Party Plans
Planning a party should be fun for all, including the birthday child! If your child enjoys these types of activities, make sure to include him/her in all of the pre-party planning, such as developing the guest lists, planning the games, selecting the decorations, even preparing the party treats.
If your child is younger, consider creating a countdown calendar to keep track of the number of days until the party. Think how excited he/she will be by the time the big day arrives!
Deliver or mail your invitations at least 2-3 weeks in advance so that your guests can respond and plan accordingly.
Set a budget. Before you make any purchases or deposits, put together a list of all your expenses by item. If the total expenses are more than your budget, think of how you can creatively reduce your expenses by trimming some of the less important items. If necessary you may also need to trim your guest list.
Schedule
Consider limiting your party activities to no more than two hours. At this point the energy level of most children starts to fade, and all of those amazing party activities you have planned will cease to be fun. A two hour party will provide enough time for your child to greet all of his/her guests, play a few games, open gifts, celebrate with refreshments and cake, and say goodbyes.
Guests
It's tempting to not want to leave anyone out when planning a party for your child. Will this be a family event, or school friends only? What about brothers and sisters? Remember, it's important to keep the party size managable. If the weather permits, an outdoor event might provide more flexibility if you're working with a larger group. Together with your child develop his/her "wish" list of attendees, and then determine what will work best for your party setting. If the party is a large event with lots of guests, remember to include friends or family who are willing to lend a helping hand.
Decorations
Think about how you can "transform" areas of your home, yard, or other party space so that your guests truly experience the party theme. Reinforce the party theme with coordinating wall and table decorations. Under Construction includes a variety of Construction theme party decorations. Click here to view
Get creative! Turn your party site into a construction job site. Think about creating construction or building decorations that can also serve as activities at the party. A variety of different materials can be used, but cardboard boxes of varying sizes are probably easiest. Decorate these ahead of time to use at the party, or, provide paints and markers to your guests and let them have fun decorating. Check the internet, the library, or your local craft store for ideas on how best (and easiest!) to construct and design these items for your event.
If your party is at home, don't forget to decorate the outside of your house! This will help set the mood for the party and direct guests to the correct address. Consider: orange pylons, a road constructed from black tablecovers with yellow dashes (construction paper or tape) down the center, street signs, and yellow warning tape from your local hardware store.
Activities/Games
To encourage participation from everyone at the party, it's always a good idea to stick to simple games that children may already know or can learn easily. Consider starting with something less active to allow the party goers to warm up to each other. It's also good to have these kinds of activities or games at the end of the party also, so that your guests can start to wind down prior to refreshments and saying goodbye.
Think of simple ways to adapt standard party games to complement the theme of the party. For a Construction theme, these might include Ring Toss on the Pylon, and an Obstacle Course that involves hammering nails, filling a toy dump truck with dirt or sand, painting.
Think about your child's building toys that could be adapted to an activity at the party. Divide the group into teams and see which group can construct the tallest or most unique tower.
Do you have some extra large cardboard boxes? Why not have the kids "build" something? Bring out the craft supplies such as markers, paints, scissors, etc., and watch them go to work. You'll be amazed at the creative talent! (Of course, make sure whatever you have is safe to use. This activity may require extra hands and closer supervision.)
Make sure you have enough activities to last the length of the party, and then some. Running out of activities can quickly take your event from loads of fun to a party downer. Remember board games and craft materials can always be used in a pinch.
Other Ideas
Provide each child with a "time card" when they arrive at the party. Include a list of events for the day.
Teach your guests about tools. Have an adult at the party do a "show and tell", explaining a variety of different tools and how they are used.
Create a lifesize construction worker from cardboard, cutting out a hole for the face. Then, take a picture of each child standing behind the cutout and give it to them as a fun party momento.
Create a memory book or box of the event. Take lots of photos, everything from the guests, to the food, to the games, and the gifts. Make special note of the current events of the day. Include a few small decorations or momentos.
Include your guests in a group photo and include the photo as a momento with your thank you notes. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness, and treasure the memory for years to come!
Party Wearables
Encourage your guests to dress for the event by asking them to wear jeans, t-shirts, and work boots to the party.
Favours / Prizes
Consider Mini Tool Sets, Tool Aprons, Safety Goggles, or Orange Vests to give to your party guests.
Game prizes are fun for both winners and losers. Keep the prizes simple so others do not feel left out. Make sure to have some silly prizes on hand for the losers as well so they have something to take home.
Food
Treat your guests to a variety of creative snacks that tie to the construction theme. For example, think about foods that resemble dirt (brownies, crushed chocolate wafer cookies) and think of unique recipes or ways to present the snack. Or have them "construct" their snack - have on hand toppings for pizza and let them make their own! Just like at the job site, why not serve each lunch or meal in a lunch pail, or brown bag?
Don't Forget
What's a birthday cake without the candles? Make sure to have plenty on hand.
Unexpected
No matter how much you plan, be sure to expect the unexpected, both good and bad. Be prepared with a good attitude and a camera!
