Tips for throwing the perfect under 5s kids’ party

Kids love parties. Actually, what kids love is running riot while eating sugary treats and popping balloons. They think that’s what a party is. Alas, adults know differently. Parties require time, planning, attention to detail, extra time to fix any plans that might fall through, and a water tight
itinerary to help all the other parents to plan their day around the fun. It’s a steeper hill to climb than you may imagine if you’ve never planned an under 5s birthday before.

Now, you’ll need a gift. This is going to be centre stage so take the time to get it right. When it comes to under 5s, gifts mean one thing. Toys. Whether you’re searching for the best gifts for 4 year old girls or the best gifts for 4 year old boys, make sure you do your research so that there are no tears at the moment your child unwraps their gift in front of everybody! With the gift sorted, we need to look at a couple of other main birthday party considerations…

Timing is everything 

Under 5s take naps. Usually in the early afternoon after their lunch until about 3PM. That’s why you can avoid tired tantrums by having your birthday party either before noon or after 3PM. And the parents of the other children will thank you for it! An end time can also help to avoid any awkward situations with parents not wishing to be the first to leave. 

You may actually be hosting two parties 

Parents of under 5s will stay with their child at the party. This means that if you’re inviting your child’s whole classroom of children to attend, you might end up with the exact same number of mums/dads sitting around with nothing to do. This is a small-talk disaster that you can remedy by putting on coffee and snacks in another room or area of the party – printing the wifi password and leaving it where it can be seen is also going to go down well!

Include gift ideas on the invites 

Your child of under 5 probably doesn’t have many interests. Most 40 year olds I know don’t even have that many interests. This can be problematic for the other parents who could struggle for gift ideas. Simply listing “outdoor games / arts and crafts” as gift ideas on the invite gives the other parents a direction to head in with their gift buying options. 

Goody bags

Goody bags are kind of expected. By all means, do your party your way. But if you want to tick all the boxes in terms of delivering a traditional kids’ party, you’ll need to put some effort into a goody bag for each child in attendance. 

More than one activity 

Decorating party hats and face painting and scavenger hunts and musical chairs are the best birthday ideas that can keep your party moving and prevent the children from getting bored. Having some music in the background – or perhaps a popular kids’ movie – can also help to create an upbeat mood.