Whether you forgot, time got away from you, or you’ve just been too busy, you only have a week to throw a kids’ birthday party.
It’s okay, you’re not a bad parent. This happens to everyone! But what do you do now? Is there hope to throw together a fun party in a week that doesn’t disappoint?
The answer is yes!
Follow along and we’ll tell you exactly what to do!
How to Throw a Last-Minute Kids’ Birthday Party
Okay, I hope you’re ready to do this because you don’t have much time to waste.
Remember to stay calm and keep your kid’s best interest at heart. Odds are, they will just be thrilled about having a birthday party and getting birthday cards and presents. They won’t even notice that you had to scramble to throw everything together last-minute.
Pick a Theme
First, you need to pick a theme. This should be relatively simple if you pay attention to your kids at all.
Do they like a certain movie or TV series? Do they like pirates or dinosaurs? Pick one of the interests and go with it.
We suggest picking something you know will be abundant and easy to find in stores. This will make it as easy as possible to get these things quickly.
Be Fluid with Planning
Next, and perhaps most importantly when throwing a kids’ birthday party in a week, you need to roll with the punches. Not every idea you have will work out. Things will be out of stock, entertainment may be booked up, etc.
Realize that you are doing this thing last-minute and be fluid while planning. Have multiple back-up plans.
Pick Easy and Simple Foods
Now is not the time to show off your culinary skills with intricate dishes and appetizers. Whether you’re buying or preparing, pick easy and simple foods you can dish up and serve quickly.
Plus, you’re throwing a kids’ birthday party, not catering for an art gala. Kids love simple foods. Here are some suggestions:
- Pizza
- Hot dogs
- Corn dogs
- Cheese Burgers
- French Fries
- Potato Chips
- Ice cream bars
- ICe cream cake
- Cupcakes
Throw Together Simple Goody Bags
No kids’ birthday party is complete without goody bags. However, you don’t have time to make extravagant goody bags with homemade treasures and baked goods.
Instead, you need to go simple. Here are some ideas:
- Stickers (that go along with the theme)
- Peel and stick tattoos
- Candy
- Simple game toys (paddle ball, whistles, yo-yos, paper airplanes, etc.)
- Sidewalk chalk
- Bouncy balls
- Play-doh
Send Out Invitations
Once you have a theme picked but before you do anything else, you need to get invitations out. Obviously, snail mail is out of the question.
Instead, customize some free invitations and send them digitally over emails or social media. You can find free invitations templates online. This will be your easiest, fastest, and most effective solution.
Stop Wasting Time!
Now that you know what you’re doing, why are you still here?
You’ve got to get to work and get this kids’ birthday party planned! We hoped we helped.
Good luck and don’t forget to start with the invitations!
I never realized how important having an actual theme really is. My son has a birthday coming up soon and I want to make it memorable. I think it’s really smart to start planning ahead so that we aren’t scrambling at the last minute.