As your children start out of the toddler stage and into preteens and teens, you want to make their birthday a special event. That means offering something more than a homemade birthday cake at home. They have friends from the neighborhood and school that they want to invite to their party. Consider these venues for the best kids birthday party places.
Bowling
Bowling is an excellent activity, especially for preteens. Even if the kids have never been bowling, they will quickly catch on to the concept. For the smaller ones, teach them the two-handed roll. Many bowling alleys have additional rooms you can rent to set up a birthday party. Do this while the kids play a game of bowling. Prepare a simple lunch, along with birthday cake for desert. In fact, have pizza delivered or send someone for hamburgers and French fries to cut down on the work.
Crafts
Most craft stores offer classes, but did you know they also offer birthday parties? Make an appointment with the Events Coordinator about two weeks before the party date. Take the birthday child with you to pick out a craft that all the kids will do. You are allowed to bring your own cake, food and decorations on the day of the party. Ask for the craft store employee to teach the craft first, as there may be glue and paint involved that needs to dry before the craft can be taken home. The employee is happy to help you decorate and will do all of the cleanup.
Tea Party
Look for tea shops or cafes in your area. Perhaps a tea party is not one of the best kids birthday party places, if the group is mixed with boys and girls. However, any little girl would love to enjoy a tea party with sweet herbal tea and finger sandwiches. Make arrangements for individual cakes, or cupcakes, in place of a large birthday cake. Check out your local craft store for plain hats, silk flowers, ribbons, trims, beads and glitter. Buy enough for all the girls, and a bit extra for any last minute extra guests. Have the girls over the week before to decorate their own tea party hats that they can wear to the birthday event.
Parks and Pools
If there is a local amusement part, consider that most of the kids have already been there, maybe many times. Choose a local park and plan on a birthday picnic. Scout out a location close to a volleyball net, baseball field or basketball court. Then, make sure you bring plenty of activity equipment, such as a volleyball, basketball, softball equipment, Frisbees, badminton equipment, beach balls and a fun card game. Set up a scavenger hunt as an added fun event. Pack picnic food, a chocolate sheet cake and plenty of bottled water. Neighborhood pools offer a fun activity before cake and ice cream. Make sure you bring several beach balls and plenty of sunscreen. You don’t want to send your party guests home with sunburns. If your area does not have a public pool, arrange to use a motel pool and their conference room for the kids birthday party.
Go Carts and Putt Putt
Miniature golf is fun for any age group, but it is especially fun for preteens. The same locations sometimes offer extra activity centers, such as indoor arcade games or huge climbing apparatuses. Go Cart circuits are often mixed in with the same complex as putt putt. These type of locations are great if you have various ages of children attending the birthday party. There are separate rooms, indoors, to rent for special events, where the actual party can take place.
Sleep-Over
Sleep-overs are popular with, both girls and boys in the 10 to 12 year ages. Sometimes your own home is the best place to stage a birthday party. Make sure you have plenty of activities scheduled, including movies and popcorn for those choosing to stay up late into the night. Have a couple of sleeping bags handy for anyone who has forgotten to bring one. Both genders will enjoy creating their own mini pizzas for dinner. Use English muffins and all the fixings. Have games and puzzles available, as well as a fun craft to make. It’s a great idea to offer each child a party bag of their own, filled with a candy bar, nuts and fun little gifts. Just think Christmas stockings and you will come up with some excellent ideas.
Museums
Museums are seldom considered when planning a kids birthday party, however if you live in a larger city, or close to one, you will find children’s museums. These are often science museums that have hands-on exhibits. These type of museums may offer birthday party packages, which costss a set price. This means you will have no extra charge for late invites. With these packages, you will get a party coordinator that will help with the party set-up and clean-up in a separate event room. In some cases this person will act as a museum guide.
Farm Visit
Most kids, who live in the city, have never interacted within a farm or its activities. Many small family farms have gone into side businesses as large farming industries have taken over. Even if you can’t find such a place in your area, locate a small farm and ask if it might be a possibility. Kids will enjoy learning how cows or goats are milked, how seeds are planted, or how to pick fruits and vegetables. Picking strawberries, or other fruit, that can be taken home is fun, but even more fun when everyone gets to make their own short cake or pies, in your kitchen. Purchase pre-made pie crust and small pie plates for pie making.
Hay Ride
If the birthday in question falls in October, a hay ride and pumpkin picking day is a great party idea. Pay for each child to pick their own pumpkin. Have plenty of paints, brushes and markers at home. Let each child paint a face on their pumpkin back at your house. This is much safer than having them carve pumpkins with sharp knives. At the end of the party, each child has a decorated pumpkin to take home with them. If the birthday date is close to Halloween, hold it on Halloween day or night. It is a safe alternative to trick-or-treating.
Horseback Riding
When you are looking for birthday party ideas for teenagers, consider horseback riding. Most likely, they have never taken part in this activity. It’s hard to find things that actually excite teenagers, but you will see a round of applause when you mention this idea. Ask the ranch owner to set up a short riding lesson for the kids, before they go on a guided ride. Some locations offer a dinner around a campfire, ending with roasted marshmallows and ghost stories.
Where ever you choose for a kids birthday party places, the most important thing to remember is to be age appropriate. If an activity is too old or too young for the age group, you will find a loss of interest taking place rapidly. Secondly, be creative and offer a few surprises that the birthday boy or girl doesn’t know about ahead of time.
