How to Plan a Food-Themed Birthday Party for Your Kids

Food Themed Birthday Parties for Kids

If there are two things that kids love, its parties and food, so if you are thinking of ideas for your child’s next birthday, a food-themed party would be ideal. There will be a lot of planning involved, especially when it comes to creating the food theme, but it will be a lot of fun, and something that if you can plan it right, will create not only awesome food but also lovely memories.

Think About the Age Range

Before you can plan the party, you need to think about the age range of the kids that are attending. It can have a big effect on the things the kids make, and the types of food you use. Don’t think that this type of party is restricted to only younger kids, if you can create the right games and activities, even teens will have fun. You should also think about the appetites and the choices you offer. For example, 4-year old children typically don’t have big appetites, but they will love the sweet and sugary treats. For that reason, you might want to limit the sugar to only a couple of the games and have only healthy options for the other food.

Deciding on a Venue

Bearing in mind that you want to have food games as part of the activities, you might not want those to take place on your nice carpet at home. If the weather is nice, you could have the games outside, but you will still need to clear up leftover food that is dropped. Another option is to hire a venue that has a floor you can easily sweep and mop clean. That way, you can cover tables with cleanable cloths, and it won’t matter how messy it gets. You also want a venue that will accommodate all the children and possible parents as well, and still, have the room for the games.

Planning

Because these games have the potential to be messy, clearing up after each game could take a while. For that reason, you need to plan the games in such a way that you can clean up one area while a game is going on in another. If you have space, you could have three game areas, one for the current game, one being cleaned, and another being prepared. It might sound like a lot of work, but if you can get some helpers and give them a job to do, it should work out fine. It is also another good reason why a venue could be the preferred choice.

Costing for the Party

You will be using a lot of food for a party like this, but you also don’t have to buy the most expensive range for the party games, except those they might want to keep or eat later. You also need to factor in the cost of any other party food for the kids and parents, the cost of the venue and any other entertainment you might want. Although these events can become expensive, you can try to reduce costs by making some of the decorations yourself and by asking people to bring their own drinks. You can also get quick cash loans to help finance the party.

Making Games

Although it’s nice to have competitive games, you also want to get them creating as well. It will teach them about food and how it goes together. For these, you want to create food making activities where they can create something to eat later, or as part of their birthday meal. For example, you could get them to make their own mini pizzas for their birthday meal. Give them some pots with different toppings and let them be creative. Once they are done, you can cook them while they play other games, and serve them at the meal. They will love the fact that they made them, and it will be a good food lesson. As well as pizzas, you can also have them decorating cupcakes, biscuits and perhaps making a fruit salad for their puddings.

Competitive Games

Although making food is fun, playing with it is more fun for kids. That is why it’s also a great idea to have some games against the clock, of the first to finish wins. These games don’t have to be elaborate; you just need a simple idea and a creative way to present it. For example, you can place small sweets in jelly and have one for each kid. It can then be the first one to remove and eat all the sweets that wins the game. Another idea is to place food into a box and have them place their hand in to guess what it is. You can also use this game for older children but use grosser foods. Another for older kids could be a choice game where they have to choose between two covered bowls. One will have a nice treat and the other something less pleasant, the one that guesses the sweetest ones wins.

Food Allergies

As always, it is important that you are aware of any food allergies the kids might have. You need to contact the parents of those children that are coming to ask if they have any food allergies or food they don’t eat for other reasons. If there are kids with an intolerance such as gluten, then it is best that all the food for the games is gluten-free. It will prevent any problems from arising from cross contamination. There should be ways to work around any intolerances without too much trouble.

For those that love to cook and also love organizing parties, this type of food party will be perfect for you. The good part is that a lot of the games could be prepared in advance and kept in a chilled room for a couple of days. With the right planning and creative games, you can make your child’s birthday party go with a swing.

Gift Ideas for Kids

great gift ideas for kids

Finding the right kind of present for a child these days can be daunting, to say the least. Modern kids are so better at using technology, and they seem to be a lot more resourceful and creative compared to older generations. Besides, the amount of options made available by all sorts of brands is baffling.

On top of everything, if you’ve offered gifts to the same child in the past, you might find it hard to come up with new ideas. Here’s where we come in and give you a hand. You’ll find several nifty ideas below, and you should give them a shot.

Educational presents

When it comes to making the difference between one type of gift and the next, those that have an educational purpose should come first on your list. That doesn’t mean that they have to be boring. In fact, things like basic microscopes, binoculars, as well as telescopes, can make unique gifts.

Of course, these are all optical instruments, but they are very useful, and depending on their design, they can more or less user-friendly and as such, easy to utilize by a child.

Gadgets all the way

We’ve already talked about how kids these seem to be particularly tech-savvy, so why shouldn’t you take advantage of their skills? If the child you want to make a nice surprise for is into social media networks like Instagram, you can simply get him or her a smartphone lens kit.

Other fun stuff you can opt for is a beginner drone. We do have to make a mention in this case, though, and it’s that in some states or areas of the U.S., these devices might not be allowed. Usually, regions, where army stations are located, will call for a ban on such gadgets.

Stimulate their creativity

If you know that the kid you want to get the present for loves painting, drawing, making jewelry, or singing, you can probably tell what you can buy for them already. Things like painting or jewelry making kits are very affordable, and if the kid doesn’t like them, at least you will not have spent an entire fortune.

As for singing or playing a musical instrument, the matter’s a bit more complicated. If you are not the parent of the child, it might pay off to have a talk with his or her mom or dad and find out whether a guitar or a drum kit might bother them.

How about a pet?

Almost all kids love animals. But the thing is that you need to make sure you get the right one for your home, not just for your kids. Small rodents like hamsters and gerbils are very easy to care for, and guinea pigs and rabbits are a bit higher maintenance. Obviously, dogs and cats call for a lot more commitment and will also need things like food, vaccinations, and regular check-ups. In some countries, like the UK for example, you also have to have your dog micro-chipped.

Effective Parenting

As rewarding as parenting is, you can sometimes hit a wall and wonder if you are doing anything right. There will also be time periods where your kids seem to be extra needy, excessively complain, or even criticize your parenting abilities to your face. Now, of course, this won’t be the majority of the time, but when you end up questioning how you are performing as a parent overall, it can be hard to shake these periods of self-doubt. When you’re feeling fed up and you’ve reached your limit, you need to partake in stress relieving activities until these tough times blow over. Every once in a while, parents can feel like they are going bonkers.  That’s when a Parent Guide can come in handy. Follow these tips to help preserve your sanity.

Always Make Personal Time For Yourself

Single moms, stay-at-home dads, the parents of multiples – if you are the primary caregiver of a child or children, the majority of your time probably goes into childcare. There’s laundry, homework, playdates, doctor’s visits, school events, birthday parties, clothes shopping, and the list goes on. If you wake up in the morning and the first thing you do is to tend to your kid’s needs and the last thing you do before you go to sleep is think about what you have to do for your children the next day, you have to give yourself a break.

Regroup and Recharge Amongst Peers

Your group of friends may consist primarily of singles as well as childless couples, and that is perfectly okay. After all, it is important to spend some of your time in a child-free environment, so you can truly let your hair down. On the other hand, your child-less friends probably won’t ‘get’ you all the time. They won’t be able to relate to dealing with angsty teens, and to be perfectly honest, they probably don’t want to hear you complain too often about you having to ground your child for the tenth time this year. If you want to get validation, feedback, and understanding the issues you face as a parent, you need to have these types of conversations with other parents.

Find Your Discipline Style

So, it isn’t uncommon for parents to feel overwhelmed when they realize that their laid-back or totally non-existent parenting style is leading their family to a massive failure. Kids are independent, and they need to express themselves, but they also need structure and yes, discipline, too. Children have to face consequences for bad behavior, or else they’ll think that they can do whatever they want, and slowly they will become disrespectful. It might be ‘cute’ when your five-year-old cries for candy and you always give in, but it won’t be as pleasant to deal with a 10-year-old kid who freaks out when everything isn’t to his liking. You don’t have to be super strict, but you do have to mean what you say to your kids if you want to run a happy household.

Kids can literally be a handful, so when you know that you are reaching your limit just step away for a moment. Some parents will put themselves in ‘time-out’ where they can blast music on their headphones for five minutes to drown out their thoughts, or they might even disappear into the bathroom for an extended break. When parenting starts to get the best of you, take a deep breath and think about what you enjoy about being a parent.