Location
No party can be had without a place to have it. While most birthday parties are at people's homes, parks, bowling alleys, and arcades are always good options. For a simpler feel, calmer feel we recommend renting a room at your local park district; they are not too expensive, and everyone can find them. If your party location is not easily identified, tying balloons outside will definitely help everyone (including us). Regardless of your location, one thing that should remain constant is that the environment is safe, child friendly, and with ample room for kids to run around.
Theme
Themes are by no means required. They will, however, help you with decoration ideas, give-away options, games, etc. For instance, if your party theme is Hannah Montana you can have two party rooms to enunciate Miley's double life, give all the guests inflatable microphones, and buy a cake with a huge, candy-flavored picture of Hannah rocking out. If the theme is soccer, decorate the party area with black and white streamers and make sure the games include yellow and red cards, various national and club flags, or even a game of soccer itself. For theme ideas and supplies, we recommend Birthday Express as an easy and inexpensive alternative to your local party store.
Party Favors
At Balloon Birthdays we offer the same beginner balloon kit described in our Two Twist package for sale at $5 each with a minimum order of ten kits. If you would like to create your own instead or in addition, our main advice is not to splurge. With so many fun things you can put in your gift bag, it is often easy for them to become your largest expense at $7 or $8 a bag. We also recommend against candy because of allergy problems it can present.
Games/Activities
No party is complete without activities. Whether it be one large activity—such as going bowling, playing laser tag, or hiring entertainment (eh hem)—or several games, you need something. Below is a list of some of our favorite games:
Mummy Wrap
Have the kids team up in pairs of two. One person in each team will receive a roll of toilet paper to wrap the other person up in. Either the team that uses their roll quickest or the team with the best mummy wins. As an added bonus have the children clean up the toilet paper as fast as they can as a sort of secondary contest. Four Corners Have the children dance around to music in the middle of four corners. When the music stops they should run to a corner. A corner is selected at random, and everyone at that corner is either in or out. The last person standing wins. As a spin on the game, have the selected corner answer a silly trivia question; the winner in each round will receive a prize.
Dress Up Relay
Create equal teams (2 or more) with a pair of pants, a pair of boots, a shirt, and a jacket for each one. The clothes should be larger than the largest child. Place the clothes in a pile about 10-20 yards away from each team. On go, the first person in the team will run over to the clothes, put the entire outfit on, take it off, run back to his team. When he or she returns to the team the next member goes and so forth. First team to have everyone finish wins.
Pinata
A classic for any birthday party, the pinata should be your final game. We recommend adding a few small coins with the candy as an added surprise for the kids. We also recommend getting a string release pinata instead of a break-open one for obvious safety reasons. Pinatas come in nearly all shapes and sizes, so finding one appropriate for your child's birthday party should not be difficult. To check out or Themes section, click here.
Mummy Wrap
Have the kids team up in pairs of two. One person in each team will receive a roll of toilet paper to wrap the other person up in. Either the team that uses their roll quickest or the team with the best mummy wins. As an added bonus have the children clean up the toilet paper as fast as they can as a sort of secondary contest. Four Corners Have the children dance around to music in the middle of four corners. When the music stops they should run to a corner. A corner is selected at random, and everyone at that corner is either in or out. The last person standing wins. As a spin on the game, have the selected corner answer a silly trivia question; the winner in each round will receive a prize.
Dress Up Relay
Create equal teams (2 or more) with a pair of pants, a pair of boots, a shirt, and a jacket for each one. The clothes should be larger than the largest child. Place the clothes in a pile about 10-20 yards away from each team. On go, the first person in the team will run over to the clothes, put the entire outfit on, take it off, run back to his team. When he or she returns to the team the next member goes and so forth. First team to have everyone finish wins.
Pinata
A classic for any birthday party, the pinata should be your final game. We recommend adding a few small coins with the candy as an added surprise for the kids. We also recommend getting a string release pinata instead of a break-open one for obvious safety reasons. Pinatas come in nearly all shapes and sizes, so finding one appropriate for your child's birthday party should not be difficult. To check out or Themes section, click here.
Music
A great way to spice up any party is to have music playing in the background throughout the birthday. If you do not know what your children are into or what the cool music is, CDs like the Kidz Bop series or Camp Rock should disguise it.
Format
After you decide what you want your party to consist of, your next obstacle becomes putting it all together. Your first half an hour should be set aside as time your guests can arrive late (our twisters can entertain them one by one while those already there wait). This means if you are ordering food or have a special event lined up, plan accordingly. Your last thirty minutes should be dedicated to serving the cake and opening presents. With most parties being two hours, this gives you just about one hour to plan your fun.