Your Ultimate Kids Party Checklist

Step-by-Step Party Planning: Your Ultimate Kids Party Checklist

Planning your child’s birthday party is exciting, but it can take up a lot of time and effort. It’s a good idea to start the planning process a few months in advance of the big day. This helps everything run smoothly, ensures you get the venue you want and increases the likelihood of everyone invited attending.

So here is your ultimate kids party checklist:

H2: 2 – 6 weeks before the party

Planning your child’s birthday party should start up to six weeks before the party takes place to help everything run smoothly and give you the opportunity to overcome any obstacles you may face. This period should consist of you:

Choosing the theme of the party

When picking a theme you should consider what your child’s interests and hobbies are. It would be nice to get them involved in the process so that they feel more of a part of it and get them excited early on. This could also spark conversations with their friends at school about their birthday party, encouraging them to talk to their parents about it, increasing the chances of everyone attending.

Example themes include:

• Woodland
• Farm
• Jungle
• Fairy
• Mermaid
• Superhero

Researching and reserving a venue 

Venues can be booked up months in advance so it’s a good idea to research and book early on. You’ll also want to consider the popularity of the venue and the season you want to book it in. For example, if your child’s birthday falls in the summer or any school half term you may want to reserve the venue further in advance as more people will be visiting them to keep the children busy during the half term.

Figure out which friends your child wants to invite

When booking the venue you’ll understand how many people can be invited. You should discuss this with your child to see who they want to invite and see if they can invite enough people to meet the minimum requirements or work with them to reduce the number of people they want to invite.

Order the cake or any party food in advance 

Depending on the size and type of cake you want, you may need to order this in advance. For example, if you want a personalised cake you’ll need to pre-order this and arrange a pick-up date as close to the big day as possible.

You may also want to consider ordering party food, such as platters, in advance to make the day run more smoothly to avoid having to rush around and find food the day or two before the party. This gives you more time for the birthday child, helping you make the day as special as possible for them.

Purchase party supplies

Party supplies are essential to a great birthday celebration. If your venue doesn’t provide any you may want to shop around for party plates, napkins, tablecloths, confetti and more. You can also coincide these with your theme.

Book an entertainer or any activities 

Depending on the type of party you’re aiming for, you may want to consider booking an entertainer or any activities. This is a great thing to book a few months in advance as it ensures you get the best pick of the bunch.

Here are a few examples of entertainers and activities you could utilise:

• Magician
• Clown
• Bouncy castle
• Giant Jenga
• Football shoot out
• Face painting
• Petting zoo
• An adventure park

The week before the party

The week before the big party there’s a few things you’ll want to do, such as:

• Check to see if you need to pick up any extra supplies like party hats, candles and napkins
• Pick up the cake and any food you want to serve
• Double-check with the entertainer or the company you’ve hired the activities with that everything is still booked and ready to go

The day of the party

After doing all of your party preparation over the last couple of months there shouldn’t be much left for you to do on the day, helping the day run as smoothly as possible.

However, there will still be a few things you may need to do, such as:

• Blowing up balloons
• Hanging up banners and decorating the house and/or venue
• Set up any games or activities
• Welcome guests and any booked entertainment

After the party

After all the hard work planning the best birthday party has paid off, it’s time to relax! Realistically there isn’t really anything left to do. But one nice thing you could do is send out thank you notes to the friends and parents that bought presents. This gives a personalised touch and emphasises the importance of saying thank you, to your child.

If you’re looking to host a fantastic birthday party, we here at Hatton have extensive experience in hosting birthday parties for your little adventurers. From our super slide mania to visiting our petting zoo and adventure world, there’s plenty for all to explore!