Planning Kids' Parties

I'm no professional kids' party planner. The parties we have done have been trial and error, home-made, on a budget but loads of fun and absolutely enjoyed by all (kids and adults alike). I figure there will be other mums out there who might benefit from my party planning process (and learn from some of my mistakes). So here goes...


1. Think of a Theme


A good theme has lots of things going for it. It should be something the birthday child likes and is into of course (unless they are turning one and too young to know or care!) A theme that lends itself easily to dressing up is always great. I prefer ones with related motifs that can match the theme (and food) easily, rather than having to always buy expensive licensed products. It also gives you more of a chance for creativity as well as saving $$$. For instance, with the Teddy Bears Picnic there are bees, honey, flowers, gingham, baskets etc. For Dash's 4th Birthday Pirate Party, we called it a Deep Blue Sea party, so we could use fishy motifs like sharks, dolphins, fish squirters, water fights and mermaids.


2. Let the idea "ferment"

I usually try to think of the theme at least a couple of months before the party (this is usually easy because the kids start thinking about their next party as soon as the last one is over!)

I kind of let the theme rattle around my brain and ideas start to come. I also keep an eye out when shopping in case I spot things that will add to the theme. I start collecting them over time, rather than do a mad dash at the end. This is great in two ways:

• It spreads the cost out
• Sometimes the great stuff you see is sold out or no longer on special closer to the party date.

About three months before Dash's Deep Sea Party I spotted some great $2 fish squirter water guns, that gave me the idea for a water fight and would be great as the take-home prize. Luckily I bought them when I saw them, because within a week they were sold out and I've never seen them since!

3. Coordinate the venue and guest list

Seems obvious, but this is where things can get tricky. If you're having the party at home, you have to plan for wet weather. If you have twenty six-year-old boys at home for a Sports Party and it rains... what then?? Is it worth having the party at in indoor venue? (you may have to book well in advance to get the venue you want)

Or, if your child's birthday is in winter (as my daughter's is) plan for an indoor party using more than one room in the house. For our Fairy Party we set up Princess's bedroom as a make-up/dressing room, had the dining room set up for a magical tea party, and used the lounge for the games. The treasure hunt was designed for indoors. Because of the limited space we had to keep guest numbers low - 8 girls in total.

4. Work out the Programme

I usually start with the invitations. I design my invitations on Photoshop, which gives me the look and feel I want for the party. (Click here for my free printable invitation designs).

Then the timing... how long do you want the party to go for, what time of day works best for the little guests? etc.

For example, Scrag's Teddy Bears Picnic was around two hours, from 11am to 1pm. This time of day best suits littlies around his age (between sleeps) and will cover the lunchtime period when they usually eat anyway.

The older kids' parties I tend to do in the afternoon, with an afternoon tea rather than a full on meal. I usually keep to a 2-hour time frame and structure the activities based on that.

I usually break up the time something like this:

• Guests arrive: allow 20 minutes for guests to straggle in. Have an activity planned that kids can join in with as they arrive, e.g. face painting, hair and makeup, free play on pre-set activities.
• A start-up game: (10-15 minutes) Something to set the tone and energy level; for example a dancing game or limbo competition
• Food and Cake: (30 minutes) Allow time to eat, Blow out the Birthday candles, and sing happy birthday
• Main Games (the remaining time):

If there's time (e.g. at hired venues you may have a limited timeframe) we open presents and offer guests some Birthday Cake; and of course present the guests with their party bags or take-home treats.


For the games I like to find ways to re-work old classics, like musical chairs, capture the flag and treasure hunts.


Sleepovers are a whole new ball-game... one we have bentured into now that our kids are older. Sleepovers means less kids, more time & simpler longer-lasting activities, e.g. for Dash's Dinosaur Adventure Sleepover, the boys played football in the garden, hid dinosaurs and then hunted for them after dark; played Buzz PS2 Dino Den and then watched a movie. Dinner was simple pizza and icecream sundaes. It was a great time with Dash's friends and surprisingly relaxed!

For the Fairy Party, I combined Pass the Parcel with a Treasure Hunt. In between each layer of paper was a rhyming clue which led to treats being hidden around the room. Musical chairs became Musical Toadstools, and there was a little prize for each fairy who managed to escape the magical fairy ring. Young children often get upset if they get "out" so it helps if you can put a positive spin on things. {Download Fairy Party Games here}

For a special 5th Birthday party, we hired a community hall (very cheaply) and invited the whole families of Miss Fab's friends to attend, dressed as Kings Queens, Knights, princesses etc. We called it a Royal Ball and had all kinds of dancing games. They all brought a plate of "something yummy". Rather than hire an expensive DJ, I downloaded some free mixing software, and made up my own mix dance CD for the Ball. We strung up borrowed Christmas lights and some homemade bunting. It was a magical night for all our friends, and cost not much more than a party at home.

Each party is different of course, and tailored to the age of the guests and the theme. For the Sports Party, we did the food last, as it's no good playing sports on a full stomach.

For Scrag's 1st birthday, where there were lots of very young ones, we had lots of free-play activities set up (slide, rockers & ride-ons, swings, playhouse, ball pit etc) and then at the end we went on a Bear Hunt to find Teddies, the Party Bags and a friendly (big brother) Bear.

A couple of things to consider:

• Activities may take longer or shorter than you have planned so it pays to be flexible; figure out in advance what you will scrap if you find you are running out of time, or what else you can do if things finsh earlier than expected
• Some games can "go to custard", so it pays to have a back-up plan just in case. For example, at Dash's Jungle Party we were playing a fun game of "Monkey Chase" which we had to pull the plug on after a young "tiger" fell apart when a very realistic "hyena" chased him down, and sent him running to his mum. His distraught sobbing meant the end to that game, so luckily we had a Plan B.
• Toddlers don't need many (if any) structured activities. They need lots of things set up for them to free-range play on. Like Scrag's second birthday Wacky Wheels party - we marked out a race track on our driveway and instructed guests to bring their ride-ons. There were other activities set up as well including a hired rollercoaster and petrol pump. It was perfect for two-year-olds.

5. Set the Atmosphere

Adult Help: A great atmosphere is the difference between a good party and a great party. In my experience kids often need adults to lead the way. I usually enlist the help of some fun adults I know to dress the part and lead the fun. Luckily my hubby Mr G is great at this: he has been Baloo the Bear, Tim from Hi-5, Captain Hook, and The Ref.


He has lots of energy and is great at getting the kids giggling, as well as keeping things moving. I have also been known to round up other fun-loving parents and even babysitters to be fairies, coaches and the gang from Hi-5.

I also usually ask a couple of mums to do the face painting; I have collected a box of facepaints and glitter over time and these get pulled out and added to with each party. If budgets are tight (as they seem to be these days) you can have a great party without having to hand over hundreds to special entertainers or face-painters. Just get a few handy friends to pitch in.

Teams: Sometimes kids can be shy at parties; they may not know anyone else there apart from the birthday child. It helps to have adults creating a fun and energetic atmosphere. When there are team games we pre-pick the teams; there's nothing worse than being the last kid standing at a party, unpicked. This also helps ensure that teams are well balanced.

Music: I always make a special mix CD for each party I do. I look online for songs that suit the theme and borrow friends' CDs as well. It's very easy to create your own mix CD using Windows Media player; all you need is a computer that has a CD burner. By tailoring the songs to the theme, you help create the kind of "feel" you want - from ethereal and magical (fairy), to high energy (sports).

Decorating: I always try to keep the decorating simple but effective. This is the fun part and where you can just let your imagination go to town. It's good to use what you have and borrow some stuff as well; you don't need to spend lots of money; Christmas lights and lengths of fabric can come in handy. Ivy is great for a fairy party (and free, if you can find where some is growing).

Cover the windows with blue cellophane for the Deep blue sea party and hang dolphins and sea creatures from the ceiling; a green tulle canopy strung with flowers and butterflies for the fairy party etc.

Think outside the box; don't just stick to expensive licensed products; go with a secondary motif for decorating; e.g. for Princess's Hi-5 party, I used hearts and stars: Easy shapes to cut out and find.  Innovative presentation really adds excitement; e.g. food displayed in toy trucks and trailers for Wacky Wheels Party looked amazing and cost nothing.

Food: Keep the food simple and easy to prepare. You don't want to spend your whole time in the kitchen at your child's birthday party! Food that can be prepared ahead of time is best. Click here for some of my party food ideas... It's also good to be aware of guests who may have food allergies (which are very common these days). Best to check with the parents and offer some alternatives for that child to eat.

And of course the Cake... so many ideas out there! Sometimes the simplest ones can look the most effective. If you're stuck for ideas, try doing a google image search on your party's theme. And if in doubt, just use lots of buttercream icing and lollies (yum yum)!

Or check out the 60 amazing cakes sent in by Readers...

Goody Bags: I am not a great fan of goody bags; I hate the cheapy chatty stuff they can be full of. I would rather get each child an inexpensive take-home gift that's useful and a little bag of sweeties.

For the Sports Party, I hunted for deals on Sipper Bottles and eventually found some cool Nike ones for $3 each. I named each bottle with sticky letter labels and the kids used them during the sports games and took the bottles home; there was also a little bag of treats each.

At the Fairy Party, the girls got an empty little flax bag with their own fairy label at the start of the party. They collected their prizes in it throughout the party. Plus I made a flower wreath for each little fairy guest to wear and take home with them.

6. Send out the Invitations...

About 3-4 weeks ahead is the best time to give out invitations. Sometimes it can help to email guests with a "save the date" alert, to avoid disappointments. Also it seems that most kids say "yes" to party invitations, unlike adults. In the early days, Mr G advised me to invite 15 if I wanted 10 guests, to allow for "No's". Huh! I ended up with 15!

I've found that usually only one or two kids will not be able to make it, sometimes at the last minute due to illness. There could also be a few "ring ins" turn up and sometimes it's good to have a spare bag of sweets or two on hand, just in case.

The Number One Rule for On The Day:
Don't sweat the small stuff. 
The point of the party is to celebrate the birthday child and give him/her a great day with their friends. There will always be mishaps and things that don't work out how you wanted them to - like the weather. Don't focus on what goes wrong. If you're running out of time, drop some non-essential things off your to-do list.

The kids won't actually notice many of the details. They will soak up the atmosphere. The details all go into creating atmosphere - but the sight of you stressed-out and grouchy will undo all your good work. So take a deep breath, relax and simply enjoy your child's Big Day.

• Click Here for my printable Party Planning Worksheet
• Click Here for my FREE Kids Party Invitation Website
• Click Here for more Party Menus, Tutorials & Recipes 

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My Kids Parties

• Fairy Party
• Deep Blue Sea (Pirate) Party
• Sports Party
• Jungle Party
• Teddy Bears Picnic
• Farmyard Party
• Royal Ball (Princess) Party
• Royal Ball How To's
• Dinosaur Adventure Party (with Volcano Cake)
• Wacky Wheels Party
• Fancy Nancy Party
• Star Wars Party
• Toy Story Party (with Rocket Cake)
• Tangled (Rapunzel) Party
• Tangled Party How To's