General Info.
As you envision a huge party with tons of kids, lots of balloons, and a clown, a small niggling doubt creeps in - will my shy child like this birthday chaos? Or, what if not that many kids show up because my child isn't the most popular? The latter was a situation I faced when my son turned eight. I have a little boy who dances to the beat of his own music, and this doesn't always mesh with a HUGE party that everyone comes to. I have a friend with an extremely shy child who, although the IDEA of a big birthday party is exciting, when applied, her child ends up feeling anxious and quickly resorts to tears at the tiniest issue, although she is 6 and typically a happy child.
So what do you do? In this situation, smaller is better.
WHO to invite and HOW to invite: Four guests makes a party, less is just a play date. Determine your child's comfort level, or how many kids you think will come, and work from there. Contact parents IN ADVANCE to determine everyone's availability. Let parents know that you have decided to have a small birthday party for your child and wanted to ensure that his/her very best friends were able to attend. Select three or four dates/times and determine what date/time has the most potential for attendance. Let the parents know what you decided on so that they can mark their calendar.
Since you won't need to send out a stack of invitations, really personalize what you are sending, and get the birthday boy/girl to help. Because it's small you really need to make it special and different from a normal play date. Note, you will probably need to do this via the mail or e-mail as most classes require everyone be invited to pass out birthday invitations at school.
The Party: Small can be fun! But you have to ensure that it's different and exciting to make it memorable and special. Select a really cool venue, or plan something fun and unique at home. A local amusement park is a great treat, or a slumber party with movies and popcorn or a karaoke theme! Include your child in the planning! Get them excited, that "can't wait" attitude can be a little more difficult when it's just a small group. Incorporate an element that will get your child and his/her guests talking as the party approaches. Have a plan, particularly for the shy child. If your child knows what to expect and has had a part in the planning and preparation then the anxiety decreases substantially.
"I Did This"
Amusement Park Fun! This General Guidance really came from the heart, because, as I stated in the body of the section, I have a kiddo who is not the most popular. Also, his birthday lands right at Mother's Day/End of School/End of Sports. SO, getting a gaggle of kids together can be very challenging. But for his 8th birthday I wanted to make sure it was memorable. We opted for small but really cool - and he was part of that decision so he didn't feel like he was missing out. Here's what I did:
- Contacted parents to make sure I had at least four who could attend (we ended up with five guests). I selected a local amusement park where adult chaperones are free (rides were based on tickets, not admission). We had five adults for seven kids - probably overkill but I wasn't sure what to expect!
- Incorporated a "Spy" theme into my small party - invitations were for the elite special forces and time and location were in code and had to be deciphered! "Costume" for their "cover" would be provided at the party…
- Costume you ask? YEP! I had BRIGHT ORANGE shirts for each of the boys with a magnifying glass stenciled on each. Each guest selected a code name and I used a fabric marker to mark each shirt. They thought it was COOL, I thought it was a brilliant (literally) way of tracking 7 kids!!!
- The kids went on EVERY ride (not so expensive considering the smaller guest list) and we ordered pizza in the park and brought our own cake, juices, and fruit to munch on. It was perfect!
- Note, flexibility is KEY. I had intended on getting all the boys back by 7 for parent pick up, but when we got back to the house they were all having such a good time no one wanted to leave. I called parents and let them know that we were watching movies and having popcorn and ended up with a group of boys until nearly 10! I think my son would rank this party as his favorite!
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