Little kids might appreciate a party at a place with activities, like a roller rink or a bowling alley. Older adults are probably fine with a party in your home or at a restaurant. If gathering in-person isn’t an option, you can throw a party via video chat. Invite your guests to join a meeting on Zoom, Google Hangouts, or Skype, then eat and chat like you would at any other party.
Jungles, zoo animals, pirates, princesses, and ocean life are all fun themes to choose for a little kid. Glow in the dark/neon, sci-fi, night club, and the beach are all great themes for a young adult. Older adults probably don’t need a theme, so you can just choose some fun party colors instead.
If you’re hosting a party for your child, have them hand out invitations during class. You can buy invitations that match the theme of your party for a cute way to tie it all together. Make sure you note the time and place of the party on the invitation.
If you’re hosting a children’s party, be sure to check with the other parents to see if anyone has dietary restrictions. Popcorn, pretzels, and M&Ms are all fun finger foods that your guests can eat. If you’d like a healthy alternative, try vegetables or fresh fruit. Older adults might like food that’s a little more fancy, like crab puffs or mini quiches. If you’re hosting both kids and adults, try to get a variety of food that everyone will like.
It’s never fun to run out of ice, so make sure you stock up on the day of the party. You could also ask your guests to bring a few drinks to share potluck-style. If you’re hosting a party for adults, you could also make up a pitcher of cocktails to share.
If your party has a theme going, decorate the cake to match it. You can use fondant, frosting, or plastic cake toppers for a fun and easy decoration. If you don’t want to deal with cutting up a huge cake for all of your guests, get some cupcakes instead. You could also splurge on some cookies as an extra sweet treat. Don’t forget to grab some candles!
If you’re going for an animal theme, put up cutouts of jungle animals, zoo animals, or aquatic animals. If you’re hosting a party for a teen or young adult, try putting up a disco ball and a fun “happy birthday” banner. Or, try a murder mystery party with cobwebs and old silverware. You could also grab a few party hats or silly glasses for guests to wear. If you’re hosting the party outside, grab some outdoor lights or hanging lanterns.
Teens and older adults probably don’t need games or an activity to do while at a party. Just make sure there’s plenty of music and snacks to go around. You could even have live entertainment, like a band or a DJ, for an older adult.
You can send the photos out later after the party so everyone remembers what a good time they had! If you’re going to post your pics on social media, make up a fun hashtag, like #BradsBdayBash or #AlyssasBigDay.
This is especially important during a party for a little kid. It’s always fun for their friends to see what kind of toys and games they got. If you want to remember this moment forever, have someone record the gift-opening with their phone. If you’re hosting a party for an older adult, opening gifts in front of everyone isn’t required. However, it can still be fun! If you’d like to send out thank you cards, make sure you write down who each gift is from.
After that, you can slice up the cake and hand out pieces for all of your guests to enjoy. If you decided on cupcakes, put a few candles into a single cupcake instead.
Try checking out the $1 section at your local home goods store for cheap and easy goodie bag fillers. Goodie bags are optional, but they’re fairly common at birthday parties for small children.
