How to throw an affordable birthday party at home

I want you to close your eyes and think back to your childhood. Now try to remember some of the birthday parties you attended, whether they were yours or your friends. Think hard… where were most of those birthdays celebrated? I bet that the majority of them were at someone’s house, right?

I know that’s true for me. Sure, there were some parties at McDonald’s or Chuck E Cheese’s, but most of them, and all of mine, were held at home. Now try to remember how you felt at those parties. You were happy, right? Of course. They might have been simple, completely organized and managed by the birthday child, but they were fun! And guess what… they were affordable too. Besides the food and loot bags the costs were minimal. I mean, Pinterest wasn’t around back then (and frankly, parents didn’t care about themes), so they just grabbed whatever disposable plates were around (or napkins or dishes), blew up some balloons (if you were lucky) and called it a day!

To be honest, there’s something to be said about hosting parties outside of your house. The clean up is a cinch, activities are taken care of, and it’s way less stressful. Of course, the cost of portable toilet hire can be expensive but it is definitely worth it. Especially if you live in a large city like Toronto.

Having three kids ranging in ages from 5-9, I’ve done it all. We hosted small parties of around five kids, to family-only parties, to 30+ kids which needed a marquee hire. We had parties at various locations (indoor trampoline park, playgrounds, Lego land, indoor Nerf battle warehouse) and at home. While throwing a party at home does require a little more leg work in terms of planning and getting las vegas party rentals, they can be pretty simple, affordable AND fun!

If you’re looking to throw a birthday party for your child at home, here are some of my tips for making it a success while keeping the costs down.

1. Determine what activity the kids will be doing. For our most recent at-home party, we had the kids play a game of ball-hockey. Considering how big is a hockey pitch, the field we used was perfect. We are lucky to live right across from the school and the playground was recently paved and coloured so it was perfect. We also gave the kids an option to play basketball, in the playground, or just run around in the field. There was something for everyone, even if they didn’t like to play hockey. For Nathan’s party last year, we blew up an inflatable jumpy castle and slide (that we own) and set it up next to the trampoline. The kids were able to jump around in those or go down to the basement (a giant play room) and play there.  If you’re hosting a big party and need staging solutions, visit https://modularflatstaging.co.uk/.
2. Plan the food. For Kyle’s party we went back and forth between pizza and hot dogs but realized that pizza would require less work from our end so we can focus on the (20) kids we had invited. We grabbed some fruit and veggies from the grocery store, along with some Allen’s apple juice and called it a day. The apple juice boxes were also perfect for bringing with us to the park. If you love baking you can make a simple cake at home but since I don’t, I purchased mine at the local grocery store for $25. There were more than enough slices to feed everyone twice! Don’t forget to grab a few snack items too like popcorn and chips. I put those out in bowls right away so kids can grab them any time with asking for food. 
3. If you do loot bags, I highly recommend purchasing 1 big ticket item to give out vs. a bunch of small cheap stuff that will end up in the garbage. For Kyle’s birthday, I purchased a Pokemon tin to give out to each of the kids. We also had a Pinata (another fun activity for the kids) that we filled with candy (I fill up at the dollar store and Bulk Barn). I also considered that to be part of the loot-bag. 

The best tip that I can give you is about reinforcement. Since our kids are at the age where the parents no longer stay around for the parties, we knew we would need some additional adult supervision. I asked my brother to come and help out and it just put my mind at ease, especially since we had kids spread out all over the school yard.

Also, if you’re pretty easy going (I might be too much), just let kids do their thing. You don’t need to have every minute planned out. The kids will find things to do and play inside and outside your house. I didn’t mind if they went into my kids rooms or the basement. I knew it was safe and they were playing. So that’s always another option – let them do their thing. Just think of it as a playdate for MANY!

Have you ever hosted a kids party at home? What tips would you share with others?

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Allen’s Apple Juice. The views and opinions expressed in this blog, however, are purely my own.