elements for he’s your helper with this whole thing! It’s definitely team-work time for Mom and Dad!

#3 Decide who to invite

Take out a fresh sheet of notebook paper, and start listing who you would like to invite. My daughter keeps a sheet like this in her party planning notebook. It’s helpful to have two or three groups on the page: Kids, Adults, and Family, for example. That gives you a head count for games and “helpers.” If you’re inviting many little children, you will want some ‘hands on deck.’ This party will be smooth sailing.

#4 Make a Theme-based Invitation

Head over to the Dollar Tree for a great deal on write-in invitations! But, if you want to save your hand from writing your address 20 times, you can pull up a blank Word document and create a lovely invitation. This is great fun!

How to craft your own Invitation using Word.

1. Type your theme into Google.com/images and start copying or saving various pictures that fit the theme you are forming. Save these into a New Word document.
2. Set up another New Word Document that is size 4.25 x 5.5 (1/4th the size of a sheet of paper) and begin crafting the front.
3. Type “You are invited!” or “You’re Invited to a Party!” or “Come Celebrate with Us!” in a fun font across the top. Make it bold! Add a shaped banner behind it, or keep it simply text.
4. Insert a picture underneath.
5. Optional: Add a subtext below the picture: “To A Mario Kart Party!” or “An American Girl Doll Party!” Whatever reads best.
6. To fill up an 8.5×11 sheet of paper with 4 of these “fronts,” select all of your text, and copy and paste it 3 more times. (You will now have 4 pages in total).

1. To create the back, type the details of your party in a cool font.
2. Add a title, or a note, or a small picture, or don’t add anymore than the simple details. All options are great!
3. Again, since we are making 4 of these “backs,” select the page you just created and copy and past it 3 more times. In the end, you should have 8 small pages of your beautiful invitation.

1. To print your fabulous creation, first place cardstock or heavy weight paper in your printer.
2. In Word, select File, then select Print.
3. Change the printer setting to print “4 pages per sheet” instead of “1 page per sheet.”
4. Choose to print pages 1-4 for as many copies as you need (4 sheets will make 16 invitations, 5 makes 20, etc.).
5. Take your freshly printed front pages and place them into your printer again. You may want to do a test run for the next printing to see which way to place the page (face-up, face-down, top in, bottom in?). Test it out first, then continue.
6. Choose to print pages 5-8 for as many copies as needed.
7. After cutting these in half and half again, you have beautiful invitations!

If you’d rather not purchase envelopes, you can easily print your own and even print labels for all of the addresses if you’re into fun stuff like that! All up to you. Sometimes a quick grab at the store is much simpler. Don’t be afraid to let the inner creator come out and explore with these party invites and the plans to come!

#5 Choose the Cake

Choose the main dessert based on your child’s favorite treat! No matter what their favorite treat is, this is the food that you will be poking with candles and standing around, singing “Happy Birthday!” You want this to look really cool! Remember, simple is cool too. Whether you scoop up a yummy Ice Cream Sundae or go creative on an Olaf-Hot-Tub-Cake, be sure to make it your own.

Pinterest is a great place for cake decoration ideas! I’ve usually combined multiple ideas into my own version of “what I want to create” and “what I actually can create.” One year I formulated a Frozen themed party for my daughter. I baked two large sheet cakes to make a partially double tiered Elsa cake. She looked as if she was descending from her castle. It took lots of icing and lots of patience, and it was beautiful!

Another year, I ordered cupcakes from Walmart. They were put together to form a lovely yellow butterfly, and we brought them to Monical’s Pizza to celebrate with her soccer team’s end-of-the-season-pizza-party! This was a great, simple way to celebrate and yet a very special, memorable time with her soccer pals.

There are so many ways to do “the cake!”

The sky is the limit as they say. Make the treat that blesses your child the most! Have fun and enjoy.

#6 Choose the Decor

Choose the decor that matches the cake, that fits the theme! The spectrum is vast, and the options are yours for the making. Decide what you like. Decide what you’re willing to do yourself or to buy. And most of all, decide to have fun with it.

One year, we hung snow flakes on fishing line between the trees of the back yard. Here’s a video tutorial on how to make them!

Another year I bought colorful tablecloths and set up a kids table, adult table, and food table in the garage for a summer birthday party. We invited one awesome family to join us in the water fun. 4 adults and 8 kids made for a blast!

Most years I decorate one or two rooms with some streamers for the “day of” my child’s birthday. Now that my daughter is older, she loves to take over this job, and I gladly share it with her.

There are so many colorful hanging decorations out there. There are balloons too! Balloons can make an outdoor party really pop! Literally!

#7 Choose the Party Favor and/or Craft

Choose the party favor that matches the decorations, that matches the cake, that fits the theme. Is this a Dr. Seuss story? Do you get the idea. Each piece of your party planning can build off the other fantastic pieces! And, they all center around your theme.

Party Favors can include small toys, candy, pencils, and more. I’m planning to create circle pin-on buttons for our guests at the Mario Kart Party! I can print all 8 characters from the Super Nintendo Mario Kart Game, and make plenty for everyone.

In the past, we’ve made favors filled with candy, Squinkies, mini playdoh cans, or even lego minifigures (one per kid). That was a special treat at the Lego Birthday Party! Slinkies, Yo-yos, crayons, fun erasers, stickers. Both the Dollar Tree and back-to-school sales can be money savers when putting together these favors.

A craft that you make together at the party can also serve as the favor. This can be a great activity, especially if your child is a decorator and artist. Check out your favorite pins on pinterest, and remember to make it your own!

#8 Choose the Games

As with any piece of this party planning, the games and music can be optional. But, to me, this is the really fun part! Figuring out what games to organize for the children is another top favorite of mine.

When my oldest turned 8, we crafted a Lego themed party for him. I invented a scavenger hunt to search for StarWars Lego Minifigures around the house. Each one had a clue to solve, and after you found it, a pink number nearby to record on your sheet. Creating the rhyming clues was so enjoyable for me.

For my daughter’s summer Elsa party, water balloons and a piñata were the best choices.

Duck, duck goose. Freeze tag. Pin the tail on the donkey (the carrot on olaf, the rainbow tail on My Little Pony, and the list goes on). All games on the spectrum will be so much fun to play. Your child gets to participate in this activity with friends. No matter what you choose, it’s a win! Choose what works for your family and your guests, and play!

#9 Choose the Food

When planning for food, ask yourself what would your child choose to snack on and eat at this party? What is their favorites!? Now is the time to make those special requests happen (You know the ones; the food they ask for every time you’re in the grocery store!).

Now, that you have the food, you can get creative! As with all of the plans so far, follow your theme when it comes to designing (a.k.a. labeling) your food. All it will take is some alliteration and pun. Star Wars can be yummy with Chewy Granola bars for Chewbacca or White-chocolate covered Twinkies with a little icing art for R2-D2. Disney’s Frozen can be delicious with Blue Jell-O squares for Elsa’s Ice blocks or Marshmallow kits labeled: “Do you want to build a Snowman?” How about cheese balls for Bowser’s Fireballs? Have some fun with your designs, and your child is going to LOVE it!

Having snacks and drinks is one way to go. Having a full out meal is another great possibility! Make this party your very own. Do what your family will enjoy the most. Especially consider what will make this child’s day!

#10 Craft the Plan

Now that you’ve decided and brainstormed ideas for all of these aspects of your party, it is time to map out how this will all come together.

#11 Work the Plan

Do the awesome work that you’ve planned to do to make this party happen! Try to stay ahead of the game. Delegate some of the errands to hubby, and involve your kids in some of the work. Kids can cut, fold, stir, tape, stack chairs, and so much more! Make this party a family project and event that you all can remember for years to come. Have fun!

#12 Tips for success on the “Day Of”

• Be sure to have purchase fresh ice! Somehow, this one would always catch me by surprise, so I’ve listed it first.
• Plan to eat a good meal before-hand. Hungry bellies can bring out the grump pretty quickly. There’s a lot to do, so keep those bellies satisfied.
• Do as much as you can during the days leading up to the party. Some things have to wait, but as much as you can have done, the better.
• Greet your guests with a smile, and let them know how happy you are that they came.
• Smile and hug your children throughout the party. Remember why you put this whole thing together; to celebrate your child.
• Take a couple of pictures, but not too many that you forget to be in the moments. Just be present in those moments as much as you can. They pass quickly. Enjoy!

#12 and 1/2 Tidy up the House

I purposefully put this as only 1/2 credit! Your guests are not there to evaluate your laundry, your mopping, your tidiness, or your home decor. I truly hope they are not there for that reason. Your guests are present to celebrate your child and your family. They are hopeful for some time to connect with you. The kids that came can’t wait to play with your kids. They don’t care a bit if the floor is still covered with match-box cars and the beds are unmade upstairs.

Tidy up your space, but not to white-glove expectations. Here are the go to places to clean or tidy before your guests arrive.

Frequently Asked Questions

The last thing you need to know about planning Birthday Parties

• These events can be either a small, simple celebration or a huge undertaking! Both are fun. Choose which one fits the season of life you are in and the age of your child. Choose what fits, and go with it! You can do this! You can celebrate your children in the best way possible, the way YOUR family would do it.
• I know the scrolls through pinterest can be SO intimidating. Don’t go there in your mind. May your mindset be fixed: No comparisons here! Whether pinterest fails or pinterest wins, this party is going to be YOUR families’ celebration of YOUR child. That unique individual that was born to your family. Your party will be as unique also. Know this. Lean into this. Have fun, and create a party for your ‘baby.’
• Please comment below with your favorite thing about party planning. And please share some of the parties you’ve done for your special little ones (or older ones!). I hope to share some of mine with you in the future. I enjoy talking parties!

Keep Walking Friend,

Christina