Kids Birthday Party Ideas

Teddy bears! Just saying it out loud brings thoughts of warmth, fun, cuddles and joy! Children love stuffed animals and the teddy bear has been a favorite of children of all ages for almost a hundred years when the idea took hold in both Germany and the United States. And when President Roosevelt used a bear as his mascot for his re-election bid a few years later, the craze took off.

Collectors’ purchases of teddy bears in the US alone reach almost a half a million dollars per year and that’s not even including purchases by children just for fun! It’s an amazing thing - and no wonder. They’re just cute!

So why not consider incorporating a stuffed animal bear or other animal in your child’s next birthday party? There are so many options and using bears and other fun stuffed critters make for easy decor as well as activities for the kids.

Here are six great ideas for incorporating teddy bears into your next party:

Teddy Bear Tea Party - have all the guests bring their favorite stuffed animal and go all out with a fun tea with scones, dipped strawberries and other fun treats.

A Teddy Bear Fashion Show - break out the scarves and baby clothes along with jewelry, beads, etc and let the guests dress up their bears. Take lots of photos and make a “runway” with your dining room table.

Teddy Bear slumber party - Jammies, sleeping bags and teddy bears. Serve Pizza, put on a fun movie and you’re done. It doesn’t get any easier than that!

Teddy Bear Picnic - indoors or out so don’t limit yourself to the summer months. If your child’s birthday falls in winter, just crank up the heat in the house, lay out a gingham blanket and enjoy!

Make your own Teddy Bear - visit the local mall store or hire in a make your own stuffed animal entertainer. Each guest will make their own stuffed animal so it can be the entertainment and the take home gift all in one!

6. Give a teddy to a child in need - have the focus of your birthday party be on giving and have the kids make the bear like above but then bring all the made bears to a local shelter or hospital children’s ward to share the love.

The fun thing about teddy bears is that it’s so great for all different ages. From toddlers to teens to seniors, they all love them.

So consider the teddy bear for your child’s next birthday party! You’ll create great memories, have fun and it will also be one of the easiest parties to put together. Enjoy!

You have invited the royal guests and have planned a menu that would make any queen proud. The guests will be arriving soon with great expectation of fun and all things pink! You're having a Princess Party!

Here are some easy and fun ideas for games and crafts to make your party the best one in the kingdom.

1. Make a tiara: These days at almost any craft store you can find precut fun foam princess tiaras and decorations for next to nothing. Purchase some glitter glue and a few extra sparkly gems and your princess and her guests will stay busy for quite some time. Make sure they all put their names inside the crowns so that after the glue and glitter glue dries, they'll know which is theirs. Don't forget to take a picture with everyone wearing the crowns.

2. Musical Princess Slipper: This is a fun and easy game that takes no prep work at all. Have the party guests and princess of honor stand in a circle. Using a nice dress shoe (or glass slipper if you happen to have one!) start with the birthday girl and have the girls pass the slipper around the circle while music plays in the background. When the music stops, the guest holding the slipper jumps out of the circle and becomes the girl in charge of the music. Continue on until only one girl is left and she's the princess winner.

3. Pin the crown on the frog: Another great variation of a traditional birthday party game that kids have loved for ages. You'll need a large drawing of a frog on poster board and several construction paper crowns with double stick tape on the back. Each party guest gets a turn at being blindfolded and trying to stick the crown onto the top of the frog's head. Make it even harder by making each child spin around 3 times before heading toward the frog. No peeking. Other variations of this game (depending on your artwork) are: Pin the kiss on the frog, Pin the slipper on the princess, Pin the jewel on the crown, etc. Have fun!

4. Princess treasure chests: Purchase inexpensive paper mache boxes at your local craft store. Use stickers, jewels and beads with tacky glue and have the girls decorate their treasure chest. Include some candy or other trinkets to put inside.

5. Decorate princess crown cookies: Another favorite with young girls...decorating cookies. Purchase an inexpensive crown cookie cutter and make 2 cookies per girl (just in case they break). Allow to cool before decorating. Then put out pink frosting, candies and other fun edible items and let the girls frost and decorate. Then let them eat the cookies as part of their snack, or wrap them in plastic wrap to take home as part of the take home gift.

6. Princess silhouettes: This is a fun "craft" for girls that are a bit older. Using a blank wall as backdrop, tape a large piece of butcher paper to the wall. Have each princess sit on the throne and shine a very bright light so that it casts a shadow onto the wall and paper. But here's the fun part. Place a paper crown on her head so that it casts the obvious shadow as well. Then with a black marker, trace around her silhouette onto the butcher paper. Remove the butcher paper from the wall and either leave as is or have the girls decorate the crown for a different effect.

Create fun at your next princess party with these games and crafts. Make sure you have the camera handy for the whole event to keep the memories alive too. Enjoy and happy princess partying!

Having the best children's birthday party shouldn't be a

stressful thing. Follow the timeline below and you're

child and you will be the hit of the neighborhood.

About a month before your party you'll want to:

Talk with your child and choose a party theme and/or decide

what your “entertainment” will be for the party. This will

help you determine your party budget as well.

Create the guest list. Don't forget to include friends from

school, the neighborhood as well as relatives and more

distant friends.

Choose a party date and time. Most children's birthday

parties are generally one to two hours long.

Order the general party supplies: tablecloth, tableware,

decorations, etc.

Think about games. Keep the ages and personalities of the

children as you plan your activities. And sometimes

shorter and simpler parties with one fun activity are best

and least stressful.

Two weeks prior to the party make sure you:

Decide on your menu. Are you just having cake and ice

cream? Is the party at a mealtime and do you need to order

pizzas or are you cooking yourself, etc.?

Mail the invitations. You will probably need to call

everyone that doesn’t RSVP. People will forget and will

appreciate the reminder call

Ask for help. If you think you might need some help for

party day, ask a couple of the moms of the kids who are

invited to stay and help. Most people would love to, you

just need to ask.

One week before party day you should:

Bake your cake and freeze it. Knowing the cake is done

will be such a stress reliever on the big day!

Prepare and freeze any other foods that can be made in

advance.

Get an exact guest count. Call any guests who have not

responded.

Two days before the party don't forget to:

Get any last minute food items and don't forget candles,

matches and FILM!

Check your batteries in your camera and video recorder.

Purchase a small helium tank from your local party or craft

store. It's a great thing to keep your children busy the

morning of the party too!

Make up a party timeline for the party day so you don't

forget anything.

One day before the party remember to:

Take out food and cake from the freezer.

Do any decorating that you can do in advance

Finish any food preparation that can be done ahead of time.

On the morning of the party day make sure to:

Fill your balloons with helium.

Prepare any foods and beverages that could not be made

ahead of time.

Write out your timeline for the day so you don’t forget

anything.

You don't want to miss out on the memories you'll have with

the pictures, so ask a relative or trusted friend to be

responsible for the picture taking.

Relax and enjoy this great day. And then get ready for

next year!

You're ready... your princess has invited the belles of the ball to the finest Princess Birthday Party of the year. You've purchased decorations, planned a few games and have some lovely take home gifts for your guests. Now it's time to plan the finest menu for your royal princess and her court. Let's make it so fabulous that the girls will remember this day when they're planning their future daughter's parties and one that will make your princess throw her hands around your neck and say, "Oh mom! You're the best ever!"

What follows are 5 tips for you in creating the menu of the decade for your princess birthday party.

1. Keep it simple. The last thing you need on a busy day is for you to be running around like crazy trying to make cherries flambé or tiramisu with crème fraise. However, with a little creative planning, you can make something spectacular and still be able to take photos of the lovely girls eating your birthday dainties. There are SO many recipes available at your fingertips that are not only delicious but easy to make with items you probably have in the house or can pick up in your local grocery store at minimal cost (another key!). One of my favorite recipe sites for quick recipes is http://www.freequickrecipes.com, or you can just punch a name of a recipe into your google search box and hundreds of recipes will pop up. Just keep it simple!

2. Presentation is everything. Think about it, mom. A peanut butter sandwich is nice, but, make that sandwich and cut it with petite cookie cutters into various princessly shapes and you have something spectacular. Even just cutting the sandwiches with a glass into a circle and then cutting the circles in half would work. Display them nicely on a glass plate with some red grapes or flowers and it's no longer just a boring sandwich but a delicacy that's a delight to look at AND eat.

3. Throw the "no sugar" rule out the window. Ok, I'll get hate mail for this one but c'mon mom! Your princess only has the bash of the century once a year, so break the rules a little and provide something sweet to eat. Balance it out with a lower sugar drink and other dainties that aren't sugar laden.

4. Make the drink pink! Pink lemonade, pink Kool-Aid, pink soda... anything pink in a clear plastic cup and you'll be the coolest mom on the block. Float a half of a strawberry in the cup and you may as well get a revolving door to your house. You'll be the hit of the neighborhood!

5. Work with a timeline and schedule for the day of the party. A checklist of what you'll be serving and when you need to pull it out of the freezer or fridge, what goes where, etc., and how long each thing takes will insure that you won't forget any of the details and insure that you won't go to open the fridge for a late night snack after your princess is in dream land and see the strawberries that you meant to put in the royal goblets!

The perfect, stress free Princess party menu is within reach, Mom. Just keep it simple, fancy, tasty and pink! Write out a checklist and you're all set for the finest party menu for your princess and her royal maidens!