If your child
has decided that they want a party for
their birthday, then you may already be panicking about cost, about organising, and about
entertainment. Hosting a children’s birthday party is one of those times when
you need to get everything right, and in an Instagram age, the pressure is
higher than ever. That needn’t be the case. In fact, with the right planning and a little advance preparation,
hosting the children’s party of the year is actually
a lot easier than you might think. For those parents already dreading the
build-up to a children’s party, here the top three ways to reduce the stresses
of the planning and the day itself.
Advanced planning
The more that you plan in advance, the less opportunity there is for
chaos on the day. Decide with your child early on what sort of theme they want
and start sending out the invites early
enough so that friends and family are sure to attend. Theme is a great element to
establish as early as possible, so that you have the time to tailor
the birthday space to the interests of your child. Whether it’s their favourite film or TV show, their most
passionate hobby, or even something generic like Princesses or Wizards, the
earlier you have a definite theme, the
easier it will be to find good quality but cheap party supplies that can make your child’s party feel much more special.
Use all of the available help
Whether it’s the grandparents, older siblings, or even other parents, you probably won’t find it too
difficult to find some helping hands. Whether it’s Gran making a special
birthday cake or a set of parents helping to put up decorations, you’re going
to need all of the help you can get. Don’t try and do everything yourself.
Everyone knows just how stressful running a child’s birthday event can be, and
you might be surprised by just how much help is available. Make sure that
everyone knows their jobs and when they need to be done by, and you’ll reduce
your stress levels by a significant amount.
Be prepared for change
Not every activity that you have
planned will go according to schedule. You might have arranged the day with an
hour at the table eating the party food, only to find that the kids shovel the
food down in twenty minutes, or the disco that you’ve set up might not be
entertaining enough to keep them dancing for long. Have some backup activities and games
planned just in case of emergencies, otherwise
you’re going to have a lot of bored but excited children, and that’s a
stressful combination. Having a set of activities as back-up is a great way to
ensure that the children are never without something to do, and that’s the best
way to keep your stress to a minimum.
If you arm yourself with the
right preparation, you’ll find that the day will go much more smoothly. You
might even enjoy the day rather than spending
the entire time dealing with stress or frustration. Always be prepared for plans to go awry, and you may end up hosting
the playground event that will still be talked
about next year.
