I hope you enjoy this guest post brought to you by Banana Moon. As someone who recently planned her first children’s birthday party, I can identify with the stress of it! The post also reminds me of my baby shower for Darah, where guests stenciled onesies. They are some of my most cherished items of clothing for my girls! 

Planning your child’s birthday party can become an arduous task, especially when you have to think of new and different ideas each year. The pressure to spend a lot of money is always there, but that isn’t always a viable option. The stress that can come as a result of planning a party can make you feel like it’s more trouble than it’s worth – not a great feeling when you just want to make sure your child has a lovely birthday. However, there are lots of fun and inexpensive ideas that you can put together to make a great party. All it needs is a little forward thinking and imagination and you’ll give your child a party to remember.

Creative activities are always a great option for parties as it keeps the children entertained whilst they are socializing together. Do something different that will also give the kids a memento of the day; for example, personalizing a t-shirt or hoodie using arts and crafts is a great way of doing both these things. This is an excellent way to keep the kids occupied whilst you prepare other party activities (the food and birthday cake are obviously top priorities!). This sort of activity will help stimulate their imagination, without it sounding too much like school work – always a bonus!

To prepare for the activity you would just need to purchase some plain clothing in a light color, some fabric pens or paint and maybe some plain paper so the kids can work on their designs before transferring it onto the clothes. Pens will probably be better for younger children in order to minimize the amount of mess made. You should be able to get these items from craft shops, and it might be worth investing in some stencils as some kids will be more artistic than others. You could mention in the party invitation for all the kids to bring an overall with them so they don’t get their party outfits messy (their parents are sure to thank you for that reminder!) You can get everything set up before the guests arrive, leaving you with ample time to make any last minute adjustments.

By the end of the party everyone will be wearing their new designs and it will be a great keepsake from the day. The fabric paint and pens will be a great investment for a rainy day, especially if your children love to draw. You could even encourage your children to create some new designs for their old clothes; teaching them the values of recycling in the process! So if your child’s birthday is coming up, maybe think about going down the more creative route and see what designs they come up with.