Kids birthday party ideas
BY A PROFESSIONAL PARTY PLANNER
Ideas include:
kids Birthday Party Ideas for Ages 8-12
Kids Birthday Party Ideas at Home
Fun Kids Birthday Party Ideas
Kids Birthday Party Invitations
Kids Birthday Party Themes
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i’m matt james
professional event planner
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KIDS BIRTHDAY PARTY IDEAS (AGES 8-12)
This age group is sometimes the most tricky to plan parties for as they often feel they’ve outgrown traditional kids party themes, but you know they’re not quite ready for teenage ones.
The best thing to do is get them more involved in the planning. Perhaps discuss a list of possible party themes with them so they can choose their favorite.
Let them feel like they have plenty of input into all the ideas and decisions and get them to help you with the planning. They’ll be the best judge of what will and won’t work for their friends. The trick is to make them feel like they’re making all the decisions.
Don’t be offended if they don’t want you around too much on the day—children at this age want to feel independent and have fun with their friends without the parents watching over them.
Obviously you’ll want to be around to supervise, but make sure there are plenty of activities and games for them to do on their own.
They’ll probably want to do things that allow them to feel a bit more grown up such as have slumber parties or camp out overnight in the garden.
Themes that might seem more suited to adults or teens can easily be watered down to make them more appropriate as kids birthday party ideas.
For example you can allow girls to feel more grown up by letting them have fashion show / spa / make-over parties while still keeping it girly and age-appropriate. Or let them have Karaoke / dance competitions by calling it a Glee / American Idol party.
Parties where kids make or do things are also popular for this age group so things like a pizza party can be fun. You can make the dough up in advance so they can just roll it out and get creative with the toppings.
Or maybe a group bake where they can make and decorate their own weird and wonderful cakes and cookies.
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kids birthday party INVITATIONS(AGES 8-12)
Check out my separate page of Kids Birthday Party Invitations for tips and suggestions.
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KIDS BIRTHDAY PARTY DRINKS
Check out my other page of Party Drink Ideas which includes simple styling & presentation tips to make your party drinks look more professional.
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DESSERT TABLE IDEAS
I always think it’s a good idea to concentrate the majority of your party decorations around a dessert/buffet table/food station. This will create a focal point in the room. Decorations often have to compete with existing room decor so they can get a bit lost if spread too thinly.
I think you’re far better off creating one really well themed feature wall—with great food presentation & styling—that everyone’s eye will be drawn to. You can then use a few general decorations around the rest of the room to tie everything together.
Check out my other page of Dessert Table Ideas which has lots of different ideas for backdrops, along with tips and suggestions for how best to construct, support, display, or hang them..
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kids birthday PARTY THEMES
Click on any of the kids birthday party themes below for complete party plans including ideas for invitations, food & drink, decorations, and party favors.
Check out more kid birthday party ideas / themes here, such as the ones below.
Check out more kid birthday party ideas / themes here, such as the ones below.
KIDS BIRTHDAY PARTY FOOD
Check out my Pinterest boards for birthday party food ideas and recipes, including sweet and savory ideas both hot and cold.
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FOOD PRESENTATION & STYLING
Ever wonder why your own party food never ends up looking anything like the inspiration you found on Pinterest? Check out my Buffet Table Ideas page for a few simple food styling and presentation tips to give party food a professional look.
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kids BIRTHDAY CAKE TOPPERS
These silhouette style cake toppers are a easy way to personalize a birthday cake. There are lots of different styles and designs available, including ones that incorporate the birthday boy / girls’ name with their favorite sports or hobbies, or you can go for a more general topper. See the full range here.
Alternatively, I love these large face cake toppers (below far right), that are made from a photo of the birthday boy / girl. Check out other examples here.
Alternatively, you can easily create a beautiful photo cake, like the one below left, by using these custom edible picture icing sheets which you can then apply to any cake. Alternatively, apply them to cupcakes, cookies, or cake pops, as in the example below center. Check out the icing sheets here — just upload your photos and they’ll be mailed to you.
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CUPCAKE TOPPERS
Alternatively, you can use these smaller photo face cupcake toppers. Check them out here.
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CUSTOM COOKIES & CUTTERS
What better way to add a cute personal touch to a kids birthday party than with these custom face cookie cutters made from a photo of the birthday boy or girl! As well as baking a batch of cookies, you could also try using them on sandwiches, cheese slices, or fruits such as watermelon. Alternatively, pop them into cellophane bags and give them out as party favors. Check them out here.
Alternatively, if you’re not one for baking you can buy these cartoon-style cookies made from a photo of the birthday boy / girl. Check them out here.
related post
kids birthday party invitations
Hit the ‘Read More’ button below to view my page of kids birthday party invitation ideas.