Want to create a unique and special memory for your child? An at-home birthday party can be a fun and memorable experience, and it doesn't have to be overwhelming.
Birthday parties at popular locations can be easy, but tend to get very repetitive and not particularly memorable.
An at-home birthday party can be as unique as your child.
Many parents may steer away from this great experience because they can be overwhelmed by the prospect.
Here are a few quick pointers, to make your at-home birthday fun and easy.
For starters, an "at-home' birthday doesn't necessarily need to be in your home.
Many worry that their living space is too small for a bunch of kids, and this could well be the case.
However, you can create the magic of an at-home birthday party in a rented room at a church, community center, club, or other location.
Alternatively, you don't need to have a large birthday to make it fun and memorable.
In fact, the general rule of thumb is to have the number of guests equal the age of the child, in other words if the child is turning 5, only have 5 guests.
The key to making an at-home birthday party magical is to have a theme.
The theme is also what makes it fun to plan and prepare for.
A theme is where your child's imagination can shine.
Themes can range from common commercialized ones such as Dora or Spiderman to what your child loves, such as dogs or dinosaurs.
The summer before her fifth birthday, my daughter spent many days at the beach collecting hermit crabs.
So at the end of August, when I asked her what she wanted her birthday theme to be -you guessed it, she picked crabs! And we had a great time coming up with various crab games and crafts! If you have a bunch of children (or a few) in your home, the challenge is what to do with them.
So the key is to focus on the entertainment.
I find that many birthday party companies concentrate on the decorations, but in my experience, the decorations impress the adults more than the children.
Other than balloons, which children seem to love, decorations are not really necessary.
What is necessary is the entertainment.
With a few well-thought out crafts and games, you can both contain the children so they don't go wild in your house, and provide them with a fantastic time.
Crafts are fun because they are very hands-on, the children feel a sense of accomplishment, and they get to take something home as a reminder of a great party.
There are many craft ideas on-line, in books, and magazines, or sold as pre-made kits.
The fun is finding one or two crafts that fit your theme.
I generally recommend two crafts.
More is often too time consuming and the children can only sit still and focus of so long, but two offers variety and allows children to work at their own pace.
Older children often spend more time with their work, and therefore one more complex craft is probably good.
Younger children tend to go through the crafts quicker, but then look forward to the next thing.
If you have the children sitting on the floor or at tables making things, it is also a good idea to get them up and moving some.
I am sure some readers are thinking, yes, but...
I don't have space for kids to run around.
There are a number of games you can do that don't require a lot of space.
For examples, old classics, such as Simon Says or Duck, Duck, Goose, don't take up a lot of room.
These classics can also be modified to fit your theme.
Simon Says can become Superman Says and Duck, Duck, Goose can become Fish, Fish, Crab.
Of course there are other ways to go with entertainment and an at-home birthday party.
You also could hire an outside entertainer, such as a magician, or go for a movie party, but in my mind these make the parties more generic and less special.
In addition to entertainment, you also need to figure out food.
In general with kids, simpler is better.
Many go with pizza; you could also do hotdogs, sandwiches, or even just cake.
Birthday parties do not have to be at lunch or dinner.
Also, birthday parties do not need to be long to be fun.
My recommendation is 90 minutes to 2 hours at most.
You want the kids to leave while there are still having fun rather than tired and bored.
In summary, with a little creativity and planning, you can have a fabulous at-home birthday party that is unique, special, and memorable.
Birthday parties at popular locations can be easy, but tend to get very repetitive and not particularly memorable.
An at-home birthday party can be as unique as your child.
Many parents may steer away from this great experience because they can be overwhelmed by the prospect.
Here are a few quick pointers, to make your at-home birthday fun and easy.
For starters, an "at-home' birthday doesn't necessarily need to be in your home.
Many worry that their living space is too small for a bunch of kids, and this could well be the case.
However, you can create the magic of an at-home birthday party in a rented room at a church, community center, club, or other location.
Alternatively, you don't need to have a large birthday to make it fun and memorable.
In fact, the general rule of thumb is to have the number of guests equal the age of the child, in other words if the child is turning 5, only have 5 guests.
The key to making an at-home birthday party magical is to have a theme.
The theme is also what makes it fun to plan and prepare for.
A theme is where your child's imagination can shine.
Themes can range from common commercialized ones such as Dora or Spiderman to what your child loves, such as dogs or dinosaurs.
The summer before her fifth birthday, my daughter spent many days at the beach collecting hermit crabs.
So at the end of August, when I asked her what she wanted her birthday theme to be -you guessed it, she picked crabs! And we had a great time coming up with various crab games and crafts! If you have a bunch of children (or a few) in your home, the challenge is what to do with them.
So the key is to focus on the entertainment.
I find that many birthday party companies concentrate on the decorations, but in my experience, the decorations impress the adults more than the children.
Other than balloons, which children seem to love, decorations are not really necessary.
What is necessary is the entertainment.
With a few well-thought out crafts and games, you can both contain the children so they don't go wild in your house, and provide them with a fantastic time.
Crafts are fun because they are very hands-on, the children feel a sense of accomplishment, and they get to take something home as a reminder of a great party.
There are many craft ideas on-line, in books, and magazines, or sold as pre-made kits.
The fun is finding one or two crafts that fit your theme.
I generally recommend two crafts.
More is often too time consuming and the children can only sit still and focus of so long, but two offers variety and allows children to work at their own pace.
Older children often spend more time with their work, and therefore one more complex craft is probably good.
Younger children tend to go through the crafts quicker, but then look forward to the next thing.
If you have the children sitting on the floor or at tables making things, it is also a good idea to get them up and moving some.
I am sure some readers are thinking, yes, but...
I don't have space for kids to run around.
There are a number of games you can do that don't require a lot of space.
For examples, old classics, such as Simon Says or Duck, Duck, Goose, don't take up a lot of room.
These classics can also be modified to fit your theme.
Simon Says can become Superman Says and Duck, Duck, Goose can become Fish, Fish, Crab.
Of course there are other ways to go with entertainment and an at-home birthday party.
You also could hire an outside entertainer, such as a magician, or go for a movie party, but in my mind these make the parties more generic and less special.
In addition to entertainment, you also need to figure out food.
In general with kids, simpler is better.
Many go with pizza; you could also do hotdogs, sandwiches, or even just cake.
Birthday parties do not have to be at lunch or dinner.
Also, birthday parties do not need to be long to be fun.
My recommendation is 90 minutes to 2 hours at most.
You want the kids to leave while there are still having fun rather than tired and bored.
In summary, with a little creativity and planning, you can have a fabulous at-home birthday party that is unique, special, and memorable.
SHARE
