Do kids’ birthday parties make you sweat? Do you get butterflies in your stomach thinking about planning and hosting your child’s birthday party? Well, I do…but not in the way you think. I actually enjoy it! I start planning the next year’s birthday party as soon as the last guest leaves the current party!  I’ve tweaked the traditional birthday party to make it more fun and more doable!

Ready? Here’s two of my favorite tweaks:

Tweak #1: Don’t Play Games. You try to get all the kids to line up for a three legged race and you accidentally pair up the athletic kid with the weakling. Pouting ensues when they lose. So, you try Pin the Tail on the Donkey. One kid is too shy to spin around in a circle with a blindfold in front of everyone. So you switch to a scavenger hunt. One kid finds all the prizes before the rest of them even take a second look. And it’s only been fifteen minutes!

Instead, try 4-5 activity stations. A station can be a small craft, an individual scavenger hunt, a giant mural to be added onto, a dress up/photo op or even a food making station. Let the activities reflect the theme of your party. As the kids arrive, give them a little tour and then let them start playing!  If they spend even five minutes at each station, that’s 20-25 minutes of fun play that you don’t even have to lead! This is great for every age–big kids like the freedom and little kids can be led by their parents.

Tweak #2: Don’t Decorate. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love me some decorations. But don’t waste your money on expensive plastic and paper decor that doesn’t really add to the ambiance. Try these decorations instead:

• Balloons. They are cheap and huge! You can do bouquets, arches (just put a paperclip on the lip and slide it on a string) or even just let them float up to the ceiling with their strings hanging down!




• Pictures of your Kid. Celebrate your kid by plastering the party with his face. Hang up pictures of his accomplishments from the past year. Or one picture of him from every year. Or if you’re having a themed character-type party, display pictures of her dressed up as this character. Your kid will feel famous and you’ll have some precious keepsakes!




• Toys. If you’re having a sports party–use your own soccer balls and tennis rackets. Use your son’s figurines for his Star Wars party. Get out all your daughter’s posters for that High School Musical party. Set out books, dolls and coloring books that you find in your kids’ playroom to go with your theme. Put them at the food and gift tables and around the game area. Not only is it cuter than the cheapie stuff at the party stores–it’s also FREE!

Make your child’s birthday party the most special memory of the year. It’s the ONE day that’s set apart just for them. Use this day to show them how much you cherish them. Plan and host a party that causes heart palpitations and sweaty palms—in the good way!

Image by © Condé Nast Archive/CORBIS

You can find Amanda at her daily blog ohamanda.com planning parties, playdates but certainly not planning meals. She can also be found at her crafty kids blog, Impress Your Kids and wasting too much time on twitter @oohamanda.