Kid’s Birthday Parties

Kid’s Birthday Party Ideas

kid’s birthday party planning basics
We’ve put together a list of fun kid’s birthday party themes you can use for your child’s birthday party. We know that a kid’s birthday party can be challenging (a roomful of 9 year olds can be a handful) so while we have some memorable kid’s theme parties here we kept the parties as simple as possible to make your life a little easier.

the location
When picking a location you really have four choices.
1. Home – Inside. Well kid’s need to run and one or two of them will probably be a bit mischievous so put them where they can’t cause serious damage. We have a good sized room in the basement that works fine.
2. Home – Outside. My favorite for a kid’s party. They run, they jump, they yell and it seems natural. You can do this at a park as well but I think transporting kid’s and food make it more trouble than it’s worth. Make sure you have options if the weather doesn’t cooperate.
3. Restaurant/Party Room. Your headaches go away. Lot’s of restaurants love to do kid’s parties (Hi Ronald!) and you don’t have to clean up the inevitable mess. Does it fit your budget?
4. Game Headquarters. A more formal approach to kid’s party games. We like bowling. Some bowling lanes have a party room so it’s a one stop party. But there are many other options as well.

kid’s birthday party themes
Picking a theme for a kid’s party is fun and easy since there are so many options. Matching paper goods and party supplies are available which makes decorating, and setting the table much easier. Your child probably has a favorites cartoon character or super hero. Go with that!
Sam’s Mom (one of the Party Girls) shares some of her favorites.

kid’s birthday party invitations
Once you have your theme, pick a fun invitation. You can buy invitations that match your theme or personalize your kid’s party invitation. Another option is to pick up one at a local store or make your own!

decorating tips
For most young kid’s the decorations aren’t that big of a deal. The theme matching paper goods and party supplies should take care of most of it. Throw in some balloons of course. If you want to add a personal touch we suggest a banner. You can keep it up for a couple of days to make the event extra special. We have put together a birthday party planning checklist to help with your planning.

the menu - kid’s birthday party food

Party food can be just cake and ice-cream or a full meal. Full meals are work and interfere with play time. Go with kid-friendly snacks (the less messy the better!). If the party is during a normal meal time think simple. Peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for lunch, pizza for dinner has worked for me.

Your party theme may dictate the menu. We’ve made some suggestions that go with certain themes to help you plan. If you have a slumber party you should provide dinner, evening snacks and breakfast.

kid’s birthday party games & activities
You always have to have some games. Kid’s love to run around so you might as well organize the mayhem. For a great selection of kid’s birthday party games.

kid’s birthday party favors
All guests, and especially kid’s, love to go home with a party favor - personalized candy bars are very popular. Loot bags are always a hit. A little bit of candy and other assorted goodies put in something easy to carry. It’s always fun to use something that fits your theme. For example if you are doing a Luau, or are having a beach party, use some plastic beach pails as your “bag”.