How to Throw a Kids Party That They’ll Love in 15 Steps

#1 Choosing the Kids Party Theme

Selecting a kids party theme that mirrors your child’s passions offers a magical beginning. Your child’s beloved characters, pastimes, or aspirations provide inspiration for their extraordinary day’s theme.

➤ Themes encompass princesses, superheroes, unicorns, and pirates, illustrating infinite possibilities.

➤ Read through our 50+ Kids-themed Party Ideas!

➤ Following the theme selection, it becomes your guide for the creation of invitations, decorations, party favors, games, activities, food, drinks, and even the cake! Envision your dwelling or party location transforming into an enchanting realm, where each detail manifests the theme.

The invitations establish the mood, decorations build the ambiance, and party favors will remain treasured by the young attendees.

#2 Setting the Kids Party Budget

When setting the budget for a kids’ party, it is crucial to carefully plan and create a realistic financial scheme. This scheme will serve as a helpful guide throughout the process of organizing a delightful children’s celebration.

➤ With this reliable financial scheme at your disposal, it allows you to allocate funds to crucial festive components such as

• the entertaining piñata, lively music, vibrant balloons, rewarding prizes, creative crafts, fun party hats, exciting noisemakers, delicious cupcakes, savory pizza, and aesthetic tableware.

It’s like having your own party planner who helps you make smart financial choices while still creating a memorable event. This step on how to throw a kids party is one of the most essential.

#3 Crafting the Guest List

Crafting the guest list for a kid’s party involves taking into account the number of guests, their relationship with the birthday child, and ensuring all the child’s closest friends and family members are included for a memorable celebration.

#4 Selecting the Kids Party Venue

Having prepared your guest list, the moment has arrived to pinpoint the most suitable kids party venue.

• Reflect on the celebration’s theme and pick a location that enhances it.
• Regardless if it’s a boogie bash, a singing spectacular, or a picture-taking journey, ensure the location can house all the merriment.
• Search for a location that includes: vibrant streamers, plenty of room for musical seats, and a separate space for attire and treasure sacks.

➤ Remember to verify if the location offers eating utensils, dishes, and drinkware, or if you need to supply them. Securing the ideal location transforms your child’s celebration into a memorable occasion for all attendees.

#5 Designing Kids Party Invitations

The next step involves designing kids party invitations that will stir up enthusiasm for your child’s big day. These guiding principles will assist you in creating the ultimate party invitations:

• Start with an engaging headline, such as ‘Join us for a Day of Fantastic Adventures!’, that captures the interest of all.
• Essential information about the party, like the date, time, and venue, needs to be part of the invitation.
• The selection of vibrant and lively fonts enhances the visual attractiveness of the invitations.
• The inclusion of cheerful illustrations or images that correlate with the party’s theme, such as a scavenger hunt or a musical chair, adds a fun element.
• The invitation must highlight the thrilling activities lined up for the day, ranging from a treasure hunt to a potato sack race, water balloon fight, three-legged race, bubble-blowing contest, or a painting session.

➤ Use our Customizable Canva Party Invitations for a Rainbow Birthday Party

With such inventive and informative invitations, the countdown to the party starts for your guests!

#6 Planning the Kids Party Menu

In the joyful process of kids party menu planning, the age group of the children stands as one factor to consider. Their dietary restrictions and preferences also play a crucial role in ensuring that the tantalizing food being served is suitable for all.

Remember to offer vegetarian or gluten-free alternatives for those with dietary restrictions.

With such a thoughtfully planned menu, the children’s request for seconds is an expected outcome!

#7 Organizing Fun Activities

Once the party menu reaches its completion, the stage for organizing delightful activities for the little guests sets itself.

We’re going to make this party a thrilling adventure! Here are some invigorating concepts to keep their spirits high:

Games & Competitions:

1. Treasure hunt
2. Dance contests
3. Party games like “Musical Chairs,” “Simon Says,” or “Pin the Tail on the Donkey”
4. Face painting competition
5. Sack race

➤ Go through our 20+ Blindfold Games for Kids to get some ideas!

Entertainment Performances:

6. Magic shows
7. Clown performance
8. Puppet Show
9. Costumed character appearances
10. Kid-friendly music and dancing

Creative Activities:

11. DIY craft stations
12. Storytelling sessions
13. Baking or decorating cookies

Interactive Experiences:

14. Bouncy castle
15. Animal petting zoo
16. Piñata

Screening/Watch Parties:

17. Movie screening
18. Karaoke

Decorative Features:

19. Balloons
20. Themed decorations

Prizes/Favors:

21. Party favors
22. Prizes for game winners

These activities will elevate the party to new heights and ensure the children remain engaged and amused throughout the celebration.

#8 Selecting Appropriate Kids Party Decorations

Create a festive atmosphere by selecting suitable decorations for the joyous kids’ party.

The party space, you may transform, into a dazzling spectacle with your boundless imagination.

• Colorful streamers and radiant balloons can hang from the ceiling creating a vivacious canopy.
• Adding a sprinkle of confetti, you can bring, a twinkling touch to the setting.
• Set a bright, patterned tablecloth on the table and sprinkle it with delightful candy necklaces.
• Exciting party blowers and pinata bats, you should place, on the table to escalate the joyous fervor.
• For a sprinkle of magic, tutus, and wands, you can hang, around the room.
• You can add amusing balloon animals.

#9 Choosing the Perfect Cake

When the task of finding the ideal cake for your child’s celebration arises, their cherished flavors and designs become the guiding factors. The goal is to guarantee that the cake not only delivers an exceptional taste but also presents a stunning visual appeal.

Here are some cheerful suggestions to assist you in securing the ideal cake:

• A cake reflecting the party’s theme, be it a princess castle or a superhero emblem, enhances the celebration.
• Acknowledging any dietary restrictions or allergies of your attendees, and selecting a cake that fulfills these requirements, ensures everyone’s enjoyment.
• Contemplating the cake’s size and the number of attendees ensures an ample supply of cake for everyone.
• Having the necessary serving utensils, waste bags, and food storage containers readily available simplifies the clean-up and storage process.

With these joyful suggestions, finding the cake that will elevate your child’s celebration becomes a delightful task.

Here are ideas with 100+ Easy Birthday Cake Ideas for Kids (That Anyone Can Make!)

#10 Preparing Kids Party Favors

Delighting in the continued celebration, guests’ appreciation blossoms when given party favors. Their faces light up with surprise when a personalized bag, filled with enchanting treats, lands in their hands. Adding a touch more excitement, a table brimming with various options, all perfectly aligning with the party’s theme, is created.

Imagine this scenario:

➤ On one side, there are colorful soda bottles and refreshing water for the kids to enjoy, along with jars filled with bubbles and tubes of squishy Play-Doh.

➤ On the other side, a wide variety of exciting party favors awaits, including fun balls, vibrant stickers, entertaining puzzles, interesting books, exciting frisbees, and playful hula hoops.

The children, given the freedom to pick their preferred items, experience the thrill of making the party a part of their homes. These party favors, carrying the spirit of the celebration, radiate a joy that remains ingrained in hearts long after the party winds down.

➤ We made special paper masks as party favors for one of our kids birthday parties, so you might find that interesting too!

#11 Creating a Kids Party Playlist

To ensure an upbeat and exciting environment at the party, you should compile a kids party playlist of child-appropriate tunes that will encourage lively dancing and enthusiastic singing.

The atmosphere will thrive with rhythmic beats and memorable tunes that will incite young ones to hop, wiggle, and spin in happiness.

Essential song selections for your party playlist include:

• ‘Joyful Song’ by Pharrell Williams
• ‘Never Ceasing Melody!’ by Justin Timberlake
• ‘Release the Snow’ from the Winter Tale movie
• ‘African Beat Dance (This Time for Africa)’ by Shakira

These musical pieces guarantee to spark the children’s rhythm and vocal participation.

➤ It’s also important to incorporate amusing time-honored party songs like the ‘Wiggle Dance’ and ‘Feathered Friend Dance’ to stimulate movement and laughter from everyone.

A well-curated playlist promises a party brimming with gleeful dancing and lasting fond memories.

#12 Establishing a Kids Party Timeline

Crafting a kids party timeline ensures a smooth and enjoyable event for the children. A timeline helps the party run efficiently and makes sure there’s no downtime where kids lose interest.

1. Build in buffer time between activities like food, games, and cake so there’s no rush.
2. Schedule louder activities like singing Happy Birthday earlier, before kids get overstimulated.
3. Stick closely to the timeline to keep kids engaged but be flexible if an activity runs long.
4. Having an organized, well-paced timeline allows the focus to stay on fun rather than logistics, creating a stress-free party that parents and kids will enjoy.

Crafting a party timeline ensures that every activity, from slime creation to karaoke, is meticulously coordinated and timed, resulting in a memorable experience for the young ones.

#13 Ensuring Kids Party Safety

As the party planning for the little ones unfolds, the importance of ensuring safety for each participant radiates brightly. After all, the goal is to create an environment brimming with joyful laughter and devoid of any mishaps.

Here are some ideas for a kids’ party safety checklist:

• Supervise children at all times
• Childproof the party area by securing or removing any dangerous objects
• Check for food allergies beforehand and accommodate them accordingly
• Have a first aid kit readily available
• Keep emergency contacts for all children
• Ensure safe usage of any play equipment like bouncy castles
• Follow age limits and heights on play equipment
• Provide ample food and water to prevent dehydration
• Check electrical sockets are protected and cords secured
• Remind children about safety rules before activities

The key when wondering how to throw a kids party is preparation, supervision, and anticipating any potential risks to keep kids safe.

#14 Capturing Kids Party Memories

Capturing kids party memories of your child’s birthday party forms the core of photographs and videos. A designated selfie station, adorned with a vibrant screen backdrop, serves as the perfect spot for all the small guests to showcase their best poses.

➤ Recording videos of cherished moments, such as your child extinguishing the candles or unwrapping their gifts, becomes a priority.

Ensuring to seize each smile, each giggle and each moment of happiness will lead to memories that will be cherished for generations.

#15 Post-Party Cleanup Tasks

After the fun of the party ends, the cleanup begins. Post-party cleanup tasks are quite important, so you don’t end up doing it all by yourself.

1. To restore order after a kids’ party, start by clearing any remaining food and disposing of trash.
2. Wipe down tables and surfaces used for food prep or crafts projects.
3. Sweep or vacuum to tackle any crumbs or spilled snacks on the floors.
4. Check play areas and furniture for stains and clean as needed.
5. Wash any reusable plates, cups, and utensils.
6. Take down all decorations and store them properly for the next event.
7. Do a final check for any lost belongings brought by guests.
8. Assigning cleanup tasks to family helpers allows the work to go quickly.
9. With an efficient cleanup plan, the space can be restored to order so the party’s only lasting memories are of joy.