Celebrating your kids’ milestones is something you look forward to, although planning birthday parties tends to be stressful. There’s a lot of pressure on you, not just from the birthday girl or boy, but from their friends and fellow parents!
To help make life easier, in this article, we will explain how to throw the best kids’ birthday party ever at your local Renaissance hall.
Set a Budget
We’ll start with the most tedious aspect of party planning, since money will drive your decisions. Consider how much you can invest, including the following expenses:
- Food
- Cake
- Goody bags
- Venue (such as Renaissance hall)
- Costumes (if applicable)
- Activity materials
- Games
- Entertainment
Once you have a budget set, you can decide what you can and can’t afford to include.
Tip: You can often save money by choosing a venue, like a Renaissance hall, that is all-inclusive. This also makes planning easier, as everything is coordinated through one point of contact.
Choose a Date
You’ll need to have your ideal date and alternatives, especially if you need to book a venue. Ideally, the party date is either the person’s actual birthday or the closest weekend before the day. Having it afterwards always feels like it was forgotten.
Consider any conflicting events that might reduce attendance, such as long weekends, sports tournaments, or holidays. Once your date is chosen, you can start calling around for venues such as Renaissance halls and send out your invitations.
Tip: If your child shares a birthday with someone in their friends’ group, consider approaching the parents to see if they might be interested in co-hosting. As long as it is a close friend, this can be a great way to avoid competition between the two events and also save money!
Make a Guest List
Guest lists can be tricky depending on your cultural traditions. For example, some families might hold major parties for kids, inviting every cousin, aunt, uncle, and grandparent from both sides of the family. In contrast, others focus on throwing a kids-only party.
If it’s a big event, a Renaissance hall is the best option, as you can accommodate everyone and have separate areas for kids’ activities and adults. Either way, your guest list is needed for invitations and estimating numbers for things like goody bags, activities, and food.
Tip: Parties for younger children usually include all their classmates, whereas kids who are old enough to have distinct friends can give you their guest list.
Consider Your Kid’s Interests
Parents often get caught up in their own obsessions and their idea of what makes the ideal party. However, this is all about your child and, therefore, should be all about their obsessions. As a result, speaking to your child about what they imagine as the perfect birthday party is always the best place to start.
Tip: If your child isn’t the type to share their dreams, or is too shy to offer detailed input, consider the things they love to inspire suggestions you can discuss with them. This can help them pick out what they’d like to include.
Choose a Theme or Activity-Based Party
There are two basic routes you can take when planning a kids’ party:
Themes
Children love a good theme party. Taking the theme to the nth degree, from costumes and music to games and goody bags, helps create an unforgettable party experience that no one will forget.
For example, a superhero or Star Wars theme can have kids dress up as their favourite characters and include a viewing of the movie, while a Spa Day theme would have guests dress in pyjamas and enjoy fun spa treatments like faux facials or manicures.
You can also jump on party theme bandwagons like messy parties where kids are encouraged to get their hands dirty finger painting, squirting paint onto massive sheets of paper, etc., or camping where kids help pitch tents, learn about building a campfire, roast marshmallows and hotdogs, etc.
Activity Based
Venue-based parties would include places like skating rinks, sporting arenas, gymnasiums, movie theatres, bowling alleys, etc. You don’t have to put much effort into this type of party, but you do have to consider the guest list to ensure the activity will be popular with most kids attending.
Some parents might also worry about certain venues they feel are risky for injury or interaction with strangers, which is a big consideration when going this route.
Tip: Theme parties can be held at a Renaissance hall venue or at home, while activity-based parties tend to be held at a suitable venue. However, if you have a pool, basketball hoop, or DIY skating rink, you can also hold these parties at home.
Plan the Menu
Some menu ideas for your kid’s birthday party may include the following:
- Pizza (or a DIY pizza bar!)
- Barbecued hot dogs and hamburgers
- Sundae bar
- Pasta extravaganza
- Mexican food, like tacos and nachos
- Fruit skewers
- Cheese and crackers
- Cookies and dessert table
- Candy bar
If adults are included on the guest list, it might be fun to have a buffet featuring some sophisticated items, depending on your budget. Kids love buffets, as it allows them to pick and choose what they like.
Tip: Booking with a Renaissance hall provides a customized menu that’s ideal for people of all ages. Also, be sure to ask for food allergies on your invitations.
Plan Your Activities
Some fun activities to plan for the party may include the following:
- Themed pin an item on a specific character or animal (for example, it might be pin the mask on the superhero, or pin the lightsaber on Luke Skywalker)
- DIY arts and crafts projects
- Build your own foods like sundaes, pizzas, tacos, nachos, etc.
- Themed races
- Musical chairs
- Watching a movie
- App-based games
- Movie trivia
- Dress up (you provide the attire)
- Entertainment such as a magician or impersonator
- Makeovers, manicures, hairstyles, etc.
Such activities will help the time pass and ensure that everyone has fun.
Tip: If you do choose a theme, be sure to reflect them in the activities.
Contact the Event Venue Experts
Using these tips will help you plan the ultimate kids’ birthday party for lots of laughs, hugs, and memories.
If you’re looking for the ideal venue for your themed kids’ birthday party, Château Le Jardin offers a spacious Renaissance hall that’s ideal for social events. You can call us at 1-888-529-8573 or contact us here.
