There are few things as daunting as the prospect of throwing a birthday party for a raucous, boisterous group of little ones. Below the age of ten, kids need constant supervision and monitoring.
They need to be entertained, amused, and delighted by their adult captors (sorry, parents). Yet, birthday parties are a fact of life for most mums. They’re hard work, but they’re worth it to see those big, sticky grins at the end of the afternoon.
The problem is that party planning takes time and this is something that lots of mums already struggle to find. What they need is creative, fun ideas that don’t cost the earth or take hours to set up and prepare.
If you are currently in the midst of planning a birthday party for your child, it is important to acknowledge the practicalities of the situation. You, of course, want to be mum of the year, but the reality is that most kids are pretty easy to amaze.
So, keep things simple and don’t try to turn yourself into superwoman. Check out these cool birthday party ideas for some inspiration.
HIRE A PHOTO BOOTH
Any parent who has ever had to drag their child away from a photo booth will know that kids love taking pictures.
The vendor actually delivers the booth, sets it up, and takes it away when you’re done, so there’s no work involved.
FILL A PADDLING POOL
The spring weather is set to be rather lovely and mums always have an easier time if parties can be held outdoors.
It costs little to buy a paddling pool (or two, for large parties) and invite under tens to splish splash their way around the garden. As long as you have soft grass and keep a close eye on proceedings, you can kick back with a cold drink while they play.
HOLD A SPORTS DAY
With nothing more than a few bean bags, cones, a football, a Frisbee, and some cricket bats, you can hold an exciting garden sports day. Turn it into a tournament with prizes and lots of silly competitions – one legged races, who can spin around the fastest, etc. – and get kids expending energy and blowing off some steam.
HAVE A PICNIC
For smaller groups, tea parties and picnics always go down well.
Again, they can be held in the garden if the weather is nice or indoors if it’s cloudy. You can even make a big show of the event by knocking up a fake menu and presenting to guests. Keep it simple; sandwiches, cupcakes, sweeties, juice boxes, and finger foods.
MAKE YOUR OWN DECORATIONS
A lot parents go out and buy expensive party decorations for their kids, but they’re missing a trick by not getting the guest of honour involved.
It will save you money and build up anticipation for the event if you work on streamers, pictures, posters, banners, and more together. Not just that, but it is a really nice way to spend time with your children, particularly at a time when they are growing awfully fast.
CHEAT THE BIRTHDAY CAKE
Small children are much easier to delight than you might think.
Just look at how fond toddlers are of cardboard boxes on Christmas Day. The point is that your little one won’t know the difference between a cake that took twelve hours to make and one that was bought at the store.
For a super cool themed cake, buy a plain product from the supermarket and find something great to nestle on top (look in the toy box for inspiration).
WHY SMALL AND SIMPLE CAN BE SPECTACULAR
It can’t be stressed enough that children under ten aren’t concerned with the little things.
They want a Hulk on top of their cake. They don’t care if you didn’t make it yourself. They want to run around in superhero and princess costumes.
They won’t notice if the sandwiches aren’t perfect or the streamers are a bit DIY. So, party plan to the best of your abilities and opportunities. Keep the activities simple, the guest list small, and the love and cuddles in abundance.
Hope you enjoy reading above birth party ideas for mom! Visit Mummy Matters – Family, Lifestyle and Travel Blog for more information.
