One of my favorite things to organize are birthday parties. This year for Eli's 4th Birthday, I did a Generic Super Hero themed party.
Here is my "How to" guide to planning the perfect party.
1-Choose a theme a year in advance. I know this sounds crazy but if you know your child, you can get a sense to what they are into. I've been successful each year with my son. I did a train birthday party when he was 2 and a fireman party for his 3rd party. Next year, I'm planning a Lego themed party. I'm excited!! The reason behind planning a year in advance is so you could be on the "lookout" for any deals throughout the year. Plus, it pays off and you don't get stressed out the last minute.
2-Get a notebook and start the planning process. Here is an example:
What: Superhero (What is the theme?)
Who: Ben, Beck, Oliver, Payton, etc (Who are you inviting? Stick to a number like 10 or 12 because most supplies come in a dozen)
When: Choose an approximate date and be flexible if it changes.
Where: Home, park, Fire Station, etc (Where are you going to have it? Home is easiest because you don't have to take everything to a place to set up)
Schedule: Coloring page, Cake pops/icecream, Don't eat Super Eli game, Open gifts, Face paint/cartoon, Stations 1-3 Power Punch, Bowling, Bubbles, Photo Shoot (What activities are you going to have at the party? Plan specifically a few weeks before how long each activity will be. Stick to the schedule.
Goody Bags: Flying superhero, bubbles, stickers, candy
Decorations: Balloons from Macey's Grocery Store, plates, spoons, table cloth, Eli sign, Welcome sign
Food: Cake pops, popcorn and icecream (Last year I ordered pizzas and had some fire cupcakes, red/yellow peppers, and strawberries.
Invitations: I got my invites from Printkeg for free because I did a review for them. I had them in February all ready to go. I ended up changing the date but that was an easy fix.
3-Be on the lookout. Since you have a theme, look for deals whenever you are out shopping or receive emails. There are always discounts, free shipping, etc etc.
4-A month or two before the party. If you've collected items for the party through the year, choose a container to place all of them in. Now, you can fine tune the planning process. Get your invites completed.
5-A few weeks before. Pass out the invites. Get any last minute items you haven't received. A few days before the party, order your balloons and give them a time for when you want to pick them up. Order cake pops or a cake. Shop for all food items a week before.
6-A day before. Clean your home or the area the party will be. I only had to clean my downstairs. Decorate the table and have pizza that night or take out. Also, put out your goody bags. Pick up cake pops or cake or make them yourself.
7-Day of the party. You shouldn't have too much to do unless you are having food. This year I was a little bored waiting till the party started. I was too organized. But, it is always better to be prepared for last minute changes. Pick up balloons.
Super hero gear: Each blue box, tag and mask came from orientaltrading.com. The boxes came with the tags and I simply put each child's name on the tag.
Place setting: Plate, napkin, spoons and cup came from Costume Super Center. Placecards and mask came from orientaltrading.com/. The red cups came from Walmart. I had the straws from a Dr. Seuss baby shower.
Growing up my mom always had a photo of the birthday girl/boy in the center of the table. It is an easy decoration. Add an extra mask...done.
Coloring pages: Great activity as guests arrive.
Eli's 4th Birthday shirt came from Xannazoo
It has become a tradition to get him a number shirt for his birthday. Plus, he has something fun to wear and it looks great in photos.
Balloons came from WholesalePartySupplies.com. Again, these balloons were free since I did a review. If I didn't know the theme, I wouldn't have gotten them when I did. The review was posted in December 2013.
I actually got this cape for FREE by entering a giveaway a few years back. I knew I wanted to use it for a birthday party.
I created a Don't Eat Super Eli game in Microsoft Word. I took a few photos of Super Eli and found other photos. This is a very popular and fun game for guests.
Another great idea is looking for ideas on Pinterest. I found this idea-Power Punch by searching Superhero party games. You may want to only use one sheet of tissue paper. It was a little harder for the younger kids to punch through. It is also a fun game instead of a pinata.
The birthday boy. Don't you just love his shirt?
Kids love to put hats and masks on. For Eli's third birthday, I got some fire hats from Firehouse Sub for free.
Check out the super girls!
They really were excited!
Cake pops done by Micki Jo Rogan. She used a marker this time for the masks and the number 4. Cake pops are easy to clean up too! I may learn how to make them myself....we shall see.
All of the super heros that came to Eli's party.
Don't forget the candle. The little icecreams can be found at Walmart and are easy to clean up as well.
Love my little guy!
Blow out the candle. He didn't even notice it was pink.
Gift time: Have a special chair for the birthday boy/girl. My sister's idea for gift time is to take a photo of the birthday boy/girl with the of the child and gift they gave. Then you don't have to worry about writing it down and you get a cute photo. You could also include the photo with the thank you card you send out.
Claire and Eli
Payton and Eli
Ben and Eli
Jessica and Eli
Jaymeson and Eli
Cami and Eli
Catelyn and Eli
Who needs a face painter when you have two teenage girls who love makeup.
If you don't trust yourself, practice ahead of time to get it right. Also, I used a photo. The face paint sticks are from celebrateexpress.com. Celebrate Express also have great ideas for parties. I used them for Elizabeth's first birthday party.
Not bad for my first time as a face painter. Anybody want to hire me?
Emma and Claire (sisters)
The spiderman face was a hit and I was on a roll.
Cute cousins!
Have a photo shoot. Do you know anyone that takes photos? My sister is a photographer so it was perfect. Check out her website {HERE}. We did the photo shoot in my garage. I added a few signs and had one for the children to hold.
Be sure to have games for the children to play while they wait for their photo shoot. I created this bowling game with some Costco shake bottles (I simply washed them and took off the tags). Then I added some masks with tape. Done!
Post a Comment