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Inexpensive Birthday Party Ideas for kids
Inexpensive Birthday Party Ideas for kids-have fun on a budget
Your child’s birthday is approaching. He is counting down the days. He asks, “Mom, can I have a birthday party?” You tell him, “Yes.” This answer launched him into planning mode immediately. He quickly has an invitation list a mile long of whom he wants to invite to his birthday party and then starts planning a menu of many unhealthy snacks you usually do not allow in your home. Oh boy!
Do you start seeing dollar signs in your head as you begin adding up all that he wants to get for his party? You want to say yes to a party, but not yes to breaking the budget and overspending!
Here are some tips to help you plan a low budget party that is fun for everyone.
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Keep what is most important in mind.
What is the point of having a birthday party? To celebrate the life of the birthday girl or boy and to spend time having fun with family and friends. That is the most important reason.
Planning from this perspective can help take off any pressure you may place on yourself to have everything perfect. Remember, the kids won’t care about the perfect shade of green that you found for the balloons your son or daughter wanted; they will remember the fun time they had at the party.
Decide what your budget will be.
You are in charge of your budget, the party is not in charge of your budget. By deciding on a party budget ahead of time, you plan for budget success rather than budget failure.
10 Fun inexpensive ideas for inspiration.
1. Host a birthday dinner.
Plan a birthday dinner with a few close friends at home. You can make a favorite meal, have a favorite dessert, and have a fun evening together.
The kids can play games, watch a movie, or just hang out. They can play games indoors (like cards, board games, or charades) or outdoors (horseshoes or ball). They can watch a movie you have already or one you checked out from the library.
2. Go on an outing with a close friend or two.
Who says that a party needs to be at home? If there is a favorite park or local place your child enjoys, she can invite a friend or two to go along. Spending time with those we care about is the most important thing.
Have a picnic and cake at a local park. Go on a nature walk. Go to a favorite craft store and let the kids pick out a craft they can make together back home. You can serve snacks while they work on it. Another idea is to find a local museum to visit. Museums often have reduced rates for kids.
3. Have a small slumber party.
Invite three or four of your child’s closest friends over for a slumber party. For activities, the kids can play games or watch movies you have or you can check out movies for free from your local library. They can play games, too. You can serve dinner or begin the party after dinner and serve cake, snacks and then a simple breakfast in the morning.
4. Have a small party.
When you have a smaller party, it is easier to spend time with everyone.
A theme party is also a fun idea. If there is a particular character or subject that interests your child, the party can be centered on this theme. Kids can dress up in a favorite costume and games can be tailored to fit with the theme.
5. Have a craft for the kids instead of giving out party favors.
There is no law that says you must give out party favors to every guest. This can add up, especially with a large party. Instead, have a craft or several crafts the kids can make during the party and then take home.
The craft can be as simple as coloring pages you downloaded off the internet, paper dolls (dolls or soldiers), creations with craft sticks, gluing decorations onto a premade project or picture, or decorating cookies or cupcakes. There are endless possibilities.
6. Play games.
Even games people think of for young kids can be enjoyed by older kids, like duck, duck goose, hot potato, or Simon Says. When everyone is playing (even the parents) they can be a lot of fun.
Another idea is to have different game centers with games set up that one to three kids can play at a time. The kids can rotate through the different centers. At one center you can have board games set up like tic-tac-toe, Connect Four, Rubick’s Race, or a deck of cards. Another center may have a bean bag toss or bowling pins set up.
Your kids may want to plan their own games to play as well. Kids are so creative; they can use their imagination to create different games to play.
7. Tell stories.
This one can really capture the interest of the kids. One person at a time can tell a story or you can all tell one story. One person can start it off and then everyone else can take turns to add to the story. If it is helpful, you can set a timer so everyone has equal time to speak.
8. Make a pinata.
Yes, you can make a pinata. You can make a simple one by using two paper grocery bags together. Cut holes a few inched down from the opening of the bag and thread a rope through the holes. Pull it closed like a drawstring. Your kids can decorate it however they like. If the bag has writing or decorations on it, just turn the bag inside out so you kids can have a clean surface to decorate.
You could also create a fancier one out of paper mache. If you are not sure how, you can look up “paper mache pinata” or “diy pinata” on the internet and find many videos and websites with tutorials and directions.
9. Water play.
Most kids have fun getting wet. Especially in the summer, having water play can add a lot of laughter to a party!
Have a water balloon toss, a squirt gun fight, allow the kids to run in the sprinklers, or have water games set up, like a kiddie pool with little plastic toys floating in it that the kids need to get out with a net or a pole.
10. Make a cake.
You do not need to buy a big, fancy cake. Making a cake is simple to do. If you don’t feel very confident about making one from scratch, practice first. Your family will most likely enjoy eating your practice cakes! Another idea is to buy a cake mix and frosting if you don’t want to make a cake completely from scratch.
Your birthday boy or girl may enjoy decorating his or her own birthday cake, too. It is always interesting to see what they come up with and a joy to see them use their creativity!
If you want to have fewer plates to clean up, you can choose to have cupcakes instead of a cake. If you want to have ice cream, you can serve ice cream with cones.
Inexpensive birthday party ideas for kids can be a lot of fun without breaking the bank.
With your child, use your imaginations and creativity to create a fun birthday party that kids will enjoy. After all, the goal is to have fun, not to break the bank!
Here is a recap of some low budget ideas:
- Host a birthday dinner.
- Go on an outing with a close friend or two.
- Have a small slumber party.
- Have a craft for the kids instead of giving out party favors.
- Play games.
- Tell stories.
- Make a pinata.
- Water play.
- Make a cake.
The inexpensive party idea was a great subject for a blog. The children interact more when they are working on a craft. They can develop a love for crafting from experiences like these.
A craft that younger girls like to make is creating a bracelet out of small live flowers and duct tape. Cut a piece of duct tape. Place sticky side up. Place a pile of small cut flowers,fern leaves and other greenery in the center of the table Each party goer can place flowers, petals and greenery on their duct tape, leaving an half in. free of flowers on both ends. An adult can help “close” the bracelet on the child’s wrist that they will proudly wear home.
Thank you. You are right-working on a craft is a great way for kids to interact. This is a creative idea for kids. Thank you for sharing.
For several of our children’s parties when they were in grade school, I had a home-made pizza party. I had the dough made and gave each child a ball of dough and had them flatten it and then put the sauce on it. Then I had several bowls with toppings that they could put on their individual pizza.
Sometimes the guests did not know that you could make your own pizza !!!
The children were always happy with their creation and really enjoyed eating it .
This is such a great idea! It is a fun activity, an act of creativity, and a great meal all rolled into one. I can see how the kids loved it, especially the ones who had never made pizza before. Thank you for sharing.