Planning tips and suggestions are sprinkled throughout my posts for specific parties and activities. To simplify, I’m consolidating all of them here. As you read through, please remember, this is just my opinion.

1. Do what works for you!

Don’t get caught up in comparing your events to someone else’s and definitely don’t stress about having everything perfect. No one attending knows what the vision in your head was. They don’t know if you nailed it or if you ditched something last minute (which may or may not be crammed behind the sofa). Do I create a lot of games and DIY decorations? Yes. Do I expect every parent to do the same thing? Heck no! I do this because it brings me joy and it’s fun. If it’s not fun for you – don’t do it!

2. Know your audience!

Not every family or group of friends likes to do charades or trivia or potato sack races. That’s cool! Think about what your group DOES enjoy doing.

The other component of this is trying to appeal to a broad audience. I like to have at least one game/activity that appeals to all ages of kids attending (and adults!). Usually this means making a different set of more challenging rules or adding an extra challenge (see the Closet Search Game as an example). 

3. Work with what you have!

I try not to spend a lot of money on purchased games or decorations. I prefer to use what I find online as inspiration and recreate it myself. Yes we use a lot of cardboard and construction paper. We also dig through the basement to see where we have an extra wood shelf I can paint (see Tricera-Toss) or saw horses for the obstacle course (looking at you Survivor Party). Look around and see what you can repurpose or reuse.

4. Avoid characters and buy generic!

This is not a hard and fast rule but I try to follow it as much as possible. You will get way more use out of a simple colorful “happy birthday” banner than the one that has Peppa Pig’s face all over it. Get solid color tablecloths, generic “party” or “celebration” plates and napkins – you will always have leftover plates and napkins, always! If you really want a specific character, buy stickers and add them to the cups or treat bags.

5. Avoid the cutesy food names!

This is a personal pet peeve of mine. When searching for party ideas online, I see a LOT of results for “clever” food signs or fancy foods in the shape of dog bone, or Mickey Mouse head, or something. Why does this bother me? Let’s circle back to the “know your audience” tip – for my family and friends, they just want to eat good food. They don’t care about little labels or that I spent an hour cutting hot dogs to look like spiders. Also, if your kid likes cheese curls and not cheese balls – they really don’t care that “cheese balls fit the theme better because they look like little cannon balls!”, they just want to eat what they like!

Think about the amount of time you’ll spend preparing little place cards and the mental energy you’ll use coming up with on-theme food names. Is that worth it? Will your family and friends care? In my opinion, probably not.

6. Make it fun for everyone!

I don’t think I’ve ever been to a party where there aren’t a few people who don’t really want to participate but they get a kick out of watching everyone else. Consider that when you set up a game – is there room for people to sit, where is Great Aunt Betsy going to have a good view? Not every activity needs to be a visual spectacle, but at least one should be.