Party
planning themes
Once
a party planning theme has been decided, and birthday party supplies
and decorations purchased or ordered, help your young child to understand
that it can't be changed. If that seems difficult for them, let them
see the decorations once you have them. They will probably be excited
and look forward to using them. Once you've done all the party planning,
stick with your ideas and relax with confidence.
Party
planning for food
Decide what the menu will be - just dessert, lunch and dessert, or
a full course meal - and then have the birthday children choose some
of the foods to be served- it always helps to get them involved in
the party planning . You may get some strange requests here, so it
might be a good idea to ask your child to suggest several different
ones for you to choose from. Or the reverse, you could make the party
planning list, and the birthday child chooses - this sort of party
planning help keep things fun.
Party
planning for games
Here are some birthday party planning guidelines to make a note of
to keep the fun happening, and the tears to a minimum.
Be sure that any games or activities are age-appropriate. Two's and
Three's probably won't have the attention span to play organized games,
but they love to do duck ponds, fish ponds, bean bag toss, and bowling.
By the age of four and five, most kids have started playing more organized
games at pre-school and kindergarten , so it pays to have good party
planning and to get things right.
Try to keep things
simple, without a lot of rules. If you have a large group, with a
wide range of ages, you may do best to run a couple sets of activities
for the younger and older ones. Or form teams, with little kids and
big kids on each team.
Try to avoid games
where someone becomes eliminated, like "Simon Says" and
"Musical Chairs", especially with young children who are
likely to be upset about being "out". Games can be played
just for the fun of playing. Don't feel that prizes must be awarded.
This is the sort of party planning that keep the tears far away.
See more Party Planning Ideas
