Planning Your Child's Birthday Party

As the date draws nearer, the excitement surrounding a kid's birthday party escalates to a fevered pitch, but in some cases, so can the budget and chaos that come along with it. In order to ensure a peaceful and happy event, be sure to put together a game plan and stick to it. In this article, we will offer up a few tips to help you plan your child's upcoming birthday bash.
Step 1: Set out a budget for the entire event. This should include everything from food and decorations to party bags and entertainment. Put together a list of the expected guests, using an amount per guest figure to aid in determining your food options, entertainment and venue.
Step 2: Keep in mind that you kid doesn't necessarily need to have an extravagant party to enjoy themselves. Depending on the age of the child, a birthday party at the park can be just as entertaining and fun-filled as an expensive outing to the local pizza parlor or arcade. Try your best to keep it simple. It can be easy to overblow the event with all the fixings. All your kid really needs is a good dose of fun.
Step 3: Sit down with your child and offer them an option of several themes to decide from. Be sure to outline what each theme will entail so the child will know exactly what will come with each option prior to making a final decision.
Step 4: Determine the best time for the event. Be sure to work around any conflicts: try working around nap schedules with toddlers, weekend afternoons and mornings for the elementary school kids and weekend evenings for pre-teens.
Step 5: Confirm all the details, including the place and time. If your venue requires a deposit, be sure to pay ahead of time. Ask the venue manager what you will need to supply as well as what's included with the party package. Figure out how early you will be able to arrive and decorate as well as when you will need to leave by.
Step 6: Brainstorm on a few different ways to work activities and games in with goody bags. Tiny, wrapped gifts hidden away somewhere along a treasure hunt route can become really fun memories for the kids to enjoy. Test any activities with your kid to ensure that they're age appropriate and "cool" enough. Keep a few extra ideas handy just in case one of your favorites falls short. 
Step 7: Consider making your own invitations at home with your kid on the computer or with physical construction paper to help give the event a little extra something special. Make sure to add an RSVP date along with start and end times.
Step 8: Make sure to run all of the details by your child prior to the birthday party. Include them as much as possible in the planning process to ensure it's to their liking. Chances are that your child will have quite a bit more fun if they're able to take part in the planning stages.