Kids’ Birthday Party Tips: How to Throw a Large Party

Ever since our 3rd B-Day Party in March, where I had a huge amount of kids demolishing my home, I've been thinking could I have done it differently. Today I have an expert from  

giving us some easy tips to follow to avoid chaos and have fun.

Melissa is a mom and guest blogger who writes about children’s party planning, child behavior and development, and making parties special with things like Super Mario party supplies.

Hi guys, I am Melissa, and here is my first post for Bag of Pretty

Hosting a kids’ birthday party with a handful of party guests in attendance is pretty easy. Throwing a kids’ party with more than 15 little party guests in attendance, on the other hand, can be downright overwhelming. So, how do you throw a large party for your birthday girl or boy and keep your cool? Here are some tips to help you out:

1. Invite parents – This will make the party even larger, but it will actually make it more manageable. On the party invitations, let the parents know they’re invited (but that their attendance isn’t mandatory). If you do this, you’re bound to have a few of the parents stick around at the party. Those parents will be able to help you manage behavior, feed the kids, and keep the kids busy. Ideally, the parent to child ratio should be pretty low at a party. Otherwise, the kids will have too much opportunity to get into trouble, since a few adults can only supervise so much at one time.

2. Buy food and drinks in bulk – It’s good to get more food and drinks than you think you will need at a large birthday party. So, buy plenty of food and drinks in bulk. If you have a membership to a store that sells in bulk, consider getting the party food and drinks there. Oh, and don’t forget to pick up plenty of ice and enough plates and utensils at the store before the party. There’s nothing worse than having to leave in the middle of the party to go pick up more food and supplies.

3. Structure the party – You don’t have to treat the kids like they’re at boot camp, but you should keep the party as structured as possible and leave little room for downtime. Plan some fun activities that will keep the kids busy and plan out an agenda for the party. Try to stick to the agenda as much as possible and avoid giving the party guests the opportunity to make their own fun. Kids secretly enjoy structure, and everyone will be a lot happier at the party if things are planned out to ensure that fun happens and boredom isn’t a possibility.

If you’re going to throw a big shindig for your child this year, mentally prepare yourself for some work and follow the tips above. The party may not end up being perfect, but it can be a success with the right amount of planning and effort!

Party on!

Melissa

Remember one thing, the most important thing is to have fun at your kid's party! Tips from Melissa can make that happen. Keep it simple and enjoy it!

Thanks Melissa for this great summary!