Tips for quick birthday party prep

I've come up with a pretty easy way to throw birthday parties the last couple years, and wanted to share my experience in case anyone is hoping to have some fun activities that don't take too much money or effort to prepare.

1. Pick a theme. Although this isn't necessary, it makes it easier for me to make all our regular toys/activities look like they are actually a fun birthday activity. My kids the last few years have done monsters, under the sea, monster trucks, Frozen, Tron, and dinosaurs. Some other fun ideas I've seen friends do include chefs, mad scientist, fairy princess, etc.

2. Use what you've got. I rarely buy new activities or toys for birthday parties. I simply gather our favorite group activities and rename them to fit the theme. So PlayDoh becomes "Dino Dough," "Monster Goop," etc. Pin-the-Tail games can be "Fix Olaf's Nose," "Attach the License Plate to the Monster Truck," etc.

Our favorite group activities are art (coloring pages, decorate a paper bag for goodies, etc.), PlayDoh, dance party with ribbons or scarves or balloons, egg/treasure hunt, bean bag toss, pin-the-tail, cake walk or musical chairs, and sensory activities (bean box, play in shaving cream or pudding, dig in sand, etc.).

3. Keep the take-home simple. I don't like getting a bunch of trinkets and junk food from parties, because the toys get broken easily and the junk food is not something my kids need more of. I've gone to sending home something really simple that the kids will likely have fun with. When we did Tron, we sent home glow sticks. When we did monster trucks, we sent home a dollar store can of shaving cream and a little toy car so the kids could drive the care through the shaving cream. When we did dinosaurs, we sent home an activity we just didn't have time for during the party (little excavation kit made of a toy dinosaur skeleton, plaster, and sand). All the toys have been about $2 or under each, and the kids have fun using them at home. And I don't send home sugar because I know what it does to my kids and I don't need parents hating on me.

4. Interact with the kids. I've found that the kids seem to have the most fun when Matt and I really interact with them throughout. They enjoy being complimented on their artwork or PlayDoh creations. They like getting to brag about themselves a bit. And the kids that don't know many of the other kids at the party can always use an extra buddy or two (even if it is the parents).