How to Throw a Successful Party
Plan carefully and in advance., Line up help., Have a time limit for the party., Have kid-centric food., Have appropriate games., Send them away happy.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Plan carefully and in advance.
What you really don't want to be doing is flying around a few hours before the party trying to get food and decorations and goodies all sorted out.
You also want to make sure that you know who is coming to the party, so you want invitations to go out at least a few weeks in advance.Make a list of the food you're going to have, the decorations and games you're going to need, what your budget is.
This way you won't be caught by surprise when the party suddenly rolls around.
Have a people limit.
Make it clear to the parents of the kids who are coming whether siblings are allowed, what the age group is going to be, and whether or not they need to stick around with their child (the answer to that is yes, yes they do).
Some people will ignore your request, but at least it will be out there and will make the more polite parents do as they are asked. -
Step 2: Line up help.
Make sure that your family knows what they need to do to help you out.
Do not attempt to run a children's party all on your own.
You will end up exhausted and worn out, no matter what, but having people to help with things like set-up and clean-up and the games can make everything 100 times easier.
Ask family members or close friends to lend a hand with the party (especially if they've got a kid coming to it).
It can be something as simple as bringing over some food, helping put up decorations, or even pick up the cake if it's a birthday party and you can't.
Have your kid help you make the invitations and the decorations.
This can be a fun process for both of you.
It will lend a kid's touch to the proceedings, which is really what it's all about, right? , If you don't do this, there are going to be meltdowns from the children and you'll end up as a de facto babysitter for some of the kids who aren't yours.
By having a specific time that you start and end, you'll make sure that people get their kids out of the way before all the tantrums start.If your child is at the age where they're still napping, make sure that you don't schedule the party right during nap-time.
That's basically a recipe for a meltdown.
Keep to their schedule as much as possible, by having it in the morning before the nap or in the afternoon after the nap.
Keep the party short (unless it is a sleepover, in which case, you'll want to limit the number of guests).
Have the party go for about 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours.
This will help make sure you and your helpers don't get too exhausted. , Even if you're a health nut about what food your kid eats, you can still make it so the food at the party is food that they like and that the other kids will like.
Parties are supposed to be fun and a little out of the ordinary (especially if it's a birthday party, or a party for a holiday like Halloween).
Try to avoid really messy foods.
This is why chips and snacks are so good for children's parties, because they're easy to eat while you're running around.
For example: spaghetti and meatballs is probably not a good choice for a kid's party, especially one with lots of younger children.
Depending on the type of party you can style the foods to go along with the theme.
For example: for a Halloween party you might have cookies shaped like pumpkins, or delicious pumpkin bars.
You could have baked pumpkin seeds, peeled grapes (eyeballs!), and that sort of thing.
It can be a fun idea to have a build your own ice cream sundae or cupcake.
Set out bowls of different sprinkles and different things they can build for dessert.
Make sure that you've put out newspapers underneath, because sprinkles will get everywhere. , Whatever kind of children's party you're throwing, you want to make sure that the children are properly occupied.
In the time that you have (1 1/2 hours to 2 hours) you'll probably want to have 1 or 2 activities.
Too many and the kids will be all over the place and too few games, the kids will get bored.Make sure that you have some activity planned right off the bat.
This eases the awkwardness and gets all the kids involved in something, so that they aren't just running all over the place.
Scavenger hunts are great fun for kids.
The level of difficulty can be raised or lower depending on the age of the children.
They can also be adapted to a variety of themes (Pirate treasure hunt, a princess scavenger hunt, find a pumpkin scavenger hunt).
Simple make sure that there are prizes for all the children.
Avoid competitive games.
You especially want to do this for younger children.
Competitive games mean winners and losers and the losers will inevitably start to cry.
To avoid that, have games like freeze tag where no one actually wins or loses. , This is an especially good idea for a birthday party, because (especially amongst the youngest crowd) tantrums may be thrown because they want gifts too.
To avoid this, have a little something for each child so that they feel included.
Have goody bags.
Most kids don't care that much what is in the goody bag, they just like that they're getting something.
Have it be a cheap, small thing that goes along with the party's theme (a sparkly princess hair clip, or a pirate's eye patch).
If you don't want to overload them with candy, too, have a thing of animal crackers instead.
You could also do a craft project that they can then take home with them.
Do something like make tie-dye (there are really easy kits out there, so that it doesn't turn into a huge mess), or get a bunch of different fun beads to make necklaces, or have them draw something related to the theme of the party. -
Step 3: Have a time limit for the party.
-
Step 4: Have kid-centric food.
-
Step 5: Have appropriate games.
-
Step 6: Send them away happy.
Detailed Guide
What you really don't want to be doing is flying around a few hours before the party trying to get food and decorations and goodies all sorted out.
You also want to make sure that you know who is coming to the party, so you want invitations to go out at least a few weeks in advance.Make a list of the food you're going to have, the decorations and games you're going to need, what your budget is.
This way you won't be caught by surprise when the party suddenly rolls around.
Have a people limit.
Make it clear to the parents of the kids who are coming whether siblings are allowed, what the age group is going to be, and whether or not they need to stick around with their child (the answer to that is yes, yes they do).
Some people will ignore your request, but at least it will be out there and will make the more polite parents do as they are asked.
Make sure that your family knows what they need to do to help you out.
Do not attempt to run a children's party all on your own.
You will end up exhausted and worn out, no matter what, but having people to help with things like set-up and clean-up and the games can make everything 100 times easier.
Ask family members or close friends to lend a hand with the party (especially if they've got a kid coming to it).
It can be something as simple as bringing over some food, helping put up decorations, or even pick up the cake if it's a birthday party and you can't.
Have your kid help you make the invitations and the decorations.
This can be a fun process for both of you.
It will lend a kid's touch to the proceedings, which is really what it's all about, right? , If you don't do this, there are going to be meltdowns from the children and you'll end up as a de facto babysitter for some of the kids who aren't yours.
By having a specific time that you start and end, you'll make sure that people get their kids out of the way before all the tantrums start.If your child is at the age where they're still napping, make sure that you don't schedule the party right during nap-time.
That's basically a recipe for a meltdown.
Keep to their schedule as much as possible, by having it in the morning before the nap or in the afternoon after the nap.
Keep the party short (unless it is a sleepover, in which case, you'll want to limit the number of guests).
Have the party go for about 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours.
This will help make sure you and your helpers don't get too exhausted. , Even if you're a health nut about what food your kid eats, you can still make it so the food at the party is food that they like and that the other kids will like.
Parties are supposed to be fun and a little out of the ordinary (especially if it's a birthday party, or a party for a holiday like Halloween).
Try to avoid really messy foods.
This is why chips and snacks are so good for children's parties, because they're easy to eat while you're running around.
For example: spaghetti and meatballs is probably not a good choice for a kid's party, especially one with lots of younger children.
Depending on the type of party you can style the foods to go along with the theme.
For example: for a Halloween party you might have cookies shaped like pumpkins, or delicious pumpkin bars.
You could have baked pumpkin seeds, peeled grapes (eyeballs!), and that sort of thing.
It can be a fun idea to have a build your own ice cream sundae or cupcake.
Set out bowls of different sprinkles and different things they can build for dessert.
Make sure that you've put out newspapers underneath, because sprinkles will get everywhere. , Whatever kind of children's party you're throwing, you want to make sure that the children are properly occupied.
In the time that you have (1 1/2 hours to 2 hours) you'll probably want to have 1 or 2 activities.
Too many and the kids will be all over the place and too few games, the kids will get bored.Make sure that you have some activity planned right off the bat.
This eases the awkwardness and gets all the kids involved in something, so that they aren't just running all over the place.
Scavenger hunts are great fun for kids.
The level of difficulty can be raised or lower depending on the age of the children.
They can also be adapted to a variety of themes (Pirate treasure hunt, a princess scavenger hunt, find a pumpkin scavenger hunt).
Simple make sure that there are prizes for all the children.
Avoid competitive games.
You especially want to do this for younger children.
Competitive games mean winners and losers and the losers will inevitably start to cry.
To avoid that, have games like freeze tag where no one actually wins or loses. , This is an especially good idea for a birthday party, because (especially amongst the youngest crowd) tantrums may be thrown because they want gifts too.
To avoid this, have a little something for each child so that they feel included.
Have goody bags.
Most kids don't care that much what is in the goody bag, they just like that they're getting something.
Have it be a cheap, small thing that goes along with the party's theme (a sparkly princess hair clip, or a pirate's eye patch).
If you don't want to overload them with candy, too, have a thing of animal crackers instead.
You could also do a craft project that they can then take home with them.
Do something like make tie-dye (there are really easy kits out there, so that it doesn't turn into a huge mess), or get a bunch of different fun beads to make necklaces, or have them draw something related to the theme of the party.
About the Author
Tyler Moore
Brings years of experience writing about home improvement and related subjects.
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