Every child looks forward to their birthday celebration with excitement,
hope and a picture perfect vision of the big day. Some children even begin
anticipating the party months before to make sure every detail is perfect.
From the invitations to the cake to the party favors, everything must
coordinate with the party theme and be just right. While this is an exciting
time for a child, it can often be time consuming for parents adding stress
to already busy lives.
To lighten the load, more and more parents are promoting their children
to CEO position of the big day’s operation. By doing this, party
planning demands less decision-making on mom or dad’s behalf and
gives a child an opportunity to learn responsibility.
Pounding out the details
· Sit down with your child and get down to business – Ask
them what they imagine their birthday party looking like. Is there a theme
that they are thinking about? What colors do they want? Outside or inside?
Afternoon or evening? A few close friends or a large group? At home or
away from home? Based on your child’s visions, figure out how attainable
these ideas are based on the available resources you have for the party.
Establish your Boundaries
· Make sure that your child’s party planning experience
isn’t simply choosing themes, colors and flavors; designate them
solely in charge of a few specifics such as: making the guest list, selecting
the party games and putting up the decorations. This will leave them feeling
satisfied and an essential part of the process. This experience has the
potential to teach your child a great real-world lesson, try not to cheat
them by taking over completely. Appointing your child as chief decision
maker on a few issues will force them to think through the pros and cons
of each decision before making the final vote.
What are the benefits?
Responsibility
Involving your child in this party planning process will teach them about
responsibility; it will help them think through their options and what
it takes to implement ideas within the allotted time frame.
Creativity
Let those creative juices flow! We may think we have all the fun ideas,
but children are the ones that live with wild imaginations running loose.
Use that resource! Those ideas may be the key to making a memorable, out
of this world birthday party as opposed to your routine cake and ice cream
affair. You may be surprised at your child’s creative abilities.
Enthusiasm
With an enthusiastic child at your side and a common goal to work towards,
you will be sure to get the job done with quality – what better
way to teach your child good work ethic?
Themes and Ideas
Expand your mind and think like a kid…what is good ’ol fashioned
fun? Depending upon the season, use these themes to bring life to a Saturday
afternoon.
· Water Park Fun in the Backyard
· Be a Chef: Pizza Making Party
· Decorate a T-Shirt
· Beach Bash
Other Resources
If you find yourself with too few minutes in the day to coordinate the
party planning with your child, check out birthday resources such as Domino
Sugar’s Birthday Central (http://www.dominosugar.com/birthdays/).
This new feature on Domino Sugar’s website allows your child to
play a key role in the planning process, while saving you time and money.
At Birthday Central, you will find 15 different themed birthday parties
including themes such as: Jungle Jamboree, Arts & Crafts and Backyard
Olympics. Each theme has downloadable and printable invitations, place
cards, posters, nametags, mailing labels and thank you cards. Suggestions
for recipes, snacks, decorating ideas and party favors make these themed
parties affordable and hassle free.
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