Archive for the ‘Birthday Party Ideas’ Category

The Kids Birthday Party 'Worst Enemy': Too Much Sugar

Tuesday, April 29th, 2008

With good birthday party games, you should have no trouble keeping your partygoer’s engaged and on track with the planned activities rather than causing problems and wrecking the party. UNLESS you’ve loaded them up with all the sugar that’s in all the traditional party foods. The excitability that sugar creates makes it much harder for the kids to stay focused on your games, and that can be ‘death’ to a party that’s enjoyed by all- including you.

Candy isn’t the only evildoer here either. Those chips and pretzels are just as bad: the simple carbs in them are converted to sugar way faster than the complex carbs in fruits and vegetables. So you’re not just sending them home on a sugar high- you’re getting the nefarious effects on your watch.

And the kids don’t have to groan when they see your healthy food presentation. You can make it attractive and inviting without the nasty results. My favorite, and a big hit with the kids, has always been chocolate covered strawberries.

A foray onto the web for other ideas turned up lots of good resources. To start, you’ll find a quick list at Kids Party Advice. There’s a yummy sounding apple treat at Penelope Plans. Scroll through all 10 screens of healthy snack ideas at FamilyFun. For vegetarian and dairy/gluten free ideas, check out the list at Adorable Gift Baskets. Lastly, I found 3 more good ideas at girl.com.au.

And for a drink that is also a healthful snack, that helps fill them up a bit and keep the munchies at bay, try one of these delicious smoothies. Making these could even be one of your party activities- I’m sure your neighbors would lend you a couple of extra blenders for the day of your celebration.

One idea always seems to lead to another: how ’bout a smoothie making competition as part of the Survivor Party smorgasbord of games - the best tasting combination wins? You just supply the fruit/yogurt/milk ingredients and they create/drink/choose the winner? Take it one step further and have them create green smoothies - a twist on eating bugs or some similar gross Survivor type challenge that might even show them that healthy can actually taste good!

So don’t let the sugar highs ruin your birthday celebration. Combine these food ideas with any of the great games from Birthday Party Games Lady and your group of kids will be having a ball doing what there supposed to be doing and not turning you into the bad cop. Have Fun!!

Popularity: 50% [?]

Kids Birthday Party Tip: Instead of the usual presents…

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008

I keep reading about this gift idea as I troll the web for new and interesting kid’s birthday party ideas. At first glance, I thought “Nah- no kid is going to really like this”, yet it sticks with me as something we parents should teach our children to do. Give to others.

I’ve now read several blog posts about kids deciding that instead of presents, their party guests should bring a contribution to a charity or organization that’s meaningful to the birthday child. Things like a medical organization in honor of a classmate or relative suffering from that disease. To help their summer camp offer assistance to kids that can’t otherwise afford to attend. The ASPCA if a cherished pet has passed on. Even just to buy a few books for the school or local library.

So many party presents are interesting for about a minute and then get put aside for good. Or never interest the child at all because it’s just not “their thing”. And that’s truly a waste of money, which is a silly thing to do.

And while a birthday party is indeed a celebration of the birthday child, it needn’t be totally self-centered. The party itself is a gift from your child to his or her friends. We parents rarely communicate this fact to our children, and it’s the perfect lead-in to suggesting that the presents be used to help others less fortunate than the birthday child.

They’re never to young to learn the joy of giving to others. Don’t force it on your child, but a well timed suggestion well ahead of time might just have surprising results that are good for your child as well as others. It can be a win-win! And what could be better that othewise “wasted” money on presents that aren’t really appreciated going to do real good for people in need.

Just so you know I practice what I preach, my birthday party games website contributes $1 from every premium party order to Save the Children. There are so many needy and worthwhile organizations out there, but I chose this because ALL children are important, not just our own.

Popularity: 22% [?]

Birthday Party Idea- Inexpensive Party Favors

Wednesday, February 13th, 2008

I always threw away the candy in the loot bags my kids brought home from birthday parties- they’d already had enough sugar when they walked back in the door. And the little toys they got to bring home always broke or were put aside within about 5 minutes. AND- someone spent a bunch of money on this stuff for each kid at their party!

There’s just no need to waste your money this way. I’ve created 4 party favors you can use instead, each a more memorable take-home for your guests and each costs almost nothing. Just customize them and then print them out for your guests. All are available to anyone who wants them.

Having just discovered the HubPages site, I’ve put these 4 party favor ideas up there. If you like these ideas and think they’re useful, please help me out with a thumbs up rating. And if you’ve got other party favor ideas that are cheap and easy, please add them in the comments section on the hubpage. Thanks!

Popularity: 24% [?]

Birthday Party Idea- FREE and Complete

Friday, January 11th, 2008

I just have to share with my readers this great find: a fully fleshed out backyard party for kids that looks to be loads of fun and very inexpensive. So if you’re lucky enough to live where it’s nice and warm now, or find this post when it is, do check out the backyard relay party at emoms at home.com.

Themed as an Olympics party, the games were pretty much all physical challenges that kept the 7 year olds moving all the time. And 7 year olds need to move!!

Starting with the introductory Opening Ceremonies and the Parade of the Flags, the party then went through 10 different games, and the article offers you detailed instructions for set up and running each of the games, so you’ll be good to go. The second and third parts of the post are a tad difficult to find, so here’s a link where you can get to all three parts of the post.

Kudos to emom.com for this great idea and for presenting it with all the necessary details so any parent can put it together easily for their birthday child. This party plan follows all my “rules” for having a great kids birthday party: an interesting theme, games that move quick enough to keep everyone interested and participating, easy preparation and easy on the wallet. And it sounds like the kids had a great time. What more could you ask for?

Just one caution: be sure you have a back-up plan for any outdoor party in case Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate. Even a “rain-date” on the invitation will work.

Popularity: 27% [?]

Birthday Party Idea- Instead of Cake

Thursday, January 3rd, 2008

We all know that the kids coming to your son or daughter’s birthday party aren’t coming for the food. Not even the cake. As long as they’ve got fuel in their tank, they really don’t care what they’re eating at a party. So why not surprise them with something unique and different from the usual?

I love it when someone finds a unique something that can be incorporated into a birthday party and makes the kids smile. Check out this personalized jello mold on goodyblog.com. It’s reasonably priced, and obviously you can use it again and again. The personalization should certainly please the birthday child and everyone will get a kick out of it. Stick some candles in it and I bet they’ll find it all hilarious! And as the author so aptly points out, anyone can make jello. And can make it in far less time than it takes to make that cake and write the birthday child’s name on it in icing.

I’m always in favor of making the whole party process as easy as possible while fun and unique, just as I do with the 5 party packages from Birthday Party Games Lady.

Popularity: 24% [?]

Birthday Party Ideas for Kids of All Ages

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007

All kids, no matter if they are teenagers or elementary age, expect a wonderful party when celebrating their birthday, and look to you to provide it. But finding birthday party ideas that fit your child’s age and also your budget can be a mental challenge and stress inducer.

But you don’t need to come up with anything extravagant to create a memorable party. Even digging into your own childhood memories can yield some interesting ideas- maybe even things today’s generation has never done.

One year I was way overcommitted and had no time. Someone in my house remarked they wished it was still summer, and the party was born. We had Summer Camp in November, complete with s’mores in the fireplace and apple bobbing. I had each guest bring a 2-3 minute ghost story that they told to various small groups. I bought theatre type makeup at the party store, made some templates to get their creative juices going, and they painted each other’s faces in teams of 2 then voted for the ‘best’ face painting job. They had a wonderful time, and the birthday girl was delighted.

Or focus on something your child and his or her group really gets into. Does your child devour every Harry Potter book the moment it hits the shelves? If so, you may want to consider planning a celebration with the boy wizard as the central theme. This would be a great theme for the preteen or teenager living in your home.

The best birthday party ideas are usually quite affordable. The expensive parties where everything is fully orchestrated by some stranger are usually not the most enjoyable for the children. Expensive and extensive decorations don’t make it fun. Instead, the kids need to be actively involved with the celebration, and this is best accomplished through games and interactivity, not expensive plates and napkins. No matter what theme you choose for your child’s celebration, make sure you plan interactive games into the day.

Does this sound difficult? One resource you can use to get ready-made birthday party ideas is the Birthday Party Games Lady website. Here you will find age-specific parties in convenient, instantly downloadable kits. Everything you need is included, from themed invitations to the games to the themed thank you notes. There’s a Harry Potter theme, a Survivor theme, and a detective theme, to name a few. To see all of the party kits, visit today at http://www.birthdaypartygameslady.com/. You will have instant access to everything you need to put together a winning event when you purchase one of these parties!

Popularity: 14% [?]