Birthday Parties are special not just for kids but for parents as well. We all want to make this day extra special for our little ones but I will not shy away from saying that birthday planning can be extremely stressful! But good planning is always instrumental in making things a big success!
Here is how I like to plan and suggest birthday planning!
First Things to Decide and Finalize:
Scale : Do you want to keep it super close, friends and family or a big social affair! This defines everything.
Date & Time : When and what time do you want to have the party is a crucial factor in deciding the venue. For example: In winters you might want to do a party in the lawn but in summers you might want a partly covered space. Also, check the availability of the members of the family and friends who are a part of the guest list!
Guest List: Having a guest list with division of elders and kids is important.
Venue & Menu : Decide the place for the party and the menu in sync with the guests. If at home, think about the catering options or help required.
Budget : I feel it is extremely important to preplan your budget before making any decisions. Budget each item separately and then check total costs! Make adjustments and decisions accordingly.
Decor Theme: Do you want a theme party or not? Either ways is great, but knowing beforehand helps you decide every little thing faster.
Check List
Decor : Be it DIY or outsourced, plan the decor and prepare things before hand. Pinterest is my go to place
Return Gifts : There are lots of online small business who do fabulous ones. Amazon has great options too. Advice: stick to your budget
Gift Wrap : Get brown paper bags or a nice wrapping paper for all the gifts to be given.
Piñata : A fancy or simple piñata with fillings like candy, whistles, tops, erasers etc is great. Kids love it
Cake : This is something all moms and kids get excited about so find a design and get the work started. Pro-tip: I avoid nut based cakes to avoid any allergic reactions. For designs, I Love Instagram and Pinterest.
Food and Beverages : If you are doing it at home, plan, pre-prep and store what you can before hand. If doing outside, brainstorm the menu to cover all age groups and be particular about level of spice in the food.
Games : Kids above 3-4 years love to play fun games so make sure you plan some fun ones. They can be simple or theme based. Some of my favourite games are sack-race, passing-the-parcel, simon-says, dunk-the-ball, pin-the-tail etc!
Music : Its always fun to have a good playlist for the kids playing in the background. So make a good playlist and arrange a music system.
Plates & Serve-ware : If its a a house party, make adequate arrangement for the same! Order disposables if needed.
Outfits : Getting a nice birthday outfit along with all the accessories is important. Pre plan and order it all.
Invite : Create an invite to send out or make the calls when in advance to know the expected turn out. I use Canva to create invites.
Thank You Note : I love to send a thank you note! Just change words of the invite and send!
Photographs : Make memories and clicks loads of them. Have family members or friends to ensure pictures are clicked. Create a Whatsapp group and share them with everyone who was at the party!
Birthday parties are special and we all go out of the way to make it so for our kids. Planning always helps to make it easier.
While we love the celebration, we also practise a small act of kindness on or around this day by donating to the needy.
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