Celebrating a child’s birthday is always a time of great excitement, both for the little one, who eagerly awaits this day and for his or her parents, who love to unleash their imagination in order to create an unforgettable party for everyone.
During the summer, this can often be easier. A garden, a terrace, a veranda, the park or the beach are all perfect locations to let the little ones run around and invent lots of fun games, perhaps even a pool party or a water slider.
In winter, however, achieving the same result seems a greater challenge especially as you have to overcome inclement and changeable weather. But it isn’t impossible and there are so many opportunities and ideas to organise themed parties and entertain children, both at home and outside.
Let’s see how……….
Deciding the theme according to the birthday season
We have already mentioned that the cold season offers various ideas for an interesting themed party, and this applies to all the colder and darker months.
Christmas, for example, is the most magical time of the year, when the house, but also any other place inside and outside the city, is filled with lights, decorations and music that simply enchant children and adults alike. So why host a gingerbread party or one where the children make Christmas decorations? You don’t have to decorate as the house will already be full of lights and sparkle
How about a Firework party where you can take advantage of the darker evenings, you can put on a small display outside and have firework-themed food and activities. The children can make their own edible sparkers to take home.
Other great Themes:
- Around Halloween – You could celebrate with a spooktacular party with whiches and wizards and make potions. This is the perfect time for a Harry Potter themed.
- Campfire Party – Where you have a firepit and toast marshmallows and sing songs around the campfire.
- Frozen Party – A perfect winter theme
- Star Watching party – The darker nights are perfect for star gazing and it gets the kids outside.
- Hot chocolate – Everyone loves hot chocolate and I can just imagine how fun that would be for a party.
- Strictly Come Dancing or Dancing with the Stars – Hire a hall and have a dance lesson, the kids can all dress up and you could have a glitterball cake.
- Favourite TV program.
- Teddy Bears Picnic, but set up the blankets inside.
So look at the festivities that happen around your child’s birthday and bring that into it, but in a broad way – Instead of an Easter-themed party about a bunny party or something using all the pastel decorations that are around at that time of year. One often has everything ready and the child can enjoy a party in line with the festivities on which his or her birthday falls.
Choosing the location
Who said that a birthday party in winter equals celebrating at home?
Certainly, if you have a room large enough to accommodate at least close friends, it will be a good solution, but if the child is older and has the desire not to go to bed early in the evening, you can organise a sleepover party with close friends and set up the room or hall as if it were a campsite in the woods, complete with sleeping bags, tents made from sheets, lights and marshmallows. At least it gets darker earlier in the day so hopefully the kids will go to sleep earlier.
If you do not have enough space at home or wish to host the party, then look at hosting an activity that can be extended into a dedicated children’s birthday party, in fact, many companies offer this as an added extra. This could be going to the cinema, bowling, trampolining, laser tag, soft play, swimming or a sports hall (My boys loved having football parties).
Often churches and villages have halls you can hire for an hour at a time.
If you are lucky enough to live in a ski resort, you can even think about a couple of hours on a ski slope altogether, to spend some time outdoors anyway (or an indoor ski slope in the UK). The whole thing can be rounded off with a snowball fight and a hot chocolate.
Attention to details
From the choice of winter-themed paper invitations for birthday party to the party bags to give at the end of the party, from the cake to the buffet, right down to the decorations, everything having a consistent theme can make a party really magical.
In some cases, little will need to be done, as the house may already be decorated for Christmas or New Year’s Eve, in other cases, ingenuity will be required. You can then prepare masks for the little ones to wear, give them Santa or Elf hats and a box with toys, sweets or pendants for the tree. Everything they need to align their fun with the chosen theme.
There are so many ideas for themed food and biscuits out there and you can go spectacular with the birthday cake.
Which Activities to choose
One of the ways to help a party run smoothly is to have some set activities that occupy the children and capture their attention.
So for a a book-themed birthday party get everyone to bring a book from their collection to swap and then make bookmarks – or colour in bookmarks.
Traditional party games, such as Pass the Parcel, musical statues and musical chairs are always winners and have stood the test of time for a reason.
Party-themed scavenger hunts are fantastic and can be for both inside and outside. There is something to be said about getting the kids to run off their energy in every weather. So even if you are hosting a movie party, plan a scavenger hunt first to get some of that energy spent before they all sit down with blankets and watch the movie.
Most houses have loads of LEGO so why not get the kids to build something in line with the theme of the party with a special prize for the best, or most inventive or even get the children to vote for their favourite?
There isn’t one set way to host a birthday party. look at what your child is into at the time and try and theme it around their likes. It doesn’t always have to be seasonal and if all else fails call an entertainer and get them to do it for you, every child loves a magician!