Birthday Party Ideas for Children Ages 2-12

Need a few birthday tips and ideas for the next birthday party in your household? Here’s a variety of suggestions that we think will help you make your child’s birthday party fun, special and easy for you.

Birthday Party Tips for the Young and the Young at Heart

Your child’s birthday party should be a fun and memorable experience for your child and for his or her guests. Here’s how you can pull it off:

• Let your child choose the theme of her birthday party and be actively involved in the planning stages of the event. Have her write the invitations if she are able.
  
• Have your child greet each guest at the door. This will help her guests feel welcome and will help her learn how to be a great hostess.
  
• Have a birthday party table or counter space available for the presents. Ideally this place should be a place where all of the guests can sit comfortably and see your child open the presents.
  
• If you order a pizza or another ‘hot food item’ leave it in the oven before the guests are read to eat.
  
• Avoid games, which leave some of the guests with nothing to do. A birthday party can be a nightmare if one of the guests is unhappy. If your child insists on playing a game from this genre, provide additional activities which the guests can do while they are waiting for the game to end.
  
• If you plan on making a birthday party craft with the guests, make sure you create a prototype, for the guests to see and for you to gauge the difficulty level of the craft before the birthday party begins.
  
• When opening gifts make sure that your child acknowledges who has given her each gift and that she thanks every guest.
  
• A party favor or a goody bag is a nice way to end birthday parties. Your child can say goodbye to each guest with these items.
  
• Book special events in advance. (i.e. Children’s museums, Pizza Parlors, Arcades, Fun Houses, Tumble Bus Birthday Parties, etc.
  

Birthday Party Games and Activities for Children Ages 2-12

Birthday party themes, games and activities are perhaps the most memorable parts of your child’s special day. Here are some ideas that will make your child remember her birthday party for a long time to come:

1. For the scientific child, help her to set up a series of fun science experiments that all of the guests can participate in. For a treat, serve the guests green sherbet with cream soda or ginger ale.
   
2. For the ‘fashionista’ in your life, divide the guests into two teams and have them race to put on designated outfits and accessories. Once they put the clothes on they must quickly walk or run down a run-way and pose for a picture. (You might need other parents or family members to help with this one). This is a birthday party she will never forget!
   
3. For older children, play ‘1-100’. This game requires 2 dice, one piece of paper and a pencil or a pen for each guest. Have each guest write his or her name on the piece of paper leaving space to write 1-100 below the name. Then, the birthday girl gets to choose someone to go first. The chosen individual will role the dice and if he or she does not get doubles then he or she will pass the dice to the next player. If however, the first player does get doubles then he or she will begin to write 1, 2, 3, 4,…….etc. under until another player roles doubles. The dice will continue around the table and when the dice returns to the first player and he or she gets doubles again then that player would begin where he or she left off. Whoever gets to 100 first, wins!
   

Birthday Party Gifts and Surprises

Birthday gifts and surprises don’t have to include Barbies and Gameboys. They can also include the following:

• Ballet Classes
  
• Gymnastics Classes
  
• Sports Equipment
  
• A Mini-Trip
  
• A Trip to a Space Museum with Mom or Dad
  
• Breakfast in Bed
  
• A New Book on Tape
  
• Language Lessons
  
• Puzzles
  
• A Book of Science Projects+ Materials
  
• A Trip to their favorite Restaurant
  
• A Recipe Book for Kids, etc.
  

Remember parents, what your children want the most is time with YOU! Give your kids the gift of time.

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Birthday Parties

Birthday parties are something that we all look forward to from the time we are very young. When we are young it’s the cake, presents, and the party favors that get us going, but as we get older we typically just look forward to the social aspect, and hopefully some great food. You are never too old to have a great time at a birthday party, no matter what the theme may be and even who the company is.

Planning A Birthday Party

Planning a birthday party may be even better than having your own birthday parties when you were young. There are a lot of great birthday party ideas to get your inner party planner going. For younger children all you need to do is take a trip through a discount party supplies store and you’ll have more ideas than you know what to do with. Once you have an idea of what your child’s favorite characters or colors are you can buy birthday streamers, favors, and other supplies that will turn any location into a true birthday party atmosphere. The great thing is that you don’t need to break the bank to plan your child’s birthday party because you can get quality supplies at discount party supplies stores that will help save you money while providing your child with the birthday parties of his or her dreams. Birthday parties are fun for kids, but even more fun for parents to plan!

Birthday parties during the teen years might be lower key than they were when your kids were young. Paper streamers, party poppers, and party sparklers may be a thing of the past, but you can still help your child plan a great birthday party. Party stores typically carry age appropriate items for everyone that even your teen will like, so encourage your child to let you in on the party planning and then let your child enjoy his or her birthday parties while you stand back and just enjoy their happiness.

If you are planning a party for someone that is older, there is still a lot of excitement in it! Party stores usually carry party theme supplies for 30th, 40th, and 50th birthday parties where paper streamers, party poppers, and other party decorations become perfectly acceptable again. If it’s a surprise party you’ll want to buy some confetti to throw as well as birthday balloons and anything else you may associate with birthday parties. Of course, food and drink is a favorite at most birthday parties so you’ll want to have all of the birthday girl or boy’s favorite foods available for all of the guests.

Birthday parties are an excuse to cut loose and be silly no matter how old you are. Planning parties for those that you love and care about is exciting, and though it may change over the years you can still take a trip to the party store and ensure that everyone will have a great time! Remember, it doesn’t matter how old you are, birthday parties are a great reason to have a good time, celebrate life, and even get a little bit goofy!

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