Checklists for Organizing a Birthday Party

Organizing a birthday party for your kids is never an easy task. It requires extra time and effort from you to assure that nothing is missed out. You must track your progress to ensure that everything is done in a timely manner. Creating a checklist or a detailed to-do list is the best way to keep you organized and to keep you sane. Here is a sample checklist that you can use on your next birthday party.

One Month Before the Party

It is important that you start planning a month before the big day. This will give you enough time to make adjustments whenever necessary. Planning ahead of time eliminates cramming.

• Know your party theme

Involve your little ones in determining the theme, after all it is their party. It will be more memorable to them if the theme is of their interest. You can check out these resources to know the trending party themes for kids.

29 Kid Birthday Party Themes
18 Exciting Birthday Party Themes Your Kids Will Love
Birthday Party Themes

• Set your budget

It is necessary to set your budget limit to avoid overspending or purchasing unnecessary supplies. You don’t want to end-up broke after the party. Allot a specific amount for everything that needs to be purchased, like the decoration, invitation, and food.

• Prepare your guest list

Who do you want to share this special occasion? Determine the total number of your guests.

• Determine the date and time of the party

Are you going to do it on the exact day of the birthday or the nearest weekend? It is important to consider the availability of your guests to ensure their attendance.

• Decide on the venue

Are you going to do it at the comfort of your home or are you going to rent a venue? If you’re going to rent a venue, make sure that it is accessible to everyone. Remember that it is your goal to make your little one happy; thus, his/her friends must be present at the event.

• Invitation

Are you going to create a DIY invitation, look for an invitation service, or order the ready-made ones? Exerting extra effort on the invitation is a total plus. However, if you don’t have enough time to do it, you must order your invitations immediately to assure that these will be delivered to you on time.

Here are some examples of the ready-made invitations you can order online:

30 Birthday Invitations with Envelopes...

$15.95

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Bounce House or Jumping Party...

$9.99

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Gift Boutique 36 Happy Birthday Party...

$16.95

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Here are some tips on creating a DIY invitaion:

21 Professional Designer Tips
10 Tips for Making Homemade Birthday Invitations (DIY)
How to Make Homemade Birthday Party Invitations

You can also check this video to learn 5 DIY invitation:

If you are looking at a total comfort of creating and sending your invitation, online RSVP is already emerging. There are websites where you can create your invitation and send it to your guests in a snap of finger. You can visit your account from time to time and check if your guests have confirmed. It is also environment-friendly because it is paperless. It also eliminates the hassle of distributing the cards one-by-one.

• Party Supplies

Are you planning to also challenge your creativity when it comes to decorating? Or are you just going to purchase the available ones? It is important to categorize the party supplies that you need. Make a list of the things that you will purchase online or party stores. Shopping online will help you save extra time and energy.

If you’re budget is tight, you can opt to DIY and recycle the available materials at your house. Here are some of the resources that can help you with your DIY journey:

33 Easy DIY Decorating Ideas for Your Next Party
12 Easy DIY Birthday Decor Ideas

• Rentals

If you plan to do it at your place, you need to determine the number of tables and chairs. Check out Kazzam Party Rentals.

• Entertainment
  Do you want to hire a clown or a magician for your little one’s party? Kazzam also offers clown or magician services.

Three Weeks Before the Party

• Check if you’re able to fulfill all the tasks from the other weeks. If you missed out something, make sure to prioritize it this week.

• Send invitations

• Start purchasing your party decors or start making them (if you preferred DIY)

• Plan the menu
  Are you going to ask for a catering service or do the cooking by yourself and just ask for assistance? Make sure to ask your kids what he/she wants to serve for his/her friends. Your menu should include healthy snacks. 

Here are some ideal menu that your kids will surely love:

10 Ideas for Kid’s Birthday Party Snacks
22 easy and instagram-worthy foods to serve at your child’s birthday party
30 Best Foods to Make for Your Kid’s Birthday Party
Healthy Kids Birthday Party Food Ideas

• Reservation of the venue (if you’re not going to do it at your home)

• Plan the program
  Determine how long the program would take (including party games, blowing of the cake, and opening of the gifts). Your program should be energetic and engaging for your guests until the end.

• Purchase the prizes for the games

• Order the souvenirs (if you plan to give one to your guests)

Two Weeks Before the Party

• Review your progress, ensure that everything is on track.

• Order the cake (if you’re not going to do it yourself)

• Purchase party favors

• Decide on the costume of the birthday celebrant

One Week Before the Party

• Recheck the progress, you must be 70-80% done with the party needs.

• Remind unresponsive guests.

• Call the venue, the rentals, and the entertainers to confirm

• Purchase table wares and accessories (but if you’re going to avail catering services, this won’t be necessary)

• Purchase the remaining party needs

• Do a general cleaning of the house (if you’re going to held the party at your home)

Three Days Before the Party

• Go over your checklist and double check if something was not done yet.

• Purchase all the ingredients on your menu (if you don’t avail catering service)

Two Days Before the Party

• Bake the cake (if you’re going to do it yourself)

• Make sure that everything is on track

One Day Before the Party

• Decorations
  You can start decorating if you are going to do it at your place. But if you rented a venue, make sure that all of the decorations are all-packed, well-organized, labeled, and ready to be transported

• Prepare the batteries of your camera

• Assure that there is enough memory for your camera

• Prepare the food that requires advance preparation (like the desert)

• Have a good rest

Day of the Party

• Pick up the cake as early as you could

• Cook food

• Set-up the table and chairs

You may want to excite the kids with a placemat that they can color. Partituki’s printable placemats are easy to print and all elements are high resolution (300 dpi).

Happy Birthday Placemat

Welcome Placemat

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• Set-up a separate table for party goodies, prizes, and give aways

• Finish the decorations

• Party time

You may find these resources helpful for organizing a party:

• How to Organize Children’s Party at Home
• Child’s At-Home Birthday Party Checklist
• Complete Kids’ Birthday Party Checklist

Creating a checklist will make organizing a party a lot easier. It will keep you organized and on track. It will be really a memorable and amazing party for your little one.

Last update on 2024-07-22 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API