Having a party at home can be a wonderful thing. Your children are in their own home and for some that’s the best part. I had my daughters first big party at home because she was an introvert and wanted the comfort of her own surroundings and she loved it. It can also be a lot cheaper to have it at home. This makes up for the possible mess that will come after the party!
But the other side is you then need plan this party as you aren’t outsourcing it to a play centre or party venue. This doesn’t have to be hard. You can download a free party checklist from my website but here are some tips for planning a stress-free party you can all enjoy.
- Plan the guest list and keep it manageable. When you are having it at home you have a great excuse to limit the guest list. Some people invite as many people as the party girl / boys age – so turning 10 invite 10 people.
- Pick a theme – once you have a theme this will make choosing decorations easy. You can pick your child’s favourite colour or based on their favourite tv show. Is she into Disney or has a favourite movie. Unicorns are all the rage and this allows you to pick rainbow coloured accessories which makes it an easy party theme to work with. Most online party shops will have themed sections making it easy to order. Also places like Kmart and Target have amazing party sections now and it’s all reasonably priced. Putting together a nice table doesn't have to be hard or expensive.
- Outsource the entertainment – you can outsource everything from the planning, to the decorating and the food. But if you want to do all that you can then consider just getting in some entertainment. You can hire all kinds of fun entertainment to come to your house and keep the kids busy. The one feedback we always get is the parents can’t believe how well the kids concentrate at our jewellery making parties. They also love that they get to sit back and chat to their friends while we entertain the kids. Other than feeding the kids, having entertainment takes away a lot of the work for you.
- Plan your menu well ahead of time – start thinking menu when you plan the party. You can find some great party food from my other blogs and Pinterest has many ideas you can use. Ok so Pinterest can seem over the top at times – there are also many good ideas you can get from it! Some of the best parties I’ve been to have served things like sausage rolls and fairy bread. But you can also put a twist on your food if you want to make it more exciting!
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help – your friends are there to help so if you need help leading up to or on the day do a shout out. I love helping my friends at their parties and by paying it forward I know if I ever need help they are there for me!
- Don’t go overboard – I’m guilty of this. I start small and then keep adding to it. By having a well planned out party you can stop yourself from buying too much for it. Make a master list of things you need and then don’t stray from it! This includes decorations and party food. Know what you need and stick to it – it will make your life a lot easier.
- Plan your thank you gifts / party bags – there are so many options for thank you gifts from the traditional lolly bag to a nice beautiful cookie – sometimes simple is best. The important thing is to send a thank you out after the party. It doesn’t always have to be individualised but an email with some pics from the party are always a nice touch.
- Send invitations four weeks in advance with an rsvp 10 days out – knowing who is coming well in advance is important for planning. This also gives you a bit of time to follow up anyone who hasn’t rsvp’d. A month is plenty of notice and lets people make plans around your party.
- Make a schedule of activities and plan for extras – kids can burn through activities so always good to have a contingency plan. You plan for two games and they take 10 minutes in total and you have another hour left is always the nightmare scenario! Having extra games ready to go is important. It’s hard to say how kids will react to games. And sometimes they are just happy playing in the backyard so don’t stress if things aren’t going completely according to schedule. If kids are having a good time that’s all that matters.
- Have fun! Leading up can be stressful and when that doorbell rings your heart may skip a beat from the thought of having kids running around your house – but you will survive and your child will look back on it as one of the best days of their lives. Having a bottle of bubbles cooling for after the kids leave is always a good plan too! 😊
