How to throw a kids’ garden party
Stuck for ideas for your little one’s birthday? Well, with summer finally here, now’s the perfect time to throw a kids’ garden party and help the whole family make the most of the glorious weather and lighter evenings together. Here’s our little wins to make the day great!
Give it a theme
Keeping the kids occupied will be much easier if there’s a theme. Be sure to get your little one involved in the process. Think about what they enjoy doing most. Maybe give them a few ideas to choose from so they feel really involved...
- Dress up – There’s so many options with this one! You could ask little ones to dress as who they want to be when they’re older or go for their favourite superhero, or just freestyle it.
- Sports day – Perfect for the footie-obsessed little ones, this theme is really easy. Set up sports equipment in the back garden and your good to go. Be sure to tell parents to dress their kids in casual clothes.
- Music festival – For the wannabe rock stars, blast out the cheesy tunes. Go crazy for karaoke. How about doing a karaoke competition? They could also dress as their favourite music artist to add a fun twist.
- Animal lover – For those animal lovers, go for safari or jungle themes and go crazy with DIY décor. Ask the guests to bring their very favourite animal teddy and they can have a seat at the table too!
- Tea party – Think Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatters' tea party style. For this theme ask everyone to come in their best dresses and suits. Serve finger sandwiches, mini cakes, and decorate the table with teacups and playing cards.
Plan out the day
With little ones, it’s important to plan out a rough schedule for the day. For younger kids you might want to keep the party a little bit shorter, around 3 or 4 hours, for older kids you might want to go a little longer, and for young teens you might even want to host a sleep over.
Plan out the different activities and give them a rough time. Don’t forget to leave time for some food after too! Be sure to let parents know when you’d like kids dropped off and picked up if the parents aren’t staying at the party.
All the party essentials
With our party essential little wins, your day is sure to be a success!
Invites: Little ones will love ‘officially’ inviting their friends with a party invite. If you’ve gone for a theme, make sure you include this info on the invite so they know what to wear.
Décor: Some simple balloons will do just the trick when decorating your party. Blow them up, attach some string and add to fence posts, sheds and garden furniture. It’s also a good idea to stick some balloons on your door so less-familiar guests will know which door to go to. Balloon arches are trending! They’re super easy to make, just attach balloons in a row to your fences and create your own balloon arch. Choose bunting and banners to add a special touch.
DIY décor: Don’t be afraid to DIY your décor. Paper chains, bunting and hanging decorations are easily made with a few sheets of coloured paper. And you can even match them to your theme – that’s a little win!
Save a seat: Be sure to have plenty of seats, cushions and garden furniture if adults are going to stick around during the party.
Don’t forget a badge and birthday sash for the birthday person if you’re celebrating!
Fab Food
Party food for little ones should be kept basic, so there’s something everyone likes. Here’s our top tips...
- Go for easy-to-eat favourites to keep mess to a minimum
- Have some variety, so there’s bound to be something everyone likes
- Go for bite-size favourites, mini versions of their fave snacks like sausage rolls, cocktail sausages
- Add some veggies - chopped up cucumber and carrot sticks is a firm favourite of ours
- Make it fun! Why not cut sandwiches up with cookie cutters?
- Remember your theme - think about how you can also theme the food
- If you’re opting for something quick, choose easy oven wins, like mini pizzas and chicken nuggets
- Be sure to check in with parents for any allergies or dietary requirements.
We’ve got a great range of party tableware to set the table in style and make the tidy-up easy. No mess, no washing up – that's a little win! Create a fuss-free picnic with our range of disposable party tableware. You'll find everything you need including plastic cups, paper party plates and paper napkins.
Drinks
If it’s a hot day be sure to have plenty of drinks on hand. It’s a good idea to have some cups laid out with squash or water in, perfect for little ones to grab.
How about making drinks fun by mixing their favourite juices, adding some fresh fruit on the side and creating some mini mocktails?
If it’s a sunny day, it’s also a good idea to serve any food and drinks under a shaded area.
Some entertainment
Think of some games you can play that fit in with your party theme – how about giant skittle bowling, football or marbles? Our range of outdoor toys will keep the kids entertained for hours and hours. Regardless of theme, you can’t go wrong with the classics like musical statues, pass the parcel and Simon says.
Playhouses and tents are perfect for dress up, and trikes and ride-ons just the thing for toddlers.
If the weather’s especially hot, give the kids somewhere to cool off with a paddling pool. Make the water more exciting with water toys like balls, inflatables, pool noodles, plastic toys and water-pistols.Remember, if it’s really sunny, keep as much of your garden shaded as possible and keep sunblock handy!
For a bit of quiet time, have some emergency board games and puzzles to hand to keep them all entertained when all the running around has stopped.
Great goodie bags
It’s not a kids’ party without a goodie bag at the end! These don’t need to be anything too fancy. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Decorative party bags or gift bags
- Little toys to pop inside
- Some tissue to wrap the cake in
Shop our range of party bags and essentials. We've got everything you'll need to make sure little ones have fantastic fun and guests are sent home happy!
Our top tips
Here’s our top tips to make sure your day goes ahead without a hitch.
- Leave yourself plenty of time on the day to get set up
- Prepare for the great British weather!
- Have sun cream on hand for little ones
- Pop-up gazebos, parasols or garden umbrellas are perfect come rain or shine!
- Have a back-up plan in mind if it’s a total washout
- Make sure you take parents’ numbers for any emergencies if they are leaving little ones with you
We hope that gives you enough ideas to enjoy the party together! Do you have any tips for us? Let us know on Facebook and Instagram.
