How to plan a kids' party for less
Planning a kids’ party can be time-consuming, and it’s easy for the costs to rack up. We’ve got lots of ideas to help take the stress out of planning, all whilst being wallet-friendly.
Think of your venue
If you have the space, then the best place to hold your kids party is at home. If you feel that space might be an issue, you can either look at downsizing the number of children coming, or see if you have a friend who wouldn’t mind hosting. If the weather is favourable, you could always take the party to a park, or to the beach to avoid any venue hire costs.
Your home is the easiest place to decorate and have all your party essentials at hand. Shown: Space Age party candles. Was £3.95, now £1
Pick a theme
Having a theme will really help you focus, and make quick decisions. You could choose anything from a classic children’s book or film, to their favourite colour or animal. Try and choose a theme that won’t be too complex to help you save on costs - for example a Harry Potter theme is likely to end up being more costly, whether in terms of buying branded items or the time and resource it could take to DIY.
Once you’ve chosen a theme, you can incorporate it in a number of ways, from the decorations to naming the drinks. A couple of our favourite ideas include:
Fairies
A fairy theme works for birthdays at any time of year, and you can have such fun coming up with creative ideas! Be sure to take a look at our blog for six easy and magical ideas for a fairy party.
Add some fairy magic with themed decorations such as bunting, table covers or cake cases.
Fairies in the Garden paper bunting, £4.95. Why not hang it up in the nursery or children's bedroom after the party for some festive home decor?
Fairies in the Garden cupcake cases (50), £1.95
Dinosaurs
Go full-on roarsome with a cool theme that will appeal to boys and girls of any age.
Prehistoric Land platters (set of 3). Was £4.95, now £1
Take a look at our fun recipe for Dinosaur Nest cupcakes, perfect for a chocolate hit at any dino-themed party!
Prehistoric Land cupcake cases, £1.95 for 50
Jungle
Wild animals are always a hit for children's party! Choosing a nice broad theme like this also makes it really easy to mix and match your decorations, food, games and more. You have a huge range of animals and plants you can choose from to create a fun jungle vibe.
Wild Wonders paper table cover, £6.95
Ziggy the Tiger platters (set of 3). Was £4.95, now £1
Plan your time
Make sure that you give the party a clear start and finish time so that you don’t need to plan hours of activities, and so that you only need to feed the children once, and not all day. For young children, two hours is ample time.
Invites are a good way to make sure everyone knows the timings and location. Rusty the Fox party invites (set of 10), £2.95
Organise some activities
No party is complete without some games or activities. The old ones are often the best (and low-cost too!). Musical chairs and musical statues won’t cost you a penny, and you can pull together a pass-the-parcel game without breaking the bank.
Every kids loves some fun stationery! An mini set of cute highlighters is a great gift to pop in the middle of a pass the parcel game. Mini animal highlighters, £3.95
Wrap up all those layers of pass the parcel with ease! Just one pack of our tissue paper with let you make 10 layers (more if you cut the sheets!), and there are more than 20 designs to choose from - perfect for whatever your party theme is.
Road Trip tissue paper (10 sheets), £2.95
If you’ve got the space, you could set up a fun tattoo station. You can either choose your temporary tattoos to match your theme, or go for something more generic that will appeal to a wide range of ages and genders, such as these Top Banana tattoos. Each pack contains two sheets, so you'd only need a couple of packs to make sure each child can choose the design they'd like.
Top Banana temporary tattoos, £1.95
Choose the party food
A buffet is the way to go for a kids’ party, especially as a lot of children can be fussy eaters. Finger foods are ideal for kids - crisps, mini pizzas, sandwiches, and sliced fruit and vegetables. Chances are there will be plenty of leftovers to last you a few days too!
There’s a chance that you might not have enough ‘proper’ plates and cutlery to accommodate all the guests, so disposable tableware is the way to go. There’s also no washing up or risks of chipped plates! Most party tableware is made from paper, but not all of it can be recycled due to the plastic coating, so be sure to check.
Wild Wonders recyclable paper cups, £1.95
Don’t forget the drinks! You can have a lot of fun dreaming up kid-friendly mocktails and providing colourful straws and accessories to make them even more appealing to your little party-goers.
Party bags
Party bags are a lovely way to end a party, and can often be really helpful to tempt away little guests who don't want the party to be over! You can easily get carried away shopping for party bag fillers and the costs can rack up, but keep it simple. A couple of novelty treats and a slice of birthday cake will keep them more than happy.
Top left: Assorted stretchy gecko, £1.95
Top right: Assorted Wild Wonders tilt puzzles, £1.50
Bottom left: Ocean stickers (2 sheets), £2.95
Bottom right: Mini whoopee cushion, £2.95
Greaseproof paper is ideal for wrapping up a slice of birthday cake and popping it into a party bag, as napkins can tend to get stuck to the icing or filling.
Space Age greaseproof paper (30 sheets). Was £3.95, now £1
Looking for even more party ideas and inspiration? Take a look at our children's party Pinterest board!
