Kids grow up way too fast and as parents, we want to make every birthday they celebrate as exciting and picture-worthy as can be. By their teen years, we are more or less out of the birthday party game.
But it doesn’t always have to be an expensive rock-climbing or horseback-riding experience for your kids to have as core memories.
A celebration at your own home can easily become the adventure of a lifetime for them and their friends with those easy-to-apply ideas.
As a mom to 3 kids myself (College and High school now, so I had a fair amount of birthday celebrations) I wanted to share what was most popular when my kids were younger and I wanted to win the “Best Party Mom” contest in our neighborhood:
Costume Party (all ages)
Expense: $
Prep time: 1 hour
All kids come dressed up in a costume like on Halloween. And they get to play party games like Musical Chairs, Duck, Duck, Goose and Piñata. I would prepare Party food like cucumber-crocodile or a watermelon hedgehog.
Warm food like pizza or pigs-in-a-blanket is easy to prep and always a party hit.
Olympics (from 7-tween)
Expense: $$
Prep time: 2+ hours
Prepare a sheet with all the kid’s names to document their points during the event. Games could be a ring toss, bean bag toss, sack race, table tennis…
A 2-hour Olympic party could look like this:
- Arrival – Allocate into teams and organize crafts while all children arrive. Provide a drink and snack if appropriate. (15 minutes)
- Opening Ceremony (5 minutes)
- The Games Begin – Have a long list of events ready so that you know what is coming next! Always have more events than you need as they usually take less time than you expect. (50 minutes)
- Meal – Sit the children down, either at low tables or on the floor, for a meal and drink. (15 minutes)
- More Games – Older children may be ready for some more games; it might be an idea to keep these games a little quieter as the children have just eaten. (20 minutes)
- Medals, trophies, and Closing Ceremony (15 minutes). All kids get a gift for participation.
- Departure
At the ceremony at the end, the winner gets a trophy. All kids get a gift or a prize at the end.
A chef’s Party (10 years old+)
Expense: $
Prep time: 1 hour
My girls always loved to cook and bake with their friends on their birthdays. Buy cute aprons for all the kids and fancy table decorations for the big feast.
The birthday kid gets to decide what the food will be so you can buy everything in advance. It helps when you have a big kitchen for all the prep work, otherwise find an additional table to work on.
Arts and Crafts (all ages)
Expense: $-$$
Prep time: 1 hour
This is an easy-to-implement birthday activity because once you decide on the craft you can prepare all the ingredients up front. But be careful: It can get messy!
We painted T-shirts and bags, worked with clay, beaded bracelets, and made candles. This can take from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Have some games in your back pocket for quick crafters.
Pirate Party and Treasure hunt (Pirate-themed costumes)
Expense: $
Prep time: 3+hours
Prep: A few days before go to the place where the treasure hunt should take place (a park, your backyard, the neighborhood…) and get all the hints written on different papers (ex.: You can find the next clue where we always feed the ducks, in Danny’s sandbox…). Now roll them and stuff them in empty water bottles. Write numbers on them so you don’t mix up the order.
About 1-2 hours before the birthday starts, hide the bottles at the spots and hang a balloon or colorful string where you hide it so the kids don’t get frustrated because they are not able to find the next hint. At the last spot, they will find the Treasure Box.
Usually, I would fill it up with Pirate-themed toys and candy. I love this birthday adventure because the kids have to work together as a team to find the treasure and the difficulty of the hunt can be adjusted according to the age of the children.
Supermodel
Since I am a photographer, my kids were my first models and mostly had fun posing for me.
When my daughters were about 7 or 8 years old we planned a Supermodel party with a catwalk (a few gym mats puzzled together) and a real-life Photoshoot. The wardrobe of course came from my closet and the makeup from the dollar store. This might not sound like much, but these kids had a blast just putting makeup on each other’s faces and walking the catwalk like Superstars.
Free up some space on your Phone or use a spare one as you want to take a lot of pictures for the kids’ parents to share. If you have a photo printer to print instantly, even better. You can also use an Instant camera to give immediate memories for friends if your budget allows it.
And if you don’t want to take the pictures yourself, you can always hire a Photographer. Check out the Personality Portraits that I offer for BIRTHDAY PARTIES.
As I did my research for this article I stumbled over the “Confetti Jar” website (THE website for EVERYTHING Kid’s Party in Atlanta) and I quickly sent a message to Jessica, the owner for a quick interview. Here is what she had to share:
“Hosting a party at home can be challenging and stressful. As a busy mom of 3, I have spent a ton of time researching party options and themes for my little ones, then trying to find local businesses for the entertainment, decorations, birthday cakes and cookies, or rentals. I searched online, asked questions in moms’ groups on social media, and talked with friends. It was super time confusing, and I still had a hard time finding what I needed! So many of us busy moms are doing this. We want to create truly awesome and memorable experiences for our kids – and we want to enjoy those special moments with them, and not have to stress.
That’s why I created Confetti Jar. Confetti Jar is the ultimate resource in Atlanta for moms to find everything they need for birthday parties for their kids.
Parents can find and book everything from cool and unique entertainment to balloon stylists, cake and cookie bakers, and even awesome party places through our website. Confetti Jar makes planning parties at home easier and less stressful – because you can find and book everything you need.
Check out some of our unique entertainment options including mobile spa bus parties, ballet and dance instructors that come to your location, a mobile golf experience, or add fun touches such as a cotton candy cart or a bounce house.”
Celebrating a birthday party at your home can be stressful but with good prep work and not too many kids invited it can be a memorable event to talk about even years later.
And your kids will appreciate the extra work that you put in to make this a special event for them to remember. At least that’s what they tell me now (remember college and high school?)
