How to Plan your Kid’s Party LIKE A BOSS

In a few short weeks Rosalie will be turning TWO. Despite starting to pin ideas months ago, I still feel completely unprepared! I thought I would put together a little step by step guide of how to plan the perfect party, to help me see how much I have done and what I still have to do. I thought it might help you if you’re planning a birthday party for children in your life, or anyone for that matter.
I am going to try and keep things simple this year. I want to make the next few weeks as stress free as possible so I can really enjoy our birthday month together. That said even a simple party requires planning and the sooner I start organising the less work it will be on the day.
1. Send out invites
First of all you need to decide what kind of invites you are going to send out to your guests. You can find some great free downloadable invites online or you could even make your own. Etsy have some gorgeous designs which is where I bought the invites for Rosalie’s party from. I downloaded the design and then printed my own. I sent mine off to be printed at photobox for a few pounds.
Next you need to decide who you are going to invite to your party. Will you keep it small and just invite family? Or perhaps your child goes to school or nursery and you’d like to invite all of their friends. We have decided to invite family and a few friends with children a similar age.
2. Choose a venue
 
Next you need to decide on a venue for the party. You could hold your party at home, at your local village hall, sports centre, or even at a local park if the weather is nice. The venue will be largely be dependent on the number of guests you want to invite.
Rosalie doesn’t go to Nursery so she doesn’t have lots of friends her age. This meant we were able to keep the guest list fairly small and so have decided to host our party at home, we hope to have a garden party if the sun is shining.
 
3. Choose a theme 
Rosalie will be two on her birthday so she won’t be worried about what theme her party is. She is just very excited to be having a party. However I still wanted to choose a theme that I thought she would like.
Rosalie’s favourite colour is yellow, if there is a yellow option available she will choose it! Yellow cup or a yellow toy, she ALWAYS asks to wear her yellow dress or yellow shoes. This was the starting point for her party theme. I settled on a yellow and gold sunshine theme.
If your child is older they may wish to choose their own theme.  You could go for a rainbow theme, a princess theme, or even a jungle theme, there are so many options. Once you have decided on your theme you can get pinning for inspiration.
 
4. Set a date.
It’s usually a good idea to plan your party for the weekend so that your guests are not at work or school. Rosalie’s birthday is actually in the summer holidays so school isn’t a problem.
I still wanted her grandparents and aunts and uncles to be able to come so we have set her party for the Sunday before her birthday.
I  didn’t want to hold her party on her actual birth date as we plan to have a family day out on her birthday.
I have decided to have an open house from 12pm onwards so that we can stagger our guests arrival and it won’t be too overwhelming for Rosalie. That’s the plan anyway!
 
5. Food and drink
At a children’s party It’s always best to serve simple food. I am going to serve a selection of sandwiches, as well as crisps, crudités and dips.
The main attraction of the buffet will be the dessert table. I plan to serve, cup cakes, fruit wands, crispy squares and lots of other yummy yellow themed treats.
I plan to use paper plates and cups so I don’t have to worry about washing up.
7. Party decorations
Make sure you order your party decorations in plenty of time. You can get some great bargains from amazon and ebay but the items can have long delivery times.
I started ordering bits and pieces for Rosalie’s party months ago. I will be doing a separate post on all the party décor I have picked up so stay tuned for that. I’ve ordered a whole host of yellow and gold items to match our theme. These include balloons, garlands and banners as well as napkins, plates and cups.
Recruit family and friends to help you set up the night before and then do any last minute bits in the morning. Party bags don’t need to be expensive, for toddlers you could make up little bags full of little treats and toys. It’s very easy to get carried away but I am going to try and not go overboard.
8. Entertainment
You could hire a kids disco, bouncy castle, a balloon man or a face painting artist. You can even hire people that will take care of the whole lot, this can get expensive though. A few party games, such as pass the parcel and musical statues will be enough to keep most kids entertained.
As we are having Rosalie’s party at home we hope to get out all the garden toys. We have a trampoline, climbing frame, bouncy castle as well as a few ride on toys. I’m hoping that’ll be enough to keep the toddlers entertained.

Take a look at my latest video where I talk about how to plan your kids party LIKE A BOSS//

 

I think I have got most things covered. Now it’s time to sit back and relax so I can actually enjoy Rosalie’s big day. I have a tendency to get slightly neurotic about these things! Wish me luck.
Motherhood
Previous Story
Next Story

9 Comments

  • Reply
    Rebecca U
    15th August 2016 at 9:00 AM

    I do love to plan a party! Though my kids have only had quite low key birthdays so far. My eldest will be at school soon so think bigger parties will happen then x

  • Reply
    Harriet from Toby & Roo
    15th August 2016 at 6:21 PM

    I totally love this post! It's like organising a military operation! H x

  • Reply
    The London Mum
    15th August 2016 at 9:11 PM

    I'm terrible at planning my little ones birthday/ I always forget to do the inviting lol. I'll make sure to follower tips for his bday this year! x

  • Reply
    Dannii Martin
    16th August 2016 at 7:00 PM

    Lots of great tips! I am sure that pinterest is going to be essential when it comes time for me to plan a kids birthday.

  • Reply
    Steph Oakes
    17th August 2016 at 3:18 PM

    Parties look oh so pretty on pinterest don't they, but sadly mine never turn out like that 😉 The kids have a ball though and that's the main thing x

  • Reply
    Amanda
    17th August 2016 at 8:53 PM

    You are such a fab mummy. I am so lazy when it comes to parties haha. I really want to organise a good one for Teddy's 2nd birthday so will follow these tips xx

  • Reply
    Sarah - This Mama Life
    17th August 2016 at 8:57 PM

    Haha you sound so like me, saying you'll keep it simple this year and then going all out!! I just bloody love a party!x

  • Reply
    Everything Mummy
    18th August 2016 at 10:48 AM

    Awesome tips, I have my girls birthdays in dec, jan and feb busy times so I need to be organised! xx

  • Reply
    Stephanie Moore
    29th August 2016 at 8:13 PM

    I do love a party! I wish I could get married to my husband again so I could plan a big party again! Great ideas.

  • Leave a Reply