5 steps to the perfect birthday party for a seven year old girl
Step 1: Issue invitations
Let the birthday girl invite whomever she wants, as long as you’ve heard her mention the proposed invitees’ names before. That means you must have at least a mailing address, email address or phone number for all invitees. If she can’t muster up contact information, then I’d question how well she knows that would-be invitee.
Mail or email or telephone to issue invitations. In other words, don’t pass them out in the classroom. I realize that most seven year old girls haven’t yet learned not to talk about the events to which they’ve been invited in front of others who may not have been invited, but don’t get them started by enticing them to compare invitations at recess.
And yes, I did say let the birthday girl invite whomever she wants. As with other social events, make out the guest list and then determine how extravagant the party can be based on your budget. We opted for the extravagant guest list, as you can see.
Unless, of course, she’s got her heart set on a particular venue – the likely trade-off being fewer guests.
Step 2: Plan one major activity
It doesn’t really matter how old kids are; none of them care much for being told what to do. Trying to coordinate a bunch of games or activities will leave both you and your guests frustrated.
Identify one (or maybe two) main attractions, preferably activities that don’t require your involvement to coordinate them. When Tacy was four, we had a bouncy castle. This year, we had a magic show. At Declan’s party last year (Greeblemonkey’s son), they had a face painter and a pinata.
Not only do these activities get nearly all the kids involved, because they’re not dependent on the number of guests, you can easily accommodate both younger and older brothers or sisters without added expense.
Step 3: Do munchies, not a meal
Make it easy on yourself: buy a couple bags of pretzels, a bag of tortilla chips, and a box of Cheez-Its. Dump them all into bowls. Don’t even think about dip; the kids will happily eat them plain. So much easier and less expensive, even more so than pizza.
Even if, like I do, you normally ban juice from your home, buy juice boxes. It will be yet another cool treat for the birthday girl, and juice boxes are much less likely to create monumental spills than paper cups filled with carpet-staining punch.
Get an ice cream cake. Scooping ice cream onto kiddie party plates is a pain, and ice cream cake is so much easier to cut and serve – provided you thaw it for ten minutes or so beforehand. Plus, ice cream cake is one of those party novelties that always goes over well with kids, thanks to the vividly colored frosting.
I’ve heard cupcakes suggested as the perfect birthday party treat, but since no child knows how to eat a cupcake without making a colossal mess – if they even eat it, that is; CJ merely licks off the frosting – I’m not a fan unless I’m the one eating them.
Finally, if you schedule the party for later in the afternoon and you have it at home, get a case of beer and a couple bottles of wine. The parents who stay for the party (and a few of them might) will think you are fabulous. Plus, a beer might help you cope with the prospect of fifteen kids running around your house.
Step 4: Let them run around the house
Really. If a neat-slash-control freak like me can handle it, so can you.
Prep the birthday girl up front as to which areas are absolutely off-limits – like the master bedroom and the formal living room – and then let them loose. Trying to keep them all in one room may prove to be futile. If your place has a natural “circuit” like ours, be prepared for the kids to run around it several hundred times.
Also, prep the birthday girl that her guests will be playing with HER toys. Tacy’s not bothered by that, but lots of kids are. If there are things that she absolutely positively does not want anyone to touch, put it on a high shelf or in one of those off-limits areas. The top pre-magic show attraction at Tacy’s party was the cardboard cottage that’s been gracing our entry since Christmas, with the Hot Wheels Trick Tracks and my Gaiam exercise ball sharing second place.
Finally, if you live in an apartment, give your downstairs neighbors a heads up. Bring them a bottle of wine beforehand and a big slab of cake afterward.
Step 5: Stay loose
Obviously, the beer and wine will help, but if you can adhere to the first four steps, this one should be easy. Basically, it boils down to not making anyone do what they don’t want to do simply for the sake of keeping to your schedule or your vision of what a birthday party ought to look like. Just like the old adage about not waking a sleeping baby, don’t piss off kids who are having a good time and not destroying anything.
Well, unless it’s time to go home. Which is the sad part for everyone; all parties must end eventually.
Much of the photo credit goes to Aimee Greeblemonkey; to see the whole set, check out her Flickr photostream (some photos are permission-only)
April 13th, 2009 at 8:10 am
Agree with every word! This describes the party we just had for Opie. Except for the, uh, lack of guests.
Frosting picture is perfection.
mayberrys last blog post..Easter morning bedhead
April 13th, 2009 at 8:36 am
What a splendid party! We had a Star Wars party (attended by Jedi, Clones, and several princesses) will much running around the “circuit” in our house. If only one could bottle the energy . . .
Lady Ms last blog post..Past Lives of Professor McGonagall
April 13th, 2009 at 8:38 am
Looks like a great party! And I agree about games. We were recently at a 5 year old’s party where the control freak mom (who is a dear friend of mine btw) made the kids play 4 or 5 organized games. There were at least 15 kids there — 4 and 5 yo’s mostly — and it was at the Children’s Museum. Those kids were losing their minds to get out of the party room and into the museum!!
You can plan my kid’s party anytime!!
Jills last blog post..Easter: The Day After
April 13th, 2009 at 9:41 am
Great tips. I have to agree. We don’t even do the munchies for the kids anymore though. Friends are invited for the cake and ice cream and that’s it. They never eat anything anyway!
Heathers last blog post..If Only They Were As Innocent As They Appear
April 13th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
hmmm… agree with a lot of what you say, but the open-ended racing around the house can have it’s downside. Like the time two boys wandered off and managed to trap themselves in our daughter’s bedroom closet for 15 minutes – and no one heard them yelling!
I usually put the “power of small” to work, like you, by choosing one really fun, cool activity. IMHO, the moonbouncer is an ideal choice (weather permitting). The reasons: awesome energy magnet, and EVERY KID, no matter their age, ability or attention span, can enjoy it. We have a son with autism – and even his classmates had a ball.
Lisa
April 13th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
That party looks like it was great.
Zandors last blog post..Birthday & Easter
April 13th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Any time at Casa MGM is a blast. Thanks for including us.
Aimee Greeblemonkeys last blog post..Life With Bryan
April 15th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Yes! Simple, fun, inexpensive – what more could one ask for?