How to choose a Party Theme in 3 easy steps

Themes are a great way to focus a party!  Depending on what theme you choose, stores from the Dollar Store to Walmart may have plates, napkins, cups and decorations you can choose from! With so many options, how do you choose??

Step One:
Where and What?
Where are you going to have the party and what type of party will it be?

Location will go a long way to help you decide if you are going to have a theme for the invitation, plates and favor bags alone or go deeper with the theme.

For example: a child's birthday party at a Pizza Parlor or Bowling Alley... you might have a simple theme that is carried through the invite (maybe) and the plates and napkins.   If your child's birthday is at your home (or maybe a park), the theme will carry the whole party and will help you decide on games, crafts and decorations.

Step Two:
Determine interest and availability.
What is your child interested in?  What is available in the stores?

If your daughter is obsessed with My Little Pony, or your son must have a Star Wars Lego party chances are you will be able to find decorations and paper products to go with the theme. However, if your child likes something a little more obscure (like the year my son wanted an Origami Yoda party), you will have to get creative.  Just because it is not available in the stores doesn't mean you can't use the theme, but if you want something simple and easy to implement, creating your own theme might not be the direction you want to go!

Step Three:
Make time for Research
Choose a couple of possible themes and do some research {leaving time to make a choice}

Make sure you leave yourself time to research and choose a theme for your party.  If you end up ordering supplies or invitations online, you need to give yourself at least 6 weeks to make the choice and put in your order so you aren't waiting at the last minute for invitations or favors.

No matter what theme you choose for the party, make sure you have ideas of how you are going to implement your theme.  I often Google a theme for ideas for homemade decorations, snacks, games and crafts that line up nicely with my theme.  Another GREAT resource is Pinterest.  See below the different boards I have already created around types of themes.

Fall and Halloween Themed Fonts

In some parts of the country there is an Autumn "BITE" in the air! 

With Fall comes Halloween parties and Thanksgiving gatherings, and I want to share a couple of free backgrounds for invitations, and some fun fonts you can use! 

Halloween Fonts:
Something Strange
You Murderer
Black Asylum
One Two Trees
Zombie Holocaust
Nemo Nightmares
Children Should not Play with Dead things
Hello Ween
Jack Lantern
Casper





















Harvest Fonts:
Colors of Autumn
JI Pumpkins
Autumn Gifts
Autumn Deco
Harvest Dings
Autumn
Base Leafy Font
Canadian Autumn
PZ Leaf
Leafy Glade
























Please do not use my free backgrounds for anything other than personal use!  

Things to consider when choosing the location for your party

Location

Location

LOCATION!

 Where do you have a party?  Here are some things to consider; and some pros and cons for the most common locations:


Your Home
Things to consider: 
How many people are you inviting? 
How many are you expecting?  
Can they all fit comfortably inside your house?
Do you have space to have games and other activities?

Pros:
If you forget something, you are already at home
You don't have to drag half your house somewhere else
Kids like to have friends come to their home
Easier to prepare and store food.
You can (somewhat) control the environment.
Cost is easily controlled

Cons:
You have a ton of people in your house
Kids can be destructive, you may have to hide the break-ables
You have to clean up your house before the party
You have to clean up the mess after the party 
Space may be limited unless you have a large yard 

The Park
Things to consider:

Can you reserve a spot in a covered area with seating?
You are at the mercy of the weather, what will you do with wind, rain, extreme heat??
You may need to get there early to reserve your spot if it's first come- first serve.
Do the parks near your home have a lot of homeless people/ restless teenagers?
Make sure you have enough adults to keep an eye on your party guests (consider how you might "tag" them so you know they are "yours")

Pros:
Can be free (unless you reserve a spot through Parks and Rec)
Limitless space (if you don't need tables and chairs) for large parties
Playground equipment for active kids
You can play games that need a field (as long as there is not a team using the park's field)
You can make it a "playgroup" style birthday party, where you just have the kids play and end with cupcakes and juice.  Simple.

Cons:
Public bathrooms
You may or may not have access to electricity
You can't control the crowds, the weather, the weirdos that may be hanging around or stray children and dogs.
You have to bring all your crap to the park. (Think - setting up a camp site)
No refrigerator/freezer to store cold food (Other than an ice chest)
Can have a lot of set up and clean up
 
A Pizza Parlor, Laser Tag or other indoor site
Things to consider:

You have to reserve your spot early!  Keep an eye open for special party deals.
Start searching for and saving coupons that will get you free tokens or free pizzas.
Make sure you have enough adults to keep an eye on your party guests (consider how you might "tag" them so you know they are "yours")

Pros:
Easy, no clean up, minimal set-up.
No need to plan games.
Someone else practically plans and runs your party for you.
Weather is controlled
Places like bowling, laser tag and Chuck E Cheeses are popular, fun and simple!

Cons: 
It costs MORE than a do it yourself party
Indoor venues are usually crowded, and full of germs
It limits how creative you can be
If your kids want to spend "quality" time with friends, a place like this doesn't work
Your kids and their guests are spread out all over the place, it is hard to keep track of them all
 

Mini Golf, a Farm or other outdoor venue
Things to consider:

What will you do if it is unseasonably cold, hot, rainy or windy?
Can you reserve a spot or make a reservation?  Make sure you reserve it far enough in advance!


Pros:
Kids love to be outside!
Easy, no clean up, minimal set-up (if it is a birthday party package).
No need to plan games.
Someone else practically plans and runs your party for you.

Cons: 
The weather is unpredictable
It may cost more than a do-it-yourself party
It limits how creative you might want to be
You have to be outside for 2-3 hours... which may or may not be an issue for you


  

Things to consider when setting the date and time

 What day of the week is the best to throw a party?

It depends on many things:

• your schedule and the schedules of the lucky guests you are inviting; 
• the age of the child and the children attending; 
• the number of kids you are inviting (for example, if you feel pressured to invite your child's entire class, having a party after school on a school day will decrease the potential number of children who will come - and other stay-at-home moms may be available to help you with the large turn out you may end up with); 
• the availability of the location or the specific features your child wants (e.g. our local bowling alley only offers "Glow Bowling" on Monday afternoons);
• the type of party you are throwing (slumber parties are limited to Fridays and Saturdays during the school year)

Generally speaking, Sundays work best, because most families are home and there will be fewer conflicting activities (soccer, t-ball) to interfere.  Saturdays also work well during the "off-season" (between sports). 

What time of day is "best"?


Again, it depends on many things:

• your budget (avoid meal times to save money on feeding the hordes)
• the age of the child and the children attending (younger kids? avoid nap-times);
• the faith of the families you are inviting (Sunday mornings might be hard for folks who attend church regularly) 
• the activity levels of the families you are inviting (after school might not work and Saturday mornings they might have a tournament.)

 Most kid's birthday parties are about 2-3hours long.  It's always best to put an end time on the invitation, so parents know when to come back and you have a framework to work within.