Your Childrens Birthday Parties

Planning A Children’s Birthday Party Etiquette

Children’s birthday party etiquette is the first consideration when planning a children’s birthday party. Etiquette relates to every aspect of your child’s birthday party plans, from when you start making the guest list, the food you serve, guests interacting with other guests and opening the gifts to saying good bye.

1. Planning The Guest List

a. If your child has been previously invited to another child’s birthday party. A rule of good party etiquette is to invite that child to your child’s next birthday party.

b. Always invite children who are close friends, you don’t want to leave anyone out and have hurt feelings. If most of the children in the neighborhood are invited you should invite all the children in the neighborhood. The same goes for the children in your child’s pre-school, if most of the children are invited you should invite all of them.

c. I understand that this may lead to a large party, but the last thing you want to do is hurt a child and leave them out of the party. You could ask a few other mothers to attend the party and help you with all the children.

d. If you do end up with a large group of children you could plan the party in the park. Or have the party at your child’s pre-school. Many birthday parties are taking place in pre schools with the help of the teacher.

2. Mail Birthday Party Invitations

a. Always mail the party invitations. It is never a good idea to have children pass them out. Hand delivered invitations can become lost before the child reaches home. The invitation could remain in a school bag and forgotten.

b. A mailed party invitation will have all the information written in one place. This makes it easy for busy parents to make plans and preparations for their child attending the party.

c. Always mail the invitation early – at least 6 weeks in advance of the actual birthday party date. You want to give everyone enough time to make a costume, if it is a theme party. Doing this is good party etiquette and will be greatly appreciated.

d. Slip a note in the invitation asking if your guest have any dietary restrictions or any food allergies. This is one basic party etiquette that not many follow, but will make your guest happy and comfortable.

3. Theme Party Etiquette

a. Make sure that each guest understands that it is a theme party and what is acceptable costume attire. Again good party etiquette is being considerate of another person’s feelings. Be specific about what is expected.

b. Give your guests enough time to plan on the costume they will wear to your child’s birthday party. They may have a costume already or they may want to purchase something new. Perhaps parts of a costume need to be made.

4. Group Party Etiquette

a. Children tend to cluster in small groups. Make sure that none of the children are standing alone and feeling left out.

b. Have plenty of activities that children with all skill levels will feel comfortable doing. Make sure everyone is busy with an activity.

5. Children’s Craft Project

a. What ever craft project you plan for the children, make sure you have made it first. You want to know the level of skill that is needed to make the craft and how long it will take. Plus it is always nice to have a sample to show the children.

b. Make sure you have extra supplies. One child may spoil their craft project and want to start over. Another child may be a fast worker and want to make a second craft project.

c. Write each child’s name on the back of their own craft. Sometimes children can’t remember which one they made. Having the name on each craft project will prevent fighting when it is time to go home.

6. Opening Gifts Etiquette

a. Some children open their birthday gift as soon as their guest arrives and hands the gift to them. Sometimes opening gifts is the first activity. Both of these methods are focusing too much on the gift and not on the guest.

b. The best time to open gifts is at the end of the party while the children are eating their cake and ice cream. The guests gets to see what all the birthday gifts are, which is kind of nice for everyone. The giver of a gift usually likes to see her gift opened and hopefully appreciated.

c. If children are too young and can’t wait to the end of the party to open their gift, then it is better to put all the gifts away to open at a later time.

d. Very young children aren’t really interested in what the birthday child has received. They just want to play and have fun. So again, it is better to place the gifts in another room and open them later.

e. Opening gifts later for very young children will also prevent any child guest from having a melt down because they want the gift.

7. Etiquette and Thank You

a. Saying thank you when you receive a gift is proper etiquette. When the guests are leaving the birthday child should thank each guest again for their gift and thank them for attending their birthday party.

b. Writing and sending a written thank you note, even if the child has said thank you in person, is proper social and party etiquette.

c. All children need to be taught the proper etiquette of hand writing a thank you note. Some thank you notes have a pre-printed verse, but children can still add their own line of thanks.

d. Very young children should make some kind of thank you mark on the thank you note. They could draw a little thank you or place a sticker on the note. It really doesn’t matter what marks they make just as long as young children are involved in the thank you process.

Good party etiquette will help make a birthday party run smoothly and be more enjoyable for everyone.