Does anyone have any ideas. I can't afford too much, but I want it to be really special. Last year I had my son on Feb 25th and my daughter's b-day is March 9th. So we had a little party at our house, but this year she is ready to have friends and a little more excitement.
You guys are awesome! I have so many ideas now. Thanks so much!!
How about letting them decorate their own cupcakes? Or make their own ice cream sundaes? Solves the treat & an activity.
Good luck!
i think the parks mall has a carousel ride party. also what about putt putt or just renting a movie and having pizza?
My daughter went to a really cute birthday party at four. The mom provided solid white sacks , crayons and stickers for them to decorate their own goodie bag. The kids had a blast doing this. Then, she made playdoh for the children to take home. She also provided the age-favorite bottle of bubbles, a fun ball, and I think some side walk chalk and a yummy bag of skittles. (Watch Albertsons or the drug stores on the day after Valentine's Day. You can get some really good deals on candies that are appropriate for this age. ) They also got to decorate their own cupcakes, ate ice cream and danced to fun silly music, and played in the backyard on a swing set. Musical chairs is a fun indoor game if it rains. I think 4 is a magical age that is so easy to please when it comes to birthday parties. Inflatable bounce houses are fun, but really not necessary in order to have fun. If you google search for birthday ideas, I am sure you will find fun, unique and inexpensive ideas! Oriental Trading, US Toy have some pretty cool crafts that do not break the budget! Don't forget the camera!
The rule of thumb is one kid per her age. So if she is three only have three kids and their parents over. Simple games like freeze dance. Turn fun music on everyone dance pause music everyone freeze.
If they are older, then like musical chairs the ones that move out and the last one wins. Also, cake and ice cream if you can make it, it is cheaper if not Wal Mart has good cakes at decent prices. $5 pizza from Cicis.
I bought my daughters plates, cups and stuff from the dollar tree. And I cut flowers and butterflies out of paper and hung them all over the house. IT was a rave. And this was last weekend. Email me if you need any help. I love making parties at a cheaper price.
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I hope this helps.
I had one one year that was a huge hit. I went to the dollar store and bought all the themed plates that said happy b-day on them no particular character or anything. They had the hats, plates, napkins etc. I picked up a few packages of balloons, and toys for prizes. I only spent $20 for all the items. When it was time for the party the kids all showed up. We started out with a kind of mellow intro, kids checking out my kids rooms and such. Looking for new and interesting toys perhaps. Then we went ahead and had the cake, and opened presents. After that the kids were so wound up on sugar it was time to have some fun. I had blown up all the balloons that I had bought before the party, placed them in a corner of the living room. I had all the kids come into the living room and explain the game. The person to pop the most balloons wins a prize. The kids had to get the balloons and sit on them to pop them. It was the funniest thing to watch with little kids.
(parents keep in mind that after they pop be sure and pick up the pieces, especially if there are babies around.) Of course with me I couldn't have just one winner, so they all won.
We just had my daughter's 4th bday party a couple weeks ago. She wanted a Frosty/Winter Wonderland party. We moved all the toys out of the playroom, and covered the floor with white balloons and cotton balls. You'd be surprised how much space you can fill with 10 big bags of cotton balls! We also hung snowflakes from the ceiling. We played Pin the Carrot on Frosty's Nose, Snowman Bingo, and snowball toss (white balls). I had marshmellows, blue & white M&Ms, etc on the table and a snowflake/snowman cake. The party was so much fun. I actually got everything for it just after Christmas when there was plenty of winter/snowman stuff around. I got everything over 50% off, so not sure how easy it would be to find plates, etc with that theme this time of year. But it was lots of fun and not very expensive. Good luck!
You could do a party at your place. If you choose a time in the afternoon (after 1:30) then you don't have to worry about lunch. I would also keep it pretty short.
Kids this age just like to be with each other. One party I thought was cute the Mom made cupcakes and the children went to different areas to decorate them. The Mom had a larger cupcake for her daughter with candles in it that they had decorated. It was very cute.
I used a website for ideas with my son's party last year. It's www.birthdaypartyideas.com another is www.amazingmoms.com
Michaels and Hobby Lobby have cute things to make for $1 each. They also do parties there as well. I don't know how expensive they are.
Good luck and remember simplicity is great!
Blessings!
L.
we did a 2 hr "sleepover" for my 5 yr old in december. basic munchies with a movie set up kept them entertained as they came in their pjs and sleeping bags/blankets, with fave animals. very easy to throw together. you had to pry them away from the movie to do cake and presents at the end! LOL total success and parents loved the idea as well!
I don't want to just tell you about our parties (at KidsNArt) which are fantabulous, but for a really fun and affordable party too you might want to check the rec centers (I know I heard Frisco's does a good one) and depending on where you live Young Chef's Academy does a great party! Check out Around Town Kids online for a good listing too :-)
March might be too early, but for my son's 4th bday last May, we did a slip and slide party. Then, the party favors that I gave out were water guns (from the dollar store) and then we did a balloon release outside. The kids actually loved it! But, it may not be warm enough in March....
Hey J.!
Have you thought of maybe hiring a professional children's photographer to capture this event?
I will be more any happy to do this for you, as I am looking to expand my "birthday" gallery. I can even do some just shots of her alone prior to her big day.
Let me know what you think =) I am sure I can work out a really awesome price as well since you are helping me out too.
Our birthdays start at $50 for shaved ice and even better is Sno-Man Mania for only $75! I come out and entertain the kids for an hour, included they get to build sno-men, have a sno-ball fight and eat "sno-cones".
Pics on the website www.CandiSno.com .
Have fun with whatever you decide! A craft party would be fun and good for both boys and girls. Oriental Trading is having a kids craft sale.
GL!
C.
My daughter had a "dress-up" party at that age. The girls had sooo much fun. I pulled out clothes and took some from my mom's house too. You could buy a roll of the red table cloth from a party store for the run way. You could also have stations set up around the house for them to do their hair and nails.
Hope she has lots of fun!
You might be tired of pizza, but Chucky Cheese party is easy and so fun for kids. You really don't have to do anything, as you will have a host assigned to you. It gives you a chance to actually visit with parents too. Peter Piper Pizza is also good. It is a bit smaller than chucky Cheese. Good luck.
I am using Simply Pretend for my daughter's birthday in March. They have several themes to chose from. Dress up as a princess or have a tea party they even have pirates for the boys. There is a trunck with everything you will need to throw a fun party.
