For children it is probably the best day of the year – their birthday! Some parents, however, break out in a cold sweat when they think about organizing the event. After al,l every now and then there are rumors about “huge events” with an oversized bouncy castle, three variations of birthday cakes– of course homemade and as tall as the birthday child – and a petting zoo, which was rented at short notice and established in the family garden.
In the following, we will explain how you can make your child and its guests happy without such great planning and financial effort. We have asked our studen’s’ parents for tips and tricks for a relaxed children's birthday party.
3D mini golf or a colorful indoor children's paradise – the location
Nowadays parents are spoilt for choice between numerous top locations for children's birthday parties. Do you want to go for the classicamusement park? Or does your child and his/her friends love horses, so that an afternoon at the Reiterhof would be a great experience? Is your child already older and looking forward to a match of 3D black light mini golf? Is ceramic painting totally in vogue among your child's friends? The advantage of a birthday "away from home" is that you have to organize less. In addition, the costs for entrance, food etc. do not take the overhand. Our tips:
- Get information about reservation deadlines in good time due to the busy schedules of guests and locations and invite in good time.
- Save unnecessary expenses by bringing vegetable sticks, finger food, cupcakes and other snacks as well as sugar-free drinks from home. It's also usually healthier than a round of greasy fries and coke from the bar.
Princesses or pirates – the motto
What was special ten years ago is now standard – the birthday motto. In the internet you will find numerous motto ideas that provide a framework for the entire day. An example?
The great caper – little pirates
- For a pirate party, in the invitation ask for suitable costumes including eye patches, stuffed animal parrots on the shoulders and pirate hats.
- After a snack, the pirate crew either hijacks a nearby playground or sets sail from a homemade wooden ship in the family garden – in summer there may be an exciting water bomb battle in the local waters?
- Older children can make their own wooden saber with the fretsaw under your supervision and paint it in the colors of the crew’s pirate flag.
- Or the pirates go on a mysterious treasure hunt in the city park.
- Even the catering adapts to the motto – the "cake treasure" in the afternoon is decorated with golden and silver sugar pearls. In the evening, colorful vegetable sticks come along in small treasure chests, accompanied by wild squids and creepy sea snakes made of sausages.
25 guests or ten – the "basics"
The location can be so impressive, the birthday games can be so "fancy" – but it can all be a failure when the planning basics are lost among the event character. With the following tricks you can keep a cool head and control the pirate, minion or princess chaos.
- Even if your child prefers to invite his or her whole class – keep an eye on your budget and consider the number of guests you can control. The smaller the group of guests, the more options you have in choosing the location (usually also the budget). As a rule of thumb – one guest per completed year of life.
- Ask the guest children’s parents – e.g. in the invitation – about food intolerances and cultural or religious restrictions. Sad faces, because a little pirate or princess may not eat pork sausages, or panic, because peanuts were in the eaten cake, are not necessary.
- Many children are exhausted after three to six hours of play and fun. So don't drag the birthday party into the late evening hours.
- Plan two or three substitute games if the children play "quickly" or lose interest in one of the program items early. At the same time, give the children moments for themselves if they prefer to play as they choose. The only thing that counts on this day is the joy in the children's eyes – even if one or the other of the games you passionately prepared is cancelled.
With these tips, you will surely prepare a wonderful day for your child and its guests. Stay relaxed and be happy about the small, scurrying troupe which will hit their mattress tired as a dog but totally happy in the evening after the party.