It feels good to be back! Sorry for the lack of posting last week, I was getting my rear kicked by a cold. Hopefully the last of those cold germs protected me from all the ones I was likely exposed to at a birthday party yesterday!
Ah, yes, the child’s birthday party. It is way too easy to go overboard when celebrating the passing years. I have seen some pretty outlandish parties in my time, though. For example, renting out fancy hotel suites at a water park for several hundred dollars to celebrate a tenth birthday. A tad over the top!
There are four key components to a successful child’s party:
- Location
- Decorations
- Food
- Entertainment
- Favors and invitations
Nail at least one or two of these and both your birthday child and their guests will have a great time. I’ll be looking at each one of these areas over the course of this week. Today I’ll start with location. You can’t have a party without a party place, after all!
Party at home
The least expensive place to have the party is at home. Keep the guest list small, a general rule is one guest per year of age, topping out at eight. There is no reason to invite the whole class, regardless of what the teacher tells you (honestly, she just doesn’t want to deal with whining. Hand out invites to the parents before or after school). I’ve found that boys usually have a core group of three or four guys they hang out with by the time they are seven or eight years old, and they are happy just inviting them. Girls usually have a larger social circle but still only have four or five close friends. If you don’t have room for a party though, you may need to move the fete somewhere else.
Visit a park
This is one of our favorite places to throw my oldest son’s parties, since he is a summer birthday. Most parks have picnic tables available, and all the entertainment is handled by the playground. Some of our local parks have splash pads, which are little water play areas, which makes them even more fun. Check with your park department, some cities require permission if you are having more than a couple families at the party.
That Pizza-loving mouse
You know who I am talking about. Big, grinning rodent that hawks pizza, arcade games and fun to our youth. Throwing a party through Chuck E Cheese and similar venues is not usually cheap, but you can save money. First, do not reserve the party and plan it through the establishment! Instead, show up early and stake out a table or two. Bring your own cake (most places allow this). Purchase pizza and drinks through the establishment, using coupons if possible. Many of these places have coupons available online. Purchase $5 to $10 in tokens and divide them out to the guests. This way, the party doesn’t cost more than $30 or so dollars, plus the tokens double as favors. If possible, plan the party for a weekday afternoon or evening—it is much less crowded.
Outside the box
Think outside the box for party establishments if you can’t have the party at home or at a park. Roller skating rinks are still around and often have inexpensive party packages. Small, kid-friendly restaurants may have inexpensive party packages, as well. Let the birthday child choose two or three guests then visit a pick-your-own farm. Your local community center or church may have a room you can rent cheaply to host the party at. Look at what is available to you locally and see if they offer party packages or group discounts.
Where are some of your favorite inexpensive party locations that are kid-friendly? Leave a note in the comments!
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