Budget-Friendly Birthday Party Ideas

With all the over-the-top kids birthday parties seen on TV and parents trying to one-up each other with outrageous, not to mention, expensive parties, it’s hard to keep up with the Joneses. But there’s no need to worry about breaking the bank to achieve a celeb-worthy birthday party for your child. These three party ideas are all unique, wonderfully fun, and best of all, won’t bust your wallet. Read on for some party themes worth celebrating!

Ice-Cream Parlor Party
What kid doesn’t love ice cream? You can plan an entire party around an ice cream theme. Use frozen yogurt or non-dairy products for kids who are dairy-sensitive. You can find out which kids are food-sensitive from their parents or at school. Start with ice cream cone-shaped invitations you can make with your kids by cutting out shapes from a sturdy paper and coloring them in different colors of ice cream. You can hold the party in your home or in the backyard if the weather permits. Otherwise, you can consider renting out a budget-friendly space at your local YMCA, house of worship or community hall. Kids love to make their own sundaes, so you can set up a long table with bowls of delicious toppings like sprinkles, marshmallows, chocolate chips, mini pretzels, hot fudge, and diced fruits. You can buy plain paper bowls and let the kids decorate the outside before filling up their dish with do-it-yourself sundaes. As a parting gift, you can stick to the theme by handing out gift cards to a local ice cream or frozen yogurt shop. This party theme is sure to please and satisfy even the biggest sweet tooth!

Matinee Day
Movies are expensive these days, so why not bring the cinema right to your own home? A movie-themed birthday party is a “reel” delight! You can send invitations designed like movie tickets with all the details about the party written or printed out. Remind the attendees that they’ll need their “ticket” for admittance to the festivities. Depending upon your child’s age, select a rental that will appeal to all the guests. For snacks, stick to the theme by choosing the same sorts of treats you can get at the theater such as freshly popped popcorn, candy, soda, and hot dogs. Offer some healthier options like pretzels, fruit juice, and raisins too. Have all the kids gather in one large room, dim the lights, and it’s movie time! You can even invite the parents and the adults can watch a different movie in another room while the children enjoy theirs. A matinee day party is a crowd-pleaser and will earn you four stars!

Dress-Up Party
Who says Halloween is the only day for costumes? Kids love to play make-believe and dress up in fun costumes. You can host a dress-up party at home and most of the décor will come from the guests themselves in their creative looks, but you can plan the theme around what the birthday child is wearing. Let the kids know what the birthday boy or girl will be dressed as so no one else wears the same look. You can hold a mini-fashion show so the kids can display their costumes. You can even give prizes for “most creative”, “funniest”, and more. Be sure to take lots of photos and hand out photo frames in lieu of goody bags so the kids can keep a memento of their costume from the party. The kids will be so excited to be able to dress up more than once this year!
For more ideas like these and other great information about your children and family, visit All My Children, NYC’s finest Eco-Conscious daycare.