Birthday Parties Made Simple

How I keep birthdays simple

Since I instinctively favor the Min side of Julie’s Max/Mod/Min Strategy, I thought we would share a few ways I personally keep birthday parties simple. Parties, like Trunk or Treat, can easily get away from you and before you know it, you have planned too much AND are stressed out!

Here’s what has worked for me:

• My kids get birthday parties every other year. On their off year, we choose something fun to do as a family.
• We don’t have birthday parties until the kids are school age, around 5 or 6, when they actually have their own friends to invite.
• I don’t send anything to my kids’ classroom for their birthday. 
• Have an ongoing birthday list. It can be for activities or gifts or both. Any place to write down what your kid wants like your phone of the back of a planner will do. Whenever my kids say, “Let’s do this.” Or we are at a store and they say, “I want this.” I say “Oh great, let’s add it to your birthday list.”

Don’t forget the importance of waiting for the fun stuff. You know sometimes the best part of a vacation is the anticipation of the vacation. Don’t take that fun away from your kids! Give them the gift of anticipating a fun activity they have been thinking about for a year, yes a whole year! 

If this sounds a little too bleak for you, remember there will be plenty of birthdays to plan for! You don’t have to go all out when they are 3 with the petting zoo and the puppet show.

You are going to be celebrating their birthday for years to come so keep it simple when they are young and give yourself room to expand their birthday celebration as they get older if you desire.

Keeping birthday parties simple

When it comes to the party itself, let’s keep things in perspective. Does your kiddo, and let’s be honest, your spouse too, want a picture perfect party with a stressed out mom? Or would they rather have a fun, imperfect party where maybe a few things go wrong but their mom is present and able to relax and have fun?

Remember what the birthday party is for after all, your kid. It is not to impress the other parents or your family!

Think about the parties you had as a kid. Think back to your favorite memories. What made your birthday parties special?

I can guarantee it was the people celebrating with you that made you feel special. It is not about all the other stuff!

You can also think about your child’s love language, based on the book The 5 Love Languages of Children, by Gary Chapman. What types of things make your child feel loved and incorporate that into the party. 

Other ways I keep the party itself simple:

• Skip the party favor and make a craft to take home instead. I keep a running list of easy crafts on my Pinterest board, Fun with the Kids.  

Some crafts I’ve done in the past are diy candy necklaces, colored sand bottles, a pinta- the favor is the candy, yarn letters, shell frames, and stuffed animals.

• Keep the dessert simple. Have a sundae bar or have the kids decorate their own cupcakes. Yes, it can be messy but it is one less thing to prepare ahead of time.  

I also keep a running list of simple party food ideas on my Pinterest board, Simple Party Planning.