5 steps to finding fun birthday party activities for kids
Want the secret to an easy-to-host, super-fun kids’ birthday party that wouldn’t cost you a dime?
Kids’ birthday parties today have become major productions. Gone are the days of simple at-home celebrations in favour of parties done in exotic locations with novel entertainment. From magicians to bug specialists, trampoline parks to laser tag, it sometimes feels like there’s a new kind of party every weekend.
But there’s an easy way to host a party that kids love! They get moving, shake their sillies out, learn without knowing they’re learning and they have a ton of fun. (We won’t tell them they’re also developing skills that will last them a lifetime.)
So what is this amazing kind of party of which we speak? It’s a party with your own printable list of customized activities for the special day! And here’s how to have your own—quickly and easily and for free.
How to get customized activities for your kids birthday party
In our Resources section, there’s a handy tool called “Build your own lesson plans.” Unless you happen to be a teacher or a coach, you probably haven’t given this tool much thought before.
All that’s about to change in the following five easy steps. (We promise this part won’t take longer than about five minutes.)
Let’s say you’re planning a party for your 4-year-old:
1. The first thing you’ll do is click on that Resources tab at the top of this page and select “Build your own lesson plans.”
2. From there, choose the 3-5 Years age group.
3. Next, you’ll choose the skill. Unless you specifically want to work on a particular skill, choose all three (balance, locomotion, and object manipulation) and click next.
4. Now, because you’ve chosen all three skills, you’ll have a lot of activities to choose from. Just click on the “i” symbol for any activity to learn more about it and if you think it’s something your child and her friends will like, click on the activity to highlight it.
5. Once you’ve highlighted all the activities you think are appropriate for your child’s party (feel free to choose many more than you think you’ll need, so you don’t run out of ideas on the spot), it’s time to review and publish your lesson plan. You can skip over the Organization Name and Activity Leader and click on “Publish Lesson Plan.”
And once you publish the lesson plan, you can print it and bring it to your child’s party! (You can also email it to yourself in advance, so you’ll at least have it on your phone if you forget the printed copy.)
Also remember to have whatever equipment is required according to the plan on hand. (Sometimes you can find the equipment you need at a library!) If you’re going to a gym, some may have everything you need. Others may not. Definitely confirm before you go. Then follow the plan and watch your child (and his friends) have the most amazing birthday party ever!
Other birthday party ideas to keep in mind
Something important to remember is that kids can’t play hard forever. It’s a good idea to have a space where kids can eat snacks and do crafts after their hour of fun.
Pro tip: Make sure there are lots of drinks available, as well as wipes to wash everyone’s hands before they eat. Offer lots of fresh fruit and veggies to your hungry athletes before the cake comes out and you’ll be surprised what they’re willing to eat after all that hard work.
And, if your child loves a theme, there’s no reason why it can’t be an active theme! Here are some of our favourite themed birthday party ideas that you can combine with activities.
Why including active play in kids birthday parties is a good idea
Research has shown that active play has an essential role in children’s health and development. It has been shown to promote cognitive development, and when children work together in activities and games, they learn valuable skills such as communication, collaboration and problem solving.
Because active play usually refers to free play that follows each child’s preferences as opposed to more structured physical activity directed by adults or formal rules, it’s a good idea to try and incorporate some time to include free play in your birthday party as well. Maybe directly after an activity or game is complete.
Whatever your birthday kid wants, when you add some fun, easy activities to get them moving, it’s sure to make for an exciting, exhilarating day for all!
Editor’s note: A version of this article was originally published on June 19, 2015.
Your tips will be helpful while planning for my son’s 5th birthday party and specially about keeping healthy food along side with other snacks as they will be hungry after playing and having fun
I appreciate your reminder to serve a lot of fruits and vegetables to a children’s party since they’re going to be hungry after all the activities. My cousin’s daughter is turning 10 in a few months and she asked me to help her plan the party. I hope we find a good venue for the birthday party soon.
My daughter’s birthday will be in a few months and she wants a video game-themed party since she has been playing a lot of those recently. Thanks for reminding me that kids will get tired after engaging in the activities I may have planned so I should be able to offer them refreshments. I’ll keep these tips in mind once we start planning for the party.
I’m glad you mentioned that you should have plenty of drinks available. My son is turning 6 next month, and I want his birthday to be extra special since we didn’t get to have a party last year. Your tips will be helpful throughout the planning process.
My cousin’s birthday party is fast approaching, and she would like to have a large open face paint booth, which is why we’re starting to look for one. Well, you are also right that it would be a great idea to choose a 3-5 year age group. Thank you for suggesting here that it would be best to consider the kids’ interests and skills before coming up with games.
Excellent ideas for a kids party. Thanks for sharing these ideas. Throwing a kids party is quite confusing because so many options are available which make it difficult that which one is suitable. These steps are really helpful to identify how to plan things for a kids party.
These are great tips for kid’s birthday party. I remember doing some of these things as a kid for my own birthday, and they were a blast. I hope to one day use some of these tips for my own children.