Keep the guest list short:
It is not necessary to invite everyone you or your child can think of. You can limit the guest list to your child’s close friends and family if they live nearby. Don’t worry if the mother of one of the unlisted children is offended. It’s your son’s party and if this boy is not your son’s friend, let him pass. The mother will also get over it in time.
Time the invites:
Invitations for a boy’s themed birthday party can be safely sent out two weeks before the party. People tend to forget and the invitation can get lost among other letters if you send it earlier. Please indicate the time the party starts and ends clearly on the invitation. That way, people will know not to stay longer than expected.
Don’t expect everyone on the list to tell you that their children will be at the party. It is a good practice to phone those who have not responded to find out if they will attend and thus be able to attend more accurately.
If the parents are dropping off their kids for the party, remind them what time they need to pick the kids up again or else you’ll have some tired and cranky kids on your hands until the parents finally remember to pick them up.
Try to avoid weekend parties:
If you’re planning a small party for your child, it’s best not to have it on a weekend. He will find that brothers, sisters and even cousins will be joining him and he may have to budget for more children than he originally planned. Friday afternoons can be a good time to have a smaller party as all extramural school activities normally take place from Monday to Thursday.
However, if you enjoy big parties and family gatherings, have the party on a Saturday and enjoy it!
Budget for a venue or entertainer:
If you can afford it, reserve a venue for parties of some kind; Many times these places include party food for the kids and also serve coffee or tea for the adults. All you have to do is provide the birthday cake and some snacks for the parents accompanying their children. Another plus point is that the entertainment is on site and they also clean up afterwards.
If the party is being held at your home, be prepared to keep the kids busy with games or other forms of entertainment. A professional entertainer like a clown or a magician is always a big hit with kids, but if his budget doesn’t allow it, he must have plenty of party games up his sleeve. You don’t want the kids to get bored and invade your house.
Keep food simple:
Let your child help you decide on the food for your theme party, but don’t go overboard with too much food. Two or three bowls of age-appropriate candy, chips, and cupcakes will usually suffice. Add some mini pizzas or mini sausage rolls (easy to make since you can buy them ready made). Add to that some ice cream and birthday cake and all empty stomachs can be filled pretty easily.
It’s also good policy to ask parents if their children are allergic to certain ingredients, since the one thing you definitely don’t want is for a child to have problems after eating food they weren’t supposed to eat.
If there will be parents at the party, don’t go overboard with special food for them. Provide them with cookies (bake them yourself or buy some fancy cookie packets at a deli), add some cocktail sausage rolls, and serve tea or coffee. Leftover food can be frozen or stored in a container for the family to enjoy later.
Favors Bags:
Finally, let’s take a look at goodie bags. There’s no need to go all out with these (beware, your child will try to pressure you into providing the “best party pack”). Many times goody bags are taken home and forgotten. A few marshmallows, bite-sized chocolates, a small packet of chips, and a cutlet or two will be enough to satisfy little guests.
Novelty toys can be added, but if you’re not careful, they can cost a fortune and usually end up at the bottom of a drawer after a day or two. Why not make a small gift yourself, something to fit the theme of the party, or let guests make their own as part of the theme party activities?
