Plan ahead -- way ahead -- for creative kids parties
Thanks to Pinterest and its endless inspiration, planning a fun kids birthday party is easier than it used to be. However, this access to thousands of ideas and DIY tutorials can feel overwhelming.
After seven years of throwing magical, creative parties for my young children, I have learned an important secret to not getting overwhelmed — decide on a theme early and plan bits and pieces well in advance.
So, if you’re a parent to little ones, here are four benefits to planning their next birthday party right now.
(For the record, I love planning and throwing big parties. To the moms who want to have a party at a Bouncy House place or buy everything at Party City, there is no judgment here. Go for it. We mamas need to support one another.)
Score great deals: This is the biggest one for me. When you party plan in advance, you can score great deals because you aren’t shopping the week before. For instance, 9 months before my son’s summer pirate party, I bought 25 pirate hats at the Dollar Store, as well as felt buckets for 50 cents on clearance at Target. (They both were in stock for Halloween.) Had I not decided on a theme early, I would have missed these products and deals.
For my son's fourth birthday, we had a pirate party. I made the ship a few weeks in advance of the party using a few large boxes for the ship, a carpet roll cut down for canons and an old window shade and dowel for the ship's sail. The telescopes were made by spraying paper towel rolls black and adding gold tape. The hats were bought in October (nine months before the party) at the dollar store. (Photo: Jessica Turner)
Be inspired: Naturally, the more time you have before a party, the more time you have to be inspired, watch for great ideas, etc. By having my kids’ party themes in the back of my mind, I don’t miss opportunities for inspiration. I recommend creating a Pinterest board as soon as you decide on a theme. This will help you stay organized and keep your ideas in one place. Remember though, Pinterest cannot be your yardstick. Your party is YOUR PARTY and doesn’t need to look like it is out of a magazine. Using a Google doc can also help you track what you have purchased, party games that you especially like, etc.
Have time to create: Are you one of those people who pins tons of ideas and get really inspired all in the week before a party? When you plan in advance, you have more time to make your decorations and party crafts. This also prevents those late nights the week of the party.
For my daughter's second birthday, which had a "Sesame Street" theme, I made these visors to give to the kids as favors. They each got to pick their favorite "Sesame Street" character. The supplies were bought using a 40 percent off coupon at a craft store and, because I worked in advance, I was able to get them made in advance of the party. (Photo: Jessica Turner)
Spread out the spending: It can be a bit of shock to the budget to spend $200 on a party all at one time, but if you spend $25 here and $10 here, it isn’t so bad. For instance, one week when we had a bit of extra money in our budget, I bought the paper products for my son’s party. Also, because you are shopping in advance and can take advantage of sales, your money goes a lot further. I especially love shopping Target for its One Spot and after holiday clearance.
Planning in advance will save you time, money and allow you to be more creative. With my children, I have also found that they get more excited for their parties because we have planned together for many months. (My kids love looking at Pinterest together!) I hope this inspires you to party plan in advance.
Source: The Tennessean