Birthday party ideas for toddlers at home: Everything you need for a fun at-home kids birthday party

Everything you need for a fun at-home kids birthday party

Remember birthday parties when you were a kid? You draped streamers around the basement, devoured cake with gooey icing and peeked while pinning the tail on the donkey. Why not skip the pricey off-site party this year and stay at home for some old-fashioned fun? Read on for their secrets to hosting a fabulous fete.

Meet the party pros

• Michelle Gibson, owner of Par-T-Perfect Planners in Vancouver, with franchises across Canada and the United States
• Michelle Peer, owner of Hullabaloo Party Planner for Children in Kitchener, Ont
• Max Zarkov, creator of kids-birthday-party-guide.com in Burnaby, BC

Choose a theme

Once you’ve got a theme, party planning is a piece of cake. Start with your kid’s interests or try these ideas:

Ages 3-5
Bugs, butterflies and bubbles have endless possibilities, says Gibson. Kids can make egg-carton caterpillars, munch gummi worms and blow bubbles.

Ages 6-8
Princess, pirate or Harry Potter parties can’t miss. Or try the ever-popular “Candy Olympics,” suggests Gibson. Bob for marshmallows in a bucket of water, pass a licorice baton, and drop Smarties in a bucket with chopsticks and run back.

Spread the word

Skip the prefab invites and get out the glue sticks with your gang. Kids are thrilled with homemade invitations, says Peer. Buy blank cards at a craft or dollar store and go wild with stickers, foil paper or theme-related trinkets. Or print an invite from your computer.

Give guests a heads-up at least two weeks before the big event. If you’re not including the entire school class (gulp!), mail, email or drop invitations at kids’ houses. “People are terrible at RSVPs,” warns Gibson. So make follow-up phone calls with parents as needed. Also consider inviting (and paying) energetic high school students to lead games and give out munchies.

Know your numbers

Remember the old “your child’s age equals the number of guests” rule of inviting? Forget it. You need enough kids to play games and sit around a table, says Gibson. For preschoolers, try eight to 10 guests. If your space is small, remember that some parents will remain party-side with their tots. Many school-aged kids invite all the girls or all the boys in their class, says Gibson. But eight to 12 guests is ideal, advises Zarkov.

Eco Alternative
Recycle your kids’ artwork. Cut out party-theme-related shapes (fish, hearts, stars, etc.) from drawings and paintings and glue on to homemade invites, says Peer.

Time it right

Our pros all recommend a weekend bash. Got a Christmas or summer baby? Celebrate with family on the actual birthday, and plan a friend party for a month later, suggests Gibson. As for duration, a two-hour party (2½ hours max) is perfect. Parents’ most common mistake is parties that run too long, says Gibson. “The third hour is deadly and the fourth is ridiculous — it’s exhausting for everyone.” For preschoolers, 10 to noon or 11 to one (when kids are fresh) is ideal. Prepare in the morning and host an afternoon or evening event for older kids — they’re raring to go at any time, says Gibson.

Unleash your decorating diva

Cruise a dollar or craft store “to get the juices going” and find theme-related props, says Peer. To keep costs low, skip the “theme” gear, suggests Gibson. So, for a pirate party, buy a black plastic tablecloth instead of a Captain Hook one. Squirrel away breakables or toys your kids can’t bear to share. And send Rover or Fifi to the neighbours during the party, advises Zarkov.

Ace your space

Basements provide instant atmosphere, says Peer. Close the blinds and drape tulle (transparent floaty material) and twinkle lights on window ledges. Find lights on sale after Christmas at craft, surplus or hardware stores. For an under-the-sea party, make waves by hanging twisted streamers from the ceiling.

Conquer inflation

Spare your lips and blow up balloons with a bike pump, suggests Zarkov. To ensure helium or foil balloons stay afloat, buy them the day of the party. And beware of balloon-popping pot lights! Get creative with your balloon displays. For Princess Parties, Peer ties helium balloons to dressy shoes and sets them around the room. Swishy!

Eco Alternative
Explore your house for theme-related treasures. Jungle party? Try decorating with cute stuffed animals and silk plants.

Keep them busy

Avoid lapses in activities, advises Peer. “That’s when kids chase each other screaming, or run upstairs.” Since kids trickle in at different times, offer simple opening activities like these:

Ages 3-5
Ease them in with playdough or cornstarch goop. Then, encourage kids to circulate around play centres such as ride-on toys, bubbles, musical instruments and puppet play.

Ages 6-8
Offer three quiet activity stations based on your theme, suggests Peer. In her Secret Garden parties, kids choose their “wings,” decorate them, and get their cheeks painted with a small design.

Get crafty

Be warned: Crafts tend to captivate girls more than boys. So, try these ideas and provide an alternative for the art-averse:

Ages 3-5
Colour and add stickers to cardboard party hats or foam tiaras (from the dollar store). Ask lounging parents to help their kids.

Ages 6-8
Cover the party table with a paper tablecloth and let guests doodle or write birthday messages with crayons, suggests Zarkov. For a permanent memento, use fabric markers on a fabric tablecloth. Painting wooden or ceramic figures (from the dollar store) and beading are also big hits.

Eco Alternative
Save tea canisters and have kids decorate them with stick-on jewels, suggests Gibson. Or check out stores, such as Urban Source in Vancouver, that sell recycled materials for craft supplies.

Games for birthday parties at home

Forget researching the latest games — kids crave the classics. “All ages love pin the tail on virtually anything,” says Peer. Zarkov uses the theme to give games a fun twist. So, at a bug party, Simon Says becomes Ladybug Says. Try these other hits:

Musical Hoops (all ages)
Buy one hoop per child from a dollar store. Place them on the floor and play cool music as the kids march around, jumping in a hoop when the tunes stop. Each round, remove a hoop, but not a child. At the end, the whole group crams in the one remaining hoop—by sticking in a toe, a foot or even a hand.

Treasure Hunt
Try burying clues outdoors or upstairs and downstairs, so kids get to burn off steam. Give gold coins as treasure at the end, suggests Peer.

Ages 3-5
Show picture instructions of where to find the next clue (such as the blue couch).

Ages 6-8
Let guests solve limerick or poem clues.

Ooey-Gooeys
School-aged kids love food challenges, says Gibson. Place a Smartie on a plate and spray whipping cream on top. Kids run up, dunk their face in the cream to retrieve the Smartie and run back.

Chow down

Seat a large group picnic-style on a vinyl tablecloth spread out on the floor. Or place a card table next to your dining room table and cover it all with one cloth. For preschooler parties, borrow a bunch of child-sized plastic picnic tables from friends.

The Main Meal

Ages 3-5
“Parents go to great lengths to put on a big spread of food, and kids don’t touch it,” says Gibson. Offer only familiar foods: juice (drinking boxes if the kids are seated on the floor), veggies and dip, tiny cheese or peanut butter sandwiches (check for allergies), goldfish crackers, fruit kebabs and cake.

Ages 6-8
Dish out hot dogs or pizza along with veggies and dip. If you’re adventurous, order coloured bread (sliced lengthwise) from the grocery store bakery, suggests Peer. Make impressive pinwheel and stacked mini-sandwiches. Or make shape sandwiches with cookie cutters.

Sweet Surprises
Rev up the wow factor with unusual sweet treats. Rent a chocolate fountain from a party supply store ($50). Just be sure to lay down a plastic tablecloth first and give everyone an apron. Or buy a small fondue set for $5 instead. Offer mini-marshmallows, cut-up fruit and animal crackers for dipping. Or stick skewers of gummi worms, gumdrops and chewy candies in a hollowed-out pineapple for a clever centrepiece. Wrap them up for favours.

The Cake
Save time and order an un-iced cake from your grocery store bakery, suggests Peer. “Let your imagination go wild.” Having a beach party? Slap on blue-coloured icing, brown sugar for sand, and mini cocktail umbrellas. Or go for the old reliables: Kids adore ice cream cakes or air-brushed psychedelic cakes from the grocery store.

Eco Alternatives
Green up your party table with recycled or biodegradable paper plates, and a cloth tablecloth and napkins.

Great gifting

Don’t skip the gift opening. “If you do, kids feel ripped off,” says Gibson, especially the older ones. Play spin the bottle to keep the unwrapping rolling along. Decorate a bottle, spin it and when it stops, open the gift from that child.

The Goods on Goody Bags
Frantically piling stuff into Cellophane the night before? “Ask yourself if you’d want your child to bring home that garbage,” says Peer.

Ages 3-5
Give one main item instead of a bag of fiddly things. Try sidewalk chalk, bubbles, a hula hoop or big coloured ball.

Ages 6-8
Kids always love a bag of candy and goodies at this age, says Gibson. Find theme-related candy, hair clips, bracelets or action figures at the dollar store. Crafts completed at the party, such as painted birdhouses or ceramics, also make great favours.

Eco Alternatives
Some older kids choose to give rather than get on their birthday. Ask guests to bring $10 (instead of a gift) to donate to a children’s hospital or charity. (Your child can still receive gifts from parents and family. Instead of disposable goody bags, wrap loot in a bandana, wooden box, or tin pail that kids can decorate.) For a Secret Garden party, Peer gives a clay pot filled with a little bag of soil, a seed packet, candies and bubbles.

Worries about winning
“I had one little princess collapse on the floor in tears because she was out in a game of The Queen Says (like Simon Says),” says Michelle Peer of Hullabaloo Party Planner. Stick with co-operative games like a treasure hunt where everyone helps solve the clues. Or keep playing rounds of a game until everyone wins. Award prizes like suckers, little bouncy balls or rings. Keep a paper bag labelled with each child’s name at the front door, so they can stash their prizes.

DIY decorations

Flowers on the Wall
• For large base flower: Fold a large square of paper as you might a snowflake. In half, in quarters then into an eighth. At wider end of the triangle, cut a curve to create the petal shape of the flower. Open.
• For the Centre, simply make a traditional accordion pleated three-layers of tissue paper flower-Try layering different colours. Use a pipe cleaner to twist around centre. • To attach smaller flower to large, make a small hole in centre of large flower and pass the pipe cleaner ends through it.

Butterfly Pins
• Layer two squares of tissue together and fold in half. From centre fold, draw then cut one half of a butterfly shape.
• For added 3-d effect, open one side of the wings from centre, creating a small ¼’ fold from centre, do the same on the other side of centre. When opened, there should now be a narrow valley/pleat down the centre of the body of the butterfly.
• Keeping one side of body folded, next, create a pleat folding top to bottom to create a pleat across the body.
• Punch two holes at top and thread pipe cleaner antenna and add jingle bells.
• Sparkle glue adds further decoration. Pin on.

A version of this article was originally published in March 2009.

Toddler Birthday Party Ideas

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Toddlers (ages 2-4) are at a great age to start enjoying birthday parties with little friends. But where do you start? It can be overwhelming trying to get just the right kind of party for your precious child. You don’t want it to go unnoticed, but can there be too much? Relax and get ready to enjoy your party with the following tips.

Trying to have the “perfect” birthday party for your toddler can stress out a parent before it even begins.

Remember that your child will be happy with food, fun things to do, and having you nearby. If you go much beyond that, you may be pushing it too far for yourself or your child. Toddlers aren’t highly structured creatures, so doing something with a lot of flexibility will be right up their alley.

Little ones are starting to get opinions of their own at this age, involve them in choosing the theme. Whether it be a favorite character or activity, make the party about them.

For young children, too much can be too overwhelming, keep it simple.

For the guest list, invite two or three children to keep the chaos at a minimum. Siblings of close age will usually be involved in the festivities, so count them in your total number. If siblings are much older, they can be a helper instead of one of the kids.

A one hour party planned around nap time will help minimize any meltdowns. Toddlers can be clingy one moment and stretching their independence the next. Making the party short and sweet will keep them enjoying the activity without burning out.

Be sure to have efficient seating for little ones, maybe a small picnic table or child-sized table and chairs. Keep little ones entertained by covering the table in a white paper table cloth with plenty of crayons to go around. Child-sized plates, cups, and utensils will also keep less mess off the floor.

For the most part, avoid hiring entertainers for this age. Clowns, superheroes, and even cheerleaders could be frightening to children. They are strangers, they are dressed in unusual clothing, and some may be wearing masks.

If you have a relative or family friend that is a storyteller or a musician, this may be a good option. Be sure they come dressed normally and only with objects that would seem OK to a toddler. Also, be sure your child is already familiar with this person.

Hand plays or games with clear directions are good. Duck Duck Goose, Ring Around the Rosie, or Simon Says are good games for this crowd. Have some music playing in the background that they can dance to if they want.

A birthday party for a toddler at home is a great idea. Your toddler will feel comfortable with all his or her belongings and familiar surroundings nearby. An alternative could be the home of grandparents or other relatives they have visited many times.

A children’s museum or other indoor play area is also an excellent idea.

You can worry less about cleaning your house and focus more on the guests. Children’s museums usually have reasonable fees, and indoor play areas are in many parts of the country. Some don’t even charge extra for the party; you are just responsible for a snack that is easy to clean up and keeping track of the kids.

Having your toddler’s birthday party outdoors opens up other possibilities. This could include building sand castles, digging in the dirt, water-play activities, etc. Activity stations are also an age-appropriate way to give toddlers something fun to do. They are not likely to do a lot of cooperative play – it is mostly side-by-side play at this age.

Food should be easy and colorful. For a short party at this age, all you need is cupcakes and drinks.

Anything the kids can do to make their own goodies counts as an activity and keeps your to-do list shorter. Have them decorate their own cupcakes. Provide a few small dishes of icing, sprinkles, some spoons, and let them go at it. If you plan to make mini-pizzas, let them choose their toppings and sprinkle them on.

Toddlers tend to be most comfortable with their parents, and most parents at this age are going to stay at the party.

To lessen the threat of a meltdown or jealousy, you might want to have your toddler open each gift as the guests arrive. They’ll be able to associate who the gift came from easier this way.

Birthday party ideas for toddlers can be simple and fun – just don’t over think them. Less is more in this case. Too much activity or stimulation can make it less enjoyable for everyone. Short, sweet, and easy is the way to go.

How to organize a children’s birthday party at home. Ideas and advice

Birthday is the most important date in the life of every person, and in children the degree of importance increases significantly. After all, it is so interesting and exciting: everyone hugs you, kisses you, gives you beautiful boxes and pleasantly rustling packages, everything and even more is allowed into this shadow, and when the cake is brought in … So the preparation of such an event requires serious preparation and effort from parents and loved ones . The editors of the site Relax offer you starting plan for organizing a children’s birthday party at home .

Source: domguru.com

1. Evaluation of the area

First you need to decide on the scale of holiday : will one room or several be involved? How suitable are they for mass children’s games , are there many sharp corners and fragile objects. If necessary, free up extra space and remove anything higher that can break or break. Try to cover the floor with a carpet or rug so that birthday boy did not slip and hurt himself.

2. Creating a festive mood

The first thing that creates a positive mood is decorating the room . You can shop for all the supplies you need for the anniversary or make your own decorations. What you may need:

• balloons. Lots of balloons. You can inflate them yourself, or you can buy already with helium inside. Balls will add cheerful colors and a feeling of lightness, especially since you can not only hang them, but also make various shapes out of them. For example, construct a number equal to the number of years birthday ;
• corrugated paper balls. They look very impressive and unusual, attracting everyone’s attention. It is very simple to make them: we fold bright-colored paper with an accordion, fasten it in the middle with wire or fishing line, round off the ends and carefully straighten all the folds;
• equip yourself with colorful garlands and fix them on the wall. Garlands can also be built together with hero of the occasion from pompoms, paper, flags and other materials; nine0034
• flowers. If you plant flowers in rooms that have just the flowering period, you can simply arrange them beautifully on window sills and bedside tables. Or buy some cute bouquets and sort them into vases. Put one vase in the center of the table: a pleasant aroma will be a pleasant addition to the festive feast;
• stock up on caps of the desired theme , crackers, pipes, confetti and candles. These elements will be useful to you at different moments of the holiday program and will make the child’s day look like a fairy tale or a cartoon. nine0034

See also: Origami. Master class

3. Menu

There are also a few wishes for dishes and drinks served to children. Do not put large portions of food, prepare heavy mayonnaise salads for the stomach, fry a lot of meat or other culinary delights, after which it will be difficult for children to play and have fun. Try to pay more attention to light snacks, replace Olivier with a salad with olive oil, stock up on fruits and berries, and, of course, do not forget about birthday cake and other sweets. Avoid sodas and purchased juices, it is best to cook compote, make homemade lemonade or offer homemade juice. And consult with the guests’ parents what is possible for their children and what is not, if you want to avoid unpleasant incidents with allergies and spoiled holiday .

Read also: What to cook for a child. Healthy dishes

4. Entertainment program

Children, unlike adults, find it difficult to sit at the table for several hours, gradually eating a piece of meat, washing it down with wine, and talking on various topics. Children need movement, so we suggest you take care of entertainment for the birthday boy and his guests. You can pick up several board or outdoor games that will not leave children indifferent. For example, the popular “Twister” with his acrobatics master class on his floor. In addition, various contests and tricks will be an excellent option.

Read also: Games for children’s party

Do not forget to celebrate this holiday yourself by arranging a feast for adults in the next room. The main thing is not to get too carried away with strong drinks and do not forget to keep an eye on the little ones. And the site Relax wishes you festive mood any day of the week and more health!

Author: Julia Gorbunova

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ideas for a home party and outside the home

A child’s birthday is a holiday that is needed not only for the birthday boy, but also for his parents! How to celebrate the main holiday in a fun and memorable way?

People get older, but most adults still remain children at heart. Therefore, after the parents have offspring, their main goal becomes the desire to celebrate the birthday of the child in an interesting way, which the baby would remember for a long time, and maybe even for life, if it concerns the celebration of the first conscious anniversary. nine0007

1. How to properly prepare for a celebration
2. Small secrets for celebrating a birthday
3. Celebrating a birthday at home

How to properly prepare for a celebration

Depending on how old the future birthday person is, a plan of a solemn event is drawn up. For example, some parents believe that the celebration of the first year should not be celebrated in a big way, because the kids still do not understand anything. Others are sure that the celebration of the first anniversary should be pompous, so that this holiday will remain in the memory of the invited guests for a long time. nine0007

The older the child, the more effort is needed to make the celebration unusual. If the baby attends a kindergarten, then the birthday can be celebrated not only at home, but also in a kindergarten.

Parents can come to an agreement with educators, ask them to participate in preparations for the solemn event. After all, you must admit that the baby will be pleased to receive a gift not only from relatives and godparents, but also from the children with whom he meets daily.

Decide how much you are going to spend on the celebration. Based on the budget, decide whether you will invite a professional photographer or will the pictures you take with your own camera be enough for you?

Will you invite children to the party or will adults be the main guests? Will you cook the festive table yourself or buy ready-made meals, or maybe even take the risk of celebrating a birthday in a restaurant or a children’s play center? nine0007

Ask your child if they would like to help you prepare for the celebration. If the birthday boy agrees, then give him the opportunity to invite those people whom he wants to see to the holiday. In the event that parents are not constrained in funds, a clown or animators can be invited to the celebration, depending on what the child is fond of.

Small secrets for celebrating a birthday

To celebrate a child’s birthday in an unusual way, you should remember some secrets:

1. Plan your budget months in advance. If the baby has few friends or wants to spend his holiday with you, then take a day off or vacation to go somewhere with the baby. Children born in winter can be taken to hot countries for their birthday, and summer crumbs will be happy to go to the mountains, especially if the family lives in the city.
2. Let your favorite fairy tale characters congratulate your child on his birthday. Parents can only find the phone number of the agency involved in such activities. nine0034
3. Keep children’s and adults’ birthday tables apart from each other. Let the birthday boy feel like an adult, and adults can relax.
4. Take care of interesting competitions and games that will entertain the little ones, otherwise you will notice that the invited children will want to go home, and the hero of the occasion will not be happy with this circumstance.

Celebration of a birthday at home

If you are limited in finances, then do not worry about the fact that the celebration of a child’s birthday will take place at home. There are many ways to make a great holiday at home. Be prepared for the fact that a large number of children will visit your territory temporarily, who will run, play and scream. Keep away any breakable objects so that babies cannot be hurt if they fall. nine0007

Decorate a room with balloons for children. Buy gel balloons, stick words with congratulations on the cardboard. If the baby has a few true friends, then before the celebration you can consult with them about how to make the holiday fun so that no one gets bored.