Birthday Party Ideas - Have a Craft Party!

Birthday parties can be very daunting when trying to figure out what to do and how to keep the kids busy. No one wants to be remembered for having a boring party, so as parents, we feel the pressure of keeping the children engaged so the birthday child won't be embarrassed. One year I decided to have a craft party and it was a huge hit. It takes considerable preparation time and you'll need some volunteers to oversee each craft, but the kids will have a lot of fun.

• Decide how many crafts you want to offer.
• Decide which crafts you want to offer.
• Purchase enough materials for each child to make one plus a few extra in case a child messes up and needs to start over.
• If there's any cutting of fabric or felt in a craft, I suggest that you do that ahead of time. Sharp scissors are needed to cut through fabric and felt so for safety reasons, I didn't have those available at the party. I did, however, have the "kid safe" scissors available for cutting paper.
• The day of the party, set up a table or "station" for each craft. I suggest setting it up in the garage, driveway, or on the lawn. Put all the necessary materials on the table and assign a volunteer to each table.
• As the children arrive, write their name on a lunch paper bag so they will have a place to put all of their crafts as they complete them.

Craft Ideas:

My daughter's birthday is in November, so I decided to get a jump on the holidays. I chose Christmas-themed crafts like making a small gingerbread pillow, decorating an ornament, coloring holiday pictures, and making a picture frame. If your child's birthday isn't near a holiday, there are plenty of books and websites that can give you great ideas that will make your child's birthday fun and memorable.