Kids’ Party Planning 101

If you don’t really know me well, you may be wondering what qualifies me to tell you anything about planning kids’ parties. If you know me well, you already know. Before the kids came, I had a small event-planning business, Lizzie Bella Weddings and Events. It was going really well, but the babies started coming. What I had never considered prior to starting the business was that most people’s events would be on Saturday. With kids, that’s an instant conflict.

I honestly remember the day I knew I couldn’t do event planning any more. I was at a funeral, getting ready to sing and before I could get to the microphone, my niece came running out of the nursery (she was probably 10 year old at the time) to tell me that my oldest son (10 months old) had fallen and that his head was bleeding. I had no idea that his face was gashed open and it meant an emergency room visit. Five stitches later, I knew I had to quit.

Right after the funeral, I had a baby shower that I had planned. I had everything packed and ready to go in my car and I had to hire my sister and one of my friends to go take care of the set up for me. I thought I would just be late but by the time we left the emergency room, it was too late. Although my sister and friend did a great job, I felt at that point, that my life was too unpredictable to commit to other people on their special days.

I decided to put a hold on the business and just focus on my family. Eventually I had three kids and planning for those three is quite enough on my plate. Since I’ve been doing this for a while and because February is the jump off to kid-parties in my family, I thought I’d share a few tips about planning parties in general that I’ve learned, and then maybe a few quarantine-party help tips too. It’s the small things that have helped me, so I hope it helps you too.

1. Start with what you know for sure. If you know you’re not having a house party, you have to control the situation from the beginning. Don’t ask your child what they want because undoubtedly, they’ll say a house party, if you don’t want one. Think about what you’re willing to do and let them choose from there.
   
2. If you’re having a party at a kid-friendly place, check with them to see if they have any special features or attractions first. One year, we were planning a dump truck-themed party at home. We found out that the Children’s Museum had a “Bob, the Builder” exhibit. The party got moved to the museum. In the middle of planning, I found out I was pregnant, so not having a house party was a must at that point. I have to say that having parties in nice places takes a lot of the work out of it for you. You show up with your decorations and food and voila!
   
3. Start really early so that you have time to think and price check. The internet is your friend. If you get stuck having to go to the store at the last minute, you won’t have a choice and you’ll have to pay whatever they tell you to pay. I love the party stores around here, but I’ve found better deals and options online. Even the party store’s online site has more options.
   
4. I always try to buy solid-color plates and napkins that coordinate with the theme but they could possibly be used for the next kids’ party, even if it’s not in the same month. I store them well so that they can be used. If we don’t use them for another event, we use them at home when we don’t want to wash dishes. If you’ve been to one of our parties where you saw themed-plates, know that it was a “last-minute” year and I got stuck.
   
5. If you’re planning at home this year, you can still make the party fun. Music, movies, dancing and decorations can take your party to the next level. We had a quarantine-birthday party in March 2020. We were too unsure to eat out at the time, so I looked up a recipe for Chick-Fil-A chicken and did an easy tutorial for a Llama Cake. My daughter dressed up like Elsa and we made TikTok videos. She loved it! They keep asking me to do the Chick-Fil-A chicken again.
   
6. If your kids love breakfast, a breakfast birthday party would be a WIN! A birthday pancake stack is a MUST! Breakfast is super easy and it’s got to happen anyway, so add a few balloons and a dance party afterwards and you’re done! We even did a Zoom with family so that they could all sing Happy Birthday when it was time to blow out the candles.
   
7. Do whatever works for you and your budget. Parties are fun but they can get out of hand if you let them. The idea is to celebrate life and the blessing of growing and getting better another year. However you plan to do that, whether it’s super small or super grand, as long as the intentions and motives are pure, your kids will feel the love and they’ll love every minute of it!

This isn’t exactly a party-tip but it’s something we’re working on that I thought I’d share. My husband has gone financial-literacy crazy and it’s really a good thing for us. Confession: I’m not very financially-literate at all, but he is all about it. Look into starting a college-fund for your kids and since we can definitely afford to cut way back on parties these days, invest the money you’d spend and let it be there for your kids when they really need it most. Don’t get me wrong, we are all about the parties and I don’t regret having not one, but planning for the future is still important. If you want more details, I’ll have to send you Ben’s way. Staying all the way in my lane, sis! 🙂

If COVID-19 hasn’t taught me anything else, it has taught me to live, do and be happy. Holding back is necessary sometimes, but doing those things you feel led to do for your kids is also necessary. Who would’ve ever thought that those “we’ll do it next year” plans would come to this? So, live it up…on a budget. The truly FUN STUFF doesn’t usually cost a dime.