Gone are those days when birthday celebrations needed small preparations. During our time Ordering a birthday cake, decorating the house with some balloons and streamers, favorite drink Rasna and favorite snacks sandwiches, chips, patty and samosa s was all that needed. Calling your friends , playing the game of musical chairs, dancing on your favorite songs and giving back small return gifts and voila you had a perfect birthday party!
In todays times as your child s birthday approaches you are overwhelmed with emotions! as much excitement as it brings it also brings in anxiety for the parents as to figure out how to have a great birthday party but within a budget. The pressure to throw the perfect kids’ birthday party is real. Everything from the decorations to the activities to the place is your decision to make, and it’s normal for it to feel overwhelming—and expensive.
Till your child is 2 years old they have no understanding as to what a birthday is. so for first 2 -3 years the celebrations can be a small family affair with pampering your child and celebrating them. As they get older and start with school this is when all the craziness begins! They want the same things which their friends have, have the same decorations, same type of party which their friend did and the same kind of dress! The cake has to be elaborate and the birthday party has to have a theme. The list goes on and on and this is when it becomes stressful for the parents!
Before you begin to plan a party first answer these questions in your head
Do you really want to do that party or not!
Firstly answer this most important question. Ask your child does he or she wants a birthday party. Ask them what do they want to do for their birthday. And to your surprise they might not say a birthday party. Many times kids don’t want to be the center of attraction in a party and would not want to have a party. Kids want to go for a trip, a picnic, visit the zoo.
At times it also gets quite difficult to host a party. sometimes you don’t have the bandwidth for a party. No judgment here. Parenting is hard and so is life in general. Knowing when to let yourself off the hook is important.
Once you have made up your mind to throw a birthday party for your child think about ways to make it fun and inexpensive.
Sharing some tips to help you throw an affordable celebration without sacrificing any of the fun!
Prepare a Guest List
There is no rule saying that you have to call the entire class of the child, his or her park friends and dance or other activity classes friends. Its a nice thought but its quite unrealistic and manageable. Try to limit your guest list. Remember you’ll probably have parents sticking around too, and that can impact your food and cake budget.
Set a Time for the Party
One of the best timings to have kids party is between 3pm to 6pm. Children are full of energy. No one expects fuller meals at this time. Snacks and drinks are good enough.
Make your own invites
In todays times with technology overload its a great idea create your own invites online. There are so many options available just make changes in them and your invites are ready. Super efficient and cost effective.
Decide Where you want to plan the party
Firstly depending upon your guest list decide where you want to have the party in your house or book a venue outside. If the guest list is small you should keep the party at home and plan activities for the kids . But in case the gathering is large its a better idea to book a venue outside. Keep the party at home for large number of people will only turn out to be more messy and costly.
Always keep some Fun Quotient for the Kids
Kids are a powerhouse of energy. They have a super creative and destructive mind ! It is extremely important to keep them occupied at all times to keep them happy and yourself happy. Prepare a few free activities like some birthday party games like Musical Chairs, Freeze Dance, Charades, Three Legged Race and many more that you can online
Can do a Theme Party
You can have a theme party. The kids love to dress up and they can dress up in the their favorite book character and also yo can have a small story telling session by all kids.
Keep a small Magic Show and tattoo booths for the kids. I have always seen kids love a magic show. they get surprised and excited when a Magician shows his magic. It is one of the most loved activities for the kids in a party. Getting a temporary tattoo done makes the kids super happy as these are things which they don’t get to do on everyday basis and birthday parties are meant for all these fun activities
Try and Use DIY Decoration
There are so many printable decorations which are available online. You can use these to decorate. Use more and more balloons as kids love to play with them. You can think of a theme like Peppa pig theme and get printout of its characters online and make cutouts from it and use it for a photo session.
Have Easy Food Options
Always keep easy to eat food options for the kids as they will be running around and it will be difficult to make them sit to have a proper meal. Some options which has worked for me are Mini Pizza, sandwich, chips, popcorn, Fruit Kabobs. Use the cake as dessert as well.
Create a small craft station
Keeping this makes it whole lot fun for kids. Let kids decorate paper crowns, masks, or coloring sheets. Let them bring out their creative side and enjoy. Also let them take these back with them as part of return gifts.
Affordable Party Favors
Think of some creative things like stickers, colors, small toys to give as return gifts. Kids really like bling and colorful things even if they have less utility.
Conclusion
It is totally doable to throw a memorable birthday party on a budget . Keep interacting with the kids and be a part of their party! Trust yourself, loosen your expectations and you can do this.
Above all remember your parameters for success revolve around the birthday child and their guests, not the parents. Did your child have fun with their friends? If yes, you threw a great party.