| Children's birthday parties are meant to be | | | | element you want to be the focus and turn your |
| extravagant and a production. If you are the one doing | | | | attention towards that. Whether it is finding all matching |
| the planning this can be a daunting task. Here are few | | | | tableware or finding the perfect pinata. Remember |
| tips that have helped me in the past with my children's | | | | they are children and although they appreciate the |
| parties. Feel free to add to the list with a comment. | | | | decorations they aren't going to be captivated by |
| The last party I threw was a Toy Story 3 party so | | | | them. Don't be afraid to incorporate homemade things. |
| that is the theme I'll be talking about. | | | | Have the birthday boy or girl help you make some |
| 1. Plan Ahead - I like to start planning for a party at | | | | paper cutouts to hang. They will be proud of the |
| least 3 weeks in advance if not 4. If you are shopping | | | | decorations and will enjoy them much more. |
| online you may want to extend the time so everything | | | | - Food- Food is another area where you can get |
| arrives on time. I begin my planning with categorizing | | | | carried away, but I think that's ok. I love to cook and so |
| the party. I separate it into 4 departments: food, | | | | this is where I spend my time. I mentioned before the |
| games, decorations, and theme. Each category has it's | | | | green alien treats I made out of green snowballs. Being |
| own list of to do's and I usually tackle decorations and | | | | inventive with the theme is a fun way to get the kids |
| theme first. | | | | excited. Plus the toys from Toy Story are really fun to |
| - Theme: You may be wondering why I made theme | | | | recreate with food. |
| it's own category. I love trying to incorporate the theme | | | | - Games- Don't be afraid to ask your birthday boy/girl |
| as much as possible. The theme should be laced | | | | what kind of games they want to play. After all it is |
| through the games, food, decorations and even the | | | | their special day so they should have some decisions |
| guests. Here are a few ways to do this. Have all your | | | | in their party. You can always tie a theme in with |
| guests come dressed up like a character from Toy | | | | traditional games like tag and red rover. Changing the |
| Story. You could have a costume contest (game) or | | | | name is easy and the kids won't even realize they are |
| have the kids act out their favorite scene. I made little | | | | playing a simple game of tag. |
| green alien treats using green snowballs for the kids to | | | | 2. Fun- At the end of the day it is a party and |
| eat (food). Decorations can be as elaborate as you | | | | everyone including you should be having a good time. |
| want. | | | | So make sure you don't go over board with the |
| - Decorations: It is easy to get carried away with | | | | planning and the kids don't go over board on the cake! |
| decorations and themed party supplies. Decide what | | | | Happy planning! |