How to Plan The Best Birthday Parties

For over 38 years now, we have been experimenting with a variety of ideas for birthday parties. After receiving thousands of reviews and comments, we want to share a little with you about what we’ve learned.

Rule #1: Celebrate the birthday child & relax

This could be the most useful birthday party advice there is. It is so important that the parent of the birthday child does not become so stressed around a birthday that it turns into a dreaded experience. Planning a party is the first step in a stressful process, followed by an even more difficult execution. What we have found is that the overall satisfaction of birthday party guests increases exponentially when the party mom (or dad) is relieved of the typical party planning stress. How does the party parent accomplish such a feat? Here are some of our suggestions:

• Pick activities that don’t require intense supervision - This allows the kids to enjoy themselves together, while the parents can kick back in a worry free environment.

• Don’t try and do it all yourself! - Kids respond better to unique experiences on their birthdays. Whether it’s going out for ice cream or pizza, the kids will be thrilled and it will relieve you of some of the most stressful situations in the kitchen. Not to mention, most parents end up spending more money attempting to do it all on their own versus outsourcing part or all of the party.   

• If possible, leave the clean up for someone else! - This makes a world of a difference in managing your stress levels. There’s nothing worse than anticipating the clean up of birthday cake and ice cream. Times that by 15 guests and it might be years before you shampoo it out of the carpet.

Rule #2: Have a flexible plan

We have seen so many parents come through our facility with entirely unrealistic birthday plans. Some have created plans dependent on all the guests showing up on time (like that ever happens), while others have planned to control every second of the party. As in Rule #1, stressing too much over the party could ruin the experience for you and potentially the kids.

Rule #3: Make it Fun!

This rule seems obvious, but is vital to a great party. Kids don’t care so much about fancy decorations or elaborate themes, they just want to have fun! Parties where they can be active, get creative, do one of their favorite activities, or learn a new skill are memorable and exciting for children of all ages. Put yourself in kid-sized shoes, and think about what they’d like to do, especially your birthday child!

We believe that we host some of the greatest birthday parties around for one simple reason - we take care of the whole process. Whether you celebrate with us or on your own, we want it to be the best possible birthday party! Follow these rules and we can promise it will be a success. We have hosted thousands of birthday parties, you can trust our advice!