How to Make Your Child’s Birthday Party Special This Year

Birthdays are incredibly important for kids. They look forward to their birthday parties all year, and when their birthday month rolls around, it’s difficult to get them to talk about anything else besides their upcoming birthday party. Unfortunately, busy parents don’t always share the same excitement about planning and throwing a birthday party for their child. Birthday parties require some work on your part, but they don’t have to be a major source of stress and dread in your life. If you plan the party right, you can make it special and memorable for your child and manageable for you. Here are some of the easy things you can do to make your child’s birthday party special this year:

1. Choose the party theme/location together.

You don’t have to and shouldn’t necessarily make all the decisions regarding the party, unless your child’s a baby or toddler. Just sit down with your child and come up with some possible theme and venue ideas. If you want to save some money on the party, consider throwing it at your house instead of a venue where you’ll likely have to pay a fee per party guest. If you do decide to throw the party at your house, make sure you let your child pick a fun theme for the party.

2. Don’t Stress About the Party Menu

Planning a menu and preparing food for the party doesn’t have to be difficult. If you host the party in the early afternoon, you won’t even have to serve a meal – you can just serve snacks. Keep the party food simple. Finger foods like strawberries, carrots, cheese, and crackers generally go over well. If you do decide to serve a meal at the party, consider something simple like turkey and cheese or ham and cheese sandwiches. Generally, it’s a good idea to stick to healthy party foods and all-natural fruit juice instead of punch. Foods that are loaded with refined sugar will only give the kids a sugar high and subsequent crash, which can make it more difficult for you and the other chaperones to manage their behavior.

3. Prepare a Themed Cake

Something like a themed cake in the shape of a pirate or a cartoon character, depending on the theme of the party, can make the shindig extra special for your child. Although making a themed cake may seem like a daunting task, it’s actually not that difficult. All you have to do is decorate the cake with some icing and cut the cake into a fun shape, if you want to put forth some extra effort. Don’t worry about your artistic abilities falling short. The kids won’t notice. All they’ll care about it eating a cake that looks like their favorite cartoon character!

So, lose the stress, make party planning a collaborative effort with your child, and consider making the party extra special with something like a themed cake. And don’t forget to have a little bit of fun too!

Author’s Bio: Melissa is a mom and party planner who regularly writes online content for blogs and websites about party planning, motherhood, and SuperMario party supplies and other party supplies to make children’s birthday parties super duper special.