Throwing a children’s party can be very expensive. However, it doesn’t need to be. This is especially true if your children are young before the age when they start making specific birthday requests. The majority of children will be perfectly happy so long as they have their friends at the party and they are doing something they enjoy. Oh, and the cake too. Can’t forget the cake.
While it’s unavoidable having to spend money on the party if you’re going to be throwing it for their friends and/or class, it doesn’t need to be exorbitant. Here are some of the best tips to minimize costs.
1. Make The Cake
One of the more expensive aspects of a party is the cake. This is true at least if you want one that is quality and well-made. However, you could easily make a quality cake without paying for one. And believe it or not, you don’t even need to be a professional baker. Baking a cake has never been easier with do-it-yourself kits. A basic sponge cake can be delicious and the kids will love it.
My mom used to make ice cream cakes for us when we were young. While she is extremely good at baking cakes, the ice cream cake was just a bunch of ice cream thrown into a tin with various candies sprinkled throughout. Did we care? No.
2. Co-Host
If your child has a friend or family member with a birthday right around the same time, nothing is stopping you from throwing a joint birthday. This can be a great way to minimize the cost of the party for everyone involved. The biggest thing you need to do when hosting a joint party is to ensure that each child gets their own time to shine. You should sing two “happy birthday” songs and both children should get their cake.
3. Don’t Rent a Venue
There are so many different places you can now throw children’s parties. However, you don’t need to use any of those specific venues. There are plenty of places you can throw a party without renting a spot. While renting out a venue can be enjoyable and it can keep you from having to worry about cleaning up, it’s also expensive. You can throw a party in your backyard or even at a park.
4. Create The Entertainment
You don’t want to spend money on hiring someone for entertainment. This is only going to eat into your budget. Instead, try to come up with your entertainment. There are plenty of free games to play at a party. You can’t go wrong with some of the classics like musical chairs or even arts and crafts. You could even come up with an exciting treasure hunt where all of the kids have to follow a map to be the first to locate the treasure. There’s so much that you can do without spending a lot on entertaining the kids.
5. Reduce The Invites
While it’s nice to be able to invite everyone in the class to attend the party, that’s not practical for everyone. While you may feel the pressure of having to invite every kid, it’s not expected. A good way to minimize the cost of a child’s party is by keeping the numbers down. Try to make it a smaller party and gathering. Invite fewer kids and you don’t have to worry about shelling out for an expensive and big venue. If your child needs some convincing, allow them to have a few of their closest friends sleep over. That’s an easy way to make it more enticing.
6. Choose The Right Stuff For Party Bags
Handing out party bags is always a good idea. Every party should have them. However, that doesn’t mean they need to break the bank. If you are going to be giving out party bags at your child’s party, it’s best to go with quantity over quality. Grab some giant butterfly wands with LEDs and head to the dollar store and find cheap trinkets you can fill the bag with. No single item in the bag should be expensive. You can typically build out good-looking party bags for a very cheap price as long as you are filling them with cheap stuff from a dollar store.
