Let’s face it kids birthday parties aren’t what they used to be. You can no longer get away with inviting a few friends over to play games, serving lemonade, cake and calling it a “party.”
Parties have to have a WOW-factor and that’s a lot of pressure for any parent, especially if you’re the parent of a kid with a birthday before or within weeks after the “gift giving season.” They’ve partied their little hearts out for the last 2-3 weeks and recieved every gift they could possibly wish for and now you’re days away from another important milestone, but never fear YOU CAN DO THIS! (and we are here to help)
So pack up the holiday tinsel and dust off your party hats because December and January kids still deserve to celebrate!
Keep It Simple
Choose a theme, location and a time. Focus on the guest of honor (your kid) rather than the adults. Kids dig simple, they are happier with pizza than they will ever be with those fancy Pinterest inspired appetizers. Make arrangements for the cake and agree on activities to keep everyone entertained. Allow the party to stand on it’s own seperate from the other holiday celebrations, even if it means taking down the tree or hosting in another location. Bonus: Decorating Made Easy
Say No To Gift Bags of Junk
Do you enjoy the aftermath of “goodie” bags? You know those little plastic rings you vaccum up and those tiny balls you find in every crevis of your car. You know them, I know them and let’s all agree not to buy them! Instead give a meaningful party favor or something edible that won’t later become clutter for another parent to dread….Candy is Dandy!
Create a Memorable Experience (by Eliminating Gifts)
No presents, say what?!?
Before you scrooge list us, know that we agree every kid deserves something special for their birthday, but seriously what friend gift-giver can compete with Santa?!?
This year try something different. Kids Can Give Too allows parents to register their kid’s birthdays and collect monetary donations rather than bringing gifts to the party. After the party the child splits the donations with a charity of their choice and is recognized with a certificate and presented a VISA Gift Card with their portion of the money. The kid then gets to choose their meaningful gift while participating in something great! This option not only teaches a wonderful lesson in giving but provides a memorable experience to help the birthday stand alone from the recent celebrations!
A pre-Christmas birthday success story! Bannon & Frank celebrated their birthday on December 18th sharing 1/2 of their gifts ($320) with Ronald McDonald House of Charleston! They each received $128 to buy their birthday gifts minus the clutter of many presents right before Christmas!
Once you send invites, the party dashboard tracks the rest managing invitations and rsvps. Reminders will automatically go out to guests who have been caught up in the holidays and were too busy to reply. You’ll be able to invite everyone to the party even if your school’s still on break.
If you keep things simple, make it memorable and focus on everyone’s presence rather than the presents you’re guaranteed to host a successful party that everyone will remember even during the distractions of the holiday!
Ready to get started? Learn more here or if you love this idea, set a reminder for a later date!
