Birthday Party for Older Kids

Planning a simple birthday party for older kids does not have to be expensive.  It is more about letting your child take control.  Letting your child be involved in planning and let them run the party.  It will make things easier on you and make your child happy.

Part of involving your child is knowing what you want their opinion on and what you do not.  You should have a clearly defined boundary, too, so your child knows what they can and can not expect during the planning process. 

To begin you should sit down with your child and discuss what they may be interested in.  Go over the details that you can agree upon first and get them settled.  After that brainstorm ideas for the other aspects of the party.  Then you can make sure to let your child know what ideas are out of the budget and that can not be done.  You may be able to come to a compromise on many things.

After the meeting with your child you need to go over the plan and check out some important points.

• You should make sure that everything is age appropriate. 
• You want to plan activities, but be flexible. 

You should try not to be too overbearing.  Older children have a tendency to want to do things there way and as long as they are being entertained and safe, you can forgo planned activities for free play.  Just make sure you monitor them and make sure everyone is being involved and having fun.

• Give them space and let you child guide the party, instead of you taking the leadership role. 
• You may have to step in from time to time if things get out of control or the party seems to come to a stand still so be prepared for that.
• You can take the time to get food ready and other activities ready while your child is leading the party.

A simple birthday party for older kids can be tricky as they often want to chime in with their ideas.  Many older kids will want to do something they have seen someone else do.  This could mean a complex and costly party.  The best way to keep it simple is through involving your child in the process of planning the party, but maintaining the ultimate deciding power.