Children's Birthday Parties

Throwing the perfect birthday party for your preschool or elementary school child need not mean calling a mortgage broker for a home loan. There are plenty of themed parties and activities you can do in your own home that will leave a lasting impression on your child and leave your bank account in tact.

The first consideration in planning a party is to know what your child is interested in. Giving a party themed around your child's interest will help him/her not only enjoy the day, but provide a lifetime of memories. Think teddy bears and trains for toddlers and sports themes and beauty days for the early elementary.

Second, enlist your child's opinion. Ask him what he would like to do and then help direct him to an acceptable theme with appropriate activities that you can live with. This not only helps your child feel like a part of the overall celebration, it will also ensure that the day includes activities that he and his friends will have fun doing.

Third, if you can, MAKE the cake. When my son turned 12, I asked him what kind of cake he wanted. He created the Chocolate Supreme (chocolate, chocolate chip cake with chocolate frosting and then topped with crushed Oreo© cookies). It turned out to be the first time in years I had made his birthday cake. Later, he remarked that it was "SO much better than the store bought cakes he had had in the past."

Finally, let the kids take the lead and have fun. In general, plan more activities than you need so you don't end up with a bored group of kids, but don't sweat it if you don't get to all of them. Take your cue for the kids and let them have fun!

Age appropriate toddler/preschool party ideas:

1-4 years - For this age group keep the party short and simple. Children at this age are still egocentric and prefer parallel play rather than group play. Provide activities where they are all together, but do not have to interact in activities if they choose not to.

Teddy bears: Make individual cakes shaped like bears (molds can be purchased in the baking section of most department stores). Have every child bring their favorite bear and have a "Bear Parade." Find a great picture book about bears and read aloud to the children. You can even have them act out the story.

Trains: Make individual train cakes and then arrange them on the table like a real train (molds can be purchased in the baking section of most department stores). Activities for this party include reading a train book to the group, playing with large wooden model trains, and having the children line up and play "choo-choo" train. Have the children go in a circle singing a train song such as, Down by the Station. Other activities include coloring train pictures, or even visiting a train museum if there is a toddler friendly one near you. Our neighborhood had a train depot at the public park and having the picnic at the park and riding the mini-train was a huge success!

Ducks: Make a cake frosted like a lake or pond. Decorate it with plastic ducks. The reading and coloring activities listed above and be used here as well. Consider paying a game such as Catch the Duck where two or three children each sit around a throw away foil pan (the kind you roast the Thanksgiving turkey in) filled about 1/4 of the way up with water (just enough so the plastic ducks float). Place large plastic ducks (available in the toy department or party stores) and large slotted serving spoons. The children catch the ducks from the water and then place them back. I know it sounds strange, but believe me, this age group loves it. Just be sure to have ample adult supervision (one adult for each group of children) and plenty of towels!

Age appropriate elementary party ideas:

Girls day out - If you have a girl who loves fashion and there is a local beauty school in your area, consider throwing a tea party and taking the girls to the local beauty school to have their nails painted (call ahead first and make sure the school can accommodate the number of girls you are bringing.)

Book theme: Have the children come dressed as their favorite character from the book. If there is a movie version of the book, have them watch it, or make book marks or crafts related to the book.

Sports theme: Have a BBQ! Set up the backyard or public park area with sporting activities (soccer or football for example). Make individual cupcakes and decorate the tops like soccer balls, baseballs, and basketballs. Try a water balloon toss, obstacle course, or and M&M straw race (divide children into two even lines and give each child a straw. Place one adult at the head of each line with a bowl of M&Ms and one adult for each team a reasonable distance down field with an empty bowl. The object is for each child to suck up an M&M on the end of the straw and hold it until he/she reaches the second adult and places it in the bowl. After a set time, the team with the most M&Ms in their bowl wins.

Happy Planning!