How to Throw the Best At Home Kids Birthday Party and Survive

If you have decided to throw an at home kids birthday party, the first thing to realize is that it will NOT be easier than going to a party place. However, there are tons of reasons to keep the party at home. It could maybe even be more fun.

Birthday parties can carry expenses that are often overlooked but can quickly add up. In fact, according to the 2018 Juicy Juice Family Occasions Survey, nearly 60% of parents spend up to $500 on each child’s birthday every year. Yikes! Having the party at home really cuts down on some expenses. You might want to throw an at home kids birthday party, if the following factors apply to you:

1. There is a large number of people you would like to invite.
2. You want to entertain the most number of people for a lower amount of money.
3. Having control over the date, day of the week, starting and ending times and activities is important to you.
4. You want to entertain parents as well as kids.
5. You are generally easy going and don’t sweat the small stuff.
6. You’re ready to be all in: party host, first aid respondent, cake monitor, etc.

If you feel like the above factors don’t scare you off, then an at home kids birthday party might be for you. To help you out, I am giving you all the tips and tricks I learned throwing a birthday party for my 7 year old last month. I invited all 44 kids in this dual immersion class, and some neighbors, and some church friends, and their parents. Whoa! It was a houseful but So Much Fun.

Thinking that a party at home is not right for you right now? Check out some tips for throwing a kids party at a party space. And then click over to see some of the best birthday party places in Atlanta.

6 Tips to Throw the Best At Home Kids Birthday Party

1. Kick the kids outside.

Whatever you do, make sure you plan to kick the kids outside…err…plan fun, engaging outside activities. You can limit the mess and broken items inside your house if the kids pretty much stay outside. Be sure to tell parents ahead of time your plans so they can dress their children appropriately. And don’t plan a ton of activities. Give them some balls, a sprinkler, and maybe a frisbee and let them figure it out. A pinata is always a nice touch too.

2. Have LOTS of drinks.

When you make kids stay outside, they are going to run and jump and get very, very active. This means they will get thirsty. Very, very thirsty. Juicy Juice provided all the drinks for this crazy party. I just served 100% organic juice boxes and water for the kids. I put everything on the back porch in an ice-filled cooler so the kids could help themselves. And boy did they ever! I felt good that I served healthy and delicious drinks.

3. Have food and drinks for parents.

If you plan on letting parents stay during the party, it’s always nice to have some finger food and drinks for them too. I threw the party on the last day of school so because of the celebratory mood, I decided to make an adult punch. I added pretty much equal parts Prosecco, Juicy Juice Fruitfuls Fruit Punch, frozen orange juice and Lemon-Lime soda and it was super refreshing. Be SURE to label the punch bowl that it is for adults only and keep it out of the reach of little hands. I used different colored cups for the adult punch to make sure no kids had any.

4. Have an end time.

While you are thrilled that people will come to your at home kids birthday party, you’re also going to want them to go home. Having an end time on the invitation will help to limit the fun into a time period you can handle. Don’t feel bad about telling people it’s time to go.

5. Serve loads of snacks.

I am a big fan of having parties from 2p-4p so I don’t have to serve a meal. It just makes it easier for me. (And cheaper!) For the at home kids birthday party I threw for my 7 year old, I put out a gigantic bowl of lots of kinds of individual snacks including cheese crackers, fruit snacks, granola bars and Laffy Taffy candy. (No allergens and keeps kids mouths shut!) I also included several kinds of squeezable Protein Slammers snacks. They are organic, filled with protein and anti-oxidants and don’t contain peanuts or gluten. They are fantastic for quick, nutritious and yummy snacks.

6. Buy presents that can double as activities.

Think about buying presents for your child that he or she can use during the party. A new football or basketball is always nice. We pulled out a new Stomp Rocket I was sent and let the kids run, jump, and stomp on it. The “rockets” went really high. So high, one of them is still on my roof!

Don’t be scared of throwing an at home kids birthday party! It can be fabulous and fun. It just takes a lot of patience and a little creativity and you’ll be fine!