Planning a Birthday Party for Kids

It’s your birthday and you want a party, right? Are you going to trust your parents to plan the best birthday party for you? They’ll probably hire a creepy clown or boring princess. What if you want a pirate-themed party? Will they hire an actual pirate? Probably not. It’s time to take matters into your own hands. This post will give you all the tools you need to plan the perfect party all by yourself. Your parents will be grateful that you are doing all the planning, so they don’t have to.

NB: You do need to ask your parents to help you plan your birthday party with you. Keep them informed throughout your planning stage and seek their advice.

Big Party vs Small Party

Do you want a huge party where you invite all your classmates and become the most popular child at school? Or would you like a small party, with a few select friends whom you actually like? There are pros and cons for both kinds of parties. Have a think before you go any further.

Sops has had both kinds of parties in her lifetime. One year she shared her birthday party with another girl in her class who was born on the same day as Sops. They invited everyone in their class and we had a bouncy castle in the back garden. It was a good party as the whole class was there, so no one felt left out. However, it was not easy to control that many children who were hyper on sugar. Not all the children behaved themselves. The good thing about having a small party of up to 10 children is that you get to choose your closest friends. It’s easier to organise events for smaller groups and it is cheaper too.

Who to invite

Think very carefully on who to invite to your birthday party. You can invite your whole class or a social group such as your scouting group or sports club. Or you can invite a few select friends. Just don’t invite most of a group, but leave one or two kid’s out. That will make them feel sad and rejected. Be thoughtful on who to invite and don’t let anyone bully you into giving them an invitation.

For more tips on handling bullies, read our child’s guide on dealing with bullies.

Check with your parents on how many children to invite, as they are probably the people paying for this party.

What kind of party do you want?

There are so many different parties to have. Here are some ideas to consider:

Themed Parties – be it pirate, princess, dinosaurs, outta space or whatever pickles your fancy.
Travel Party – Using the Magic Carpet Game, you can travel to a different country and have a themed travel party.
Go for a meal – There are lots of family-friendly restaurants that host birthday parties for kids. Your parents may be happy to hold your birthday party at such a restaurant so they don’t have to cook.
Go to a museum – If you love learning, it is worth going to a large city museum for your birthday. The London Science Museum is great fun and there are loads of interactive activities that you and your friends can try.
Pool Party – Is your birthday in the summertime? Have you got an outside pool or is there a pool near you? Why not have a pool party? Take lots of swimming toys and have a jolly good splash.

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Sleepover party – Why have a party during the day when you can extend it into the night? If your parents say ‘no’, share this post on why they should let you have a sleepover.
Visit the zoo – If you are an animal lover, consider visiting a zoo. Many zoos host kids’ birthday parties, and some zoos even allow you to be a zookeeper for the day. However, this may not be suitable with several children at the party.

What’s your Budget?

This is when you need your parents, or more accurately, you need their wallets. How much are they willing to pay towards this party? The budget will give you a good idea of how big your party will be. They may ask you to give them some figures first. This is when you need to do some research.

Download this free spreadsheet in Google Sheets and write down how much each item will cost. The spreadsheet will do the adding for you. Here are some websites to give you an idea of costs:

NB: Some of these links are affiliate links, so if you make a purchase, Sops and I may receive a commission. For more information check out our affiliation disclaimer. Also, please get permission from your parents before making any purchases or bookings.

Invitations – You can create your own invitations on Canva, for free. Or buy some from Etsy.
Birthday Cake – You can find prices of birthday cakes on grocery store websites such as Tescos. Handmade cakes are usually more costly. You’ll need to speak to a local cakemaker for a quote.
Decorations – You can get most party decorations from local card shops. However, we recommend Etsy as a great place to buy unique party decorations.

Outings – If you are planning to go to the zoo, a museum, or theme parks etc. you need to see how much it costs per person to enter. You may be able to get a group discount. Just look at their websites.
Entertainer – Do you want a pirate or a princess coming to your party? If you want an entertainer just look up ‘children’s entertainers near me’ on Google and some websites will come up. Make sure you check their reviews and prices before booking anyone.
Venue – Will you be hosting your birthday party in your own home or at a local venue? Some local churches or community centres rent out their halls for parties at a reasonable price. Have a look in your local area for a suitable venue.
Tableware – What is the theme of your birthday party? You may want to have matching crockery and cutlery (plates, knives and forks etc.) to match.
Gift Bags – It is customary to give out gift bags at the end of your party. The bags usually include a slice of the birthday cake and a few goodies. Choose the goodies wisely, you will be judged on what you offer.
Items for Gift Bags – Visit your local toy shop and get a few toys from the pocket money selection. Find out what the latest fad is and add these to the gift bags. Sops put slime and putty into her gift bags one year and was one of the most popular girls in school this year.
Food and Drink – To get an idea of the cost of food and drink use a supermarket website to make an online order. Put things you want into the digital trolley and see how much it comes to. You don’t need to place the order.
Items for Games – Go to your local craft or discount store like The Range for all your game supplies.

When to have your birthday party

You may want to celebrate your birthday party on your actual birthday, but is that a school day? That may not be practical. But if your birthday falls in the school holidays a lot of your friends may be away on that day. Sops’ birthday falls in the summer holiday, and her friends are often on holiday.

We recommend you hold your birthday party on a weekend before or after your birthday. That will give you time to set up and clear up after the party and have lots of fun with your friends.

Party Games for Kids

When it comes to party games you may want to play some of the classics like ‘pass the parcel’ or ‘pin the tail’ on the donkey. You can adapt the games to suit your theme. For example, one year, Sops had a narwhal-themed party, and we played ‘pin the horn to the narwhal’ instead. I simply printed a picture of a narwal on some card and cut off its horn, and stuck the picture on the wall. I put some blue tack onto the horn and the children took turns trying to find the narwhal’s head whilst blindfolded.

If the weather is nice you may want to play outdoor games such as ‘capture the flag’ or old sports day games. One year we hosted an outdoor picnic for Sops’ birthday and had sack races. That was great fun. Do not underestimate the fun of old-school sports day games. Parents can play too.

However, if your birthday party is a washout you may want to host a gaming night instead. There are some great game consoles available. Sops and I highly recommend the Nintendo Switch.

We have played this console with family members and it works so well as a multi-player game console. We have often played Overcooked. That game is great fun as everyone has a job to do. It is super interactive and you can have lots of fun playing it.

Party Etiquette

When hosting a party you need to be a great host. This means you have to be friendly, gracious and fun. You need to think of your guests first and always let them have first dibs on the food. Let them start any games you play. If there is an argument, ask a grown up to help resolve it. Do not eat too much food, or you will be sick and that will ruin the day. Always listen to the grown ups and do as they say to keep everyone safe and happy. Be generous with the party bags and other treats.

When it comes to opening your presents, think carefully on when you are going to do this. If you don’t do it right, you could really upset your guests. Will you open each present as a guest gives it to you? This is quite a good idea as you can do this more privately with just you and the guest. Or will you have a table for your guests to put their cards and presents on? A lot of guests like it when you open presents from them at your party, because they want to see your face as you open the present. But how will you react if you don’t like the gift? What about any guest who cannot afford to give you a present? Speak to your folks about the etiquitte on recieving gifts and saying thank you at your party.

If you are a great host you will make lasting friends. However, if you behave like a sulky brat at your own party no one will want to be your friend. People do judge your behaviour at parties and it can have a lasting impact among your sociall groups. This is for the same for grown ups too.

Ending your party

Set a start time and an end time for your party, or some people may overstay their welcome. As guests leave, give them a goody bag and thank them for coming. Be sure to write out some thank you cards to give to your friends the following week. Don’t leave it too long to thank them for coming to your party and for any present they may have given you.

Help your folks clear up afterwards. To be honest, cleaning up after a party can be sort of fun if everyone else helps too. I remember going to a joint children’s party in a local sports hall, and everyone stayed after the party to help the parents clear up. The children were 6 years old and they had just as much fun throwing rubbish away as they did bouncing on the bouncy castle. Just do it to music. Or magic.

We hope you have found this post helpful. For more juicy life hacks, please follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Leave comments and let us know about your party plans.