Budget-Friendly Kids’ Birthday Party Ideas and Trends for 2019

When it comes to parenthood, it feels like everything we do and say is very important for our children. It isn’t far from the truth though – children need our help and guidance while they’re growing up and learning about the world, and they need to feel loved and protected. They are able to find joy in everything they do, and birthday parties are important for them, but parents don’t have it as easy. Sometimes we struggle to make their dreams come true, perfect birthday parties included, and we are always looking for ways to save some money without compromising their happiness.

Keeping it intimate

Over the years, parents have been throwing huge birthday parties for kids, using the opportunity to invite friends, family, relatives, and neighbours for a party. On the other hand, it looks like the trends are changing and we’re looking at smaller and more intimate children’s birthday parties. If you’re looking to throw a party in your home, invite as many people as can sit comfortably at your dining room table or in a circle in the living room. Remember that kids should have enough room to play games and eat, so you don’t want to invite too many people and have them crowd the space.

Avoiding party-store traps

There are party-store items many parents feel like they need to have, or they don’t want to bother looking for them on their own. You don’t have to pay a markup for party-store items because you can easily find them elsewhere for way less then they’re sold at the store. To put it simply: there are party shops that sell packs of five chocolates for £1 (that’s 20 pence a piece), but if you go to a big-box store and check the prices, you’ll see that a bag of minis can be half as much. Don’t fall for such traps – a bit more footwork and you’ll save a pretty penny.

Bake your own cake

We know that ordering a cake is easy, but it is also expensive. This is why you could try making the birthday cake on your own instead – you can bake an inexpensive box mix in a blink of an eye, and you could also save a few dollars on the ingredients. For example, you can use water instead of buttermilk – not only will the cake be firmer, but it will also be less sweet, something parents will appreciate. You can make your own buttercream for frosting the cake: just combine milk with some unsalted butter, a bit of vanilla, and confectioners’ sugar. Don’t worry – a number of boxes of the sugar already have the recipe.

DIY favors

In recent years, people have been sending their guests away with goodie bags. While this is a convenient way to “get rid of” the sweets, it can also leave your wallet dry. Instead of buying pricey goody bags, you can try organizing a fun craft activity and have the kids make their own favors. This is especially good if you’re throwing a themed birthday party because you can open a party-supply site and type ‘blank’ or ‘DIY’. You will get a list of items that can be useful so you only need to pick something that’s related to your theme and have kids decorate it on their own at the party. It’s cheap, fun, and convenient.

Silly face contest

Kids love being silly and competing, so why not organize a contest to see who can make the silliest face? Let them use face paint if they want as well as some accessories such as clown noses or funny hats, and get them into a photo booth one by one. You can easily hire a great photo booth from Photoboothme but try to choose one that will fit your home or the venue. Traditional curtained booths are great for older kids who want to keep their silly face a secret, but for little ones, open booths are the best. Once everyone has their silly face photo, arrange them and organize a vote so they can choose the winner. Alternatively you could purchase photography backdrops and create your own amazing scenes for them to pose in front of.

Potato-sack race

Nothing beats an old-fashioned sack race! This is one of those games that will never go out of style because all you need is a sack. In the past, people would use huge burlap potato sacks, but these aren’t exactly easy to come by these days. If you can’t get your hands on anything similar, you can simply use old King-Sized pillowcases instead. Kids should step into the bag, pull the top edges up and keep them tightly around the waist. They can’t walk or run, and the key is to have them jump inside of the bag until the finish line.

DIY piñata

Piñatas are super-fun: they let the kids scream and shout and swing “bats” at the toy in hopes of reaching the sweets that are hidden inside. While piñatas can be quite costly, you can easily make your own if you have the time. If you’re concerned about kids eating too many sweets or some of them getting too many while the others get too little, you could try filling the piñata with bags you’ve prepared yourself that contain enough goodies for kids to have a small snack. Remember, it’s about fun and not about who got the most candies.

Organize a scavenger hunt

The best thing about scavenger hunts is that you can have them both indoors and outdoors, but if you have the means, it’s best to send kids outside to play and “hunt”. Divide them into teams and give each team a list of items they have to find, and the first ones to complete the tasks will be the winners. You can keep the list simple: have them look for flowers, rocks, feathers, and leaves, but you can spice things up a bit and hide “treats” around your backyard: small plastic toys and trinkets. You could also bury a plastic container with sweets, give the children a map, and encourage them to find “buried treasure”.

Play musical chairs

This is one of the oldest games in the book but it’s classic and children love it. The best thing is – you don’t need to buy any additional accessories! All you need is something to play music on and chairs for children, and the fun can start. If you’re new to this game: place chairs in a circle, but put one chair less than there are children, and everyone has to walk or hop or skip around the chairs together while you’re playing the music. Once the music stops, everyone has to sit down quickly, and the one person that doesn’t manage to sit fast enough is out, as is one of the chairs. Repeat until you have the winner and let everyone cheer – they will have a blast!

Conclusion

It doesn’t matter if you’re celebrating indoors or outdoors, in the comfort of your home or a playroom, the most important thing is to keep the children happy and entertained. Presents will be in focus, of course, but the children will be excited and happy to spend time with their friends and play games all day long. Even though spending some money is inevitable, children’s birthday parties don’t have to cost a fortune, and you will still be able to give them something beautiful to remember in years to come, don’t you think?