10 tips for a perfect birthday party

How many of you would like to organize a nice party but don’t know where to start !? Games, children, invitations, buffets, the house getting dirty… it all seems so challenging! Don’t be discouraged and look around: summer is a wonderful season to organize parties in the garden. On the terrace, or by the sea, with little expense and very little effort!

Follow my ten tips and your little party will be just perfect!

1. Establish the date of the party: if you are on holiday by the sea probably every day is good, if you are still in the city maybe at the weekend it becomes more difficult to have everyone present as many leave for the holidays!
2. Make a list of guests, considering that each child will be accompanied by at least one parent: evaluate the space available to you and the financial commitment. The city offers wonderful parks where you can play freely, without necessarily locking yourself up in a structure and at no cost. Your trusted bathhouse will have no difficulty in granting you adequate space and if you are lucky enough to have a house with a terrace. It is the perfect time to take advantage of it! My advice, at least as long as the children are in preschool age, is not to overdo the number of guests: you just risk a lot of confusion! Older children, on the other hand, can involve them in team games and small creative activities, so a few more guests will only increase the fun!
3. Choose the theme of the party with your little ones and create cheerful and simple invitations with them, like the ones I suggested here
4. Remember to indicate on the invitation, in a simple and clear way, the place, date, and time of the event. Always put your telephone number and ask for confirmation of the participation of any brothers and sisters of the guests. Also, ask to report food allergies, you will avoid unpleasant inconveniences and give the right attention to everyone! Suggest possible clothing: if the party, for example, is in the pool, remember to bring a swimsuit and change, slippers and bathrobe; if you foresee a playful activity using colors or others, recommend a battle outfit, as they say. It seems obvious but remembers that the more simple and detailed information you provide. The more you will help other busy parents to enjoy your holidays!
5. Try to prevent every need, yours and the little ones: bring with you a nice bag with wet wipes and the antibacterial hand-washing gel inside (especially if the party is outdoors), colored garbage bags (outdoors you can cover boxes, better if differentiated. At home you can always use plastic buckets with small decorations, in order to make even the dirty corner pleasant. And, above all, to prevent dirty plates and glasses from staying around!); do not forget a small stationery kit, especially the indelible markers to write the name of the guests on the plastic cups and thus avoid further waste of material! If you are at the beach, remember a little more sunscreen. If you are at home and the children are small get some non-slip socks and some spare bibs to keep as a spare; in the pine forest a cream for insect bites is very useful. And never forget to bring a small first aid kit with you .. better be foresight, other mothers will appreciate your attention!
6. According to the theme of the party, choose decorations and decorations: you don’t need to spend a fortune, just use your imagination, maybe look for some objects you already have at home, some colored balloons, some cards with which to make simple festoons yourself, involving the little ones in the realization: do a little search for images on the internet, try typing paper crafts ideas for kids and you will be amazed by the number of things that can be created with paper, scissors, glue, and recycled materials at a very low cost! I believe that Americans and Australians are real masters of ceremonies for children’s parties. So I advise you to search foreign sites to find simple and quick ideas to implement; if you don’t know English don’t worry and let yourself be inspired by the pictures!

Remember that the fun of the party starts right from the preparation. And maybe it is the right time to discover the creative attitudes of your little artists and, why not, yours!

8. Prepare some small gifts for the guests: a decorated biscuit, a small object that recalls the theme of the party, perhaps accompanied by a nice handwritten thank you card from the birthday boy, well packaged with a colored cockade, a wooden letter, a clip in the shape of an animal .. unleash your imagination to fill a beautiful basket of colorful packages!
9. Establish the menu, considering that children eat very little during the holidays because they are very busy playing and that adults have to be entertained with snacks and treats! If you like to be in the kitchen, this is the right opportunity to show off your skills but if you don’t feel so good .. don’t despair! Draw up the list of things to serve, considering that usually for an afternoon party it is enough to offer a sweet/savory snack: make a list of things to buy (not only food but also dishes, glasses, etc.). And those to do at home and choose snacks that you can prepare maybe a few days in advance (in the article you find here I suggest how to prepare in advance and preserve, for example, some delicious cupcakes!).

In summer, concentrate above all on drinks and fresh dishes. But I will dedicate the whole of the next article to the party menu: with suggestions and quantities. You will learn how to organize a sweet table worthy of the most beautiful of the holidays!

9. Depending on the age of the guests, and the space available, create small creative corners: arrange the toys in large colored baskets, get some white sheets and colored pencils, provide clothes, hats, and glasses for funny themed disguises with the party: rummage in the wardrobe, and without spending anything you will be ready to invent fantastic characters with the little guests! If you are at the beach it will be even easier: just fill some nice plastic bags with buckets, spades, soap bubbles! With older children, on the other hand, you can organize fun treasure hunts or movement games. Always providing a relaxing corner with pre-printed coloring sheets or face painting: you don’t necessarily need to contact a professional animator, especially if the number of guests allows you to manage them alone, perhaps with the help of some mum friends or older brothers: use the internet and a search for images, face painting tutorials or face painting kids, you will find ideas for all tastes and for every ability! The specific colors for the face are now found everywhere, both in toy shops and in perfumeries. And remember that there is no need to create perfect masks but it is important to experience the party in the first person and with a lot of joy with your children!
10. Get some doggy bags: a widespread habit in America, which is also gaining momentum in some Italian realities, a service offered mainly to restaurant customers to take home leftovers and that in little parties becomes not only a way to avoid waste but yet another opportunity to involve children. Create personalized bags with the name of each guest (excellent paper ones with handles, to be decorated following the theme of the party). Set up a small space with bags and containers for food, small and medium-sized. At the end of the party, at the moment greetings, invite each child to take home a particularly appreciated sweet, a handful of candies, maybe a slice of cake.