So far in my “career” as a mother, I have planned and hosted 15 kids’ birthday parties. Does that make me a professional when it comes to planning birthday parties? I wouldn’t go that far! But I do know what works and what doesn’t work – for my boys anyway.
Birthdays are meant to be fun and memorable; often they turn into expensive, stressful nightmares for parents, costing hundreds of dollars. But you don’t need to go all out for your kids to have a wonderful, memorably birthday party!
When I asked my kids what their favourite birthday party was, do you know what they said? Not the year we held it at the glow-in-the-dark mini golf or the laser tag place. Or the time when I ordered a ginormous over-the-top cake (that you couldn’t even see because the glow-in-the-dark venue was too dark!) Nope.
It was at home with a few family members and their best friends. And it was the simplest things and the most important people to share it with that made their birthdays the most memorable.
I took classic birthday party ideas that we knew and loved as kids and updated them. Rather than Pin the Tail on the Donkey, it was Pin the Eyes on Lego Ninjago with the kids wearing the ninja headbands over their eyes that I had handmade. Take a classic game and update it – I’m telling you, the kids were howling. I was shocked at how much fun they had playing a simple game that I honestly thought they would find boring.
Let them eat cake! The other most important thing kids remember? The snacks and THE CAKE. I’ll give you a piece of advice that will save you a hundred dollars right now – buy or make a simple chocolate cake with regular frosting. Kids don’t like fondant. They can’t eat it, they can’t lick it, and it won’t smear on their hands or faces – no fun! Save yourself the money and get yourself a simple cake recipe, even a cake mix from a box(gasp!)and they will eat every crumb.
I’ll also save you the stress and time of cooking a bunch of food or creating cutesy hors d’oeuvres. The kids really don’t care if you’ve carved vegetables and fruit into adorable animal shapes. They just want party-size cheese pizza. Maybe you’ll order one with all the works for the adults but the kids just want cheese, trust me.
Ask me what I dislike the most about birthday parties and I’ll tell you right away – the loot bags. I hate the idea of them and I don’t even understand why they’ve become such a “thing”. But the kids LOVE THEM. They will expect one and it matters what’s in them. There better be candy or chocolate, a bouncy ball and some other cool toy or gadget, or else your guests will leave the party feeling deflated.
Don’t forget to decorate with simple streamers, balloons and sparkle for your kids’ birthday party. Add some music for those who like to dance, and you will have the complete recipe for a memorable birthday party for kids.
It’s time to Party! Try NEW OREO Birthday Cake Dessert. A cool spin on an old tradition, indulge in a scoop of this sweet birthday cake flavour or in a yummy sandwich. This might be just what your party needs.
Disclosure: This post was brought to you by OREO Birthday Cake Frozen Treat via Mode Media Canada. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of OREO Birthday Cake Frozen Treat.
