How to Throw a Kids' Birthday Party on a Budget

What kids actually care about

• Their friends being there.
• Cake, candles and everyone singing.
• Games where they get to run, shout and win something small.
• Feeling like the day is about them.

Set the number first

The guest list drives almost every cost: food, favors, venue fees and the size of the cake. A shorter list is the single biggest saving. Decide what you want to spend in total, then work out how many children that covers comfortably.

Where to save

• Venue: host at home, in the yard or at a public park. Check whether the park needs a permit for groups.
• Timing: hold the party between meals, from 2 to 4 pm. Guests expect snacks and cake, not lunch.
• Food: popcorn, fruit, sandwiches cut into shapes and one big homemade pizza beat a catered spread.
• Cake: bake a simple sheet cake or cupcakes and let the birthday child help decorate.
• Decorations: pick two or three pieces for one spot. A banner and a backdrop for photos are enough.
• Tableware: plain colors cost less than printed themed sets and look just as good.
• Favors: one small item per child, or let a craft from the party double as the favor.
• Entertainment: run the games yourself, or ask a teenage cousin or neighbor to lead them.

Where not to cut

• Enough food and water. Hungry kids melt down fast.
• Enough adults. Ask a friend or two to help, so you are not serving cake and refereeing at once.
• A plan for the time. Empty stretches are when things go wrong.
• A rain plan, if you are outdoors.

Free and cheap activities

The classics still work, and most need nothing you don't already own.

• Scavenger hunt: hide toys or picture clues around the house or yard.
• Freeze dance: all you need is a phone and a speaker.
• Balloon games: keep it off the floor, balloon relay, balloon tennis with paper plates.
• Pass the present: wrap a small prize in many layers of newspaper, with a sticker in each layer.
• Craft table: paper, markers, stickers and glue. Kids take home what they make.
• Obstacle course: cushions, chairs, a rope to jump over and a tunnel made from a blanket.
• Relay races: sack race in old pillowcases, three-legged race, beanbag on a spoon.
• Treasure hunt for the favors: the last clue leads to the party bags.

Cheap decorations that look good

If you use balloons, one rule applies. Popped or uninflated balloons are a choking hazard for young children. Supervise, and throw away broken pieces right away.

• Paper chains and cut-out garlands in two or three colors.
• Tissue paper pom-poms hung at different heights.
• A bunch of balloons in one color, tied high by the cake table.
• A plain sheet or tablecloth taped to a wall as a photo backdrop.
• The child's own toys as table decorations: dinosaurs, cars, stuffed animals.

The invitation: a text works, and a video invite is free too

A plain text message with the date, time and address costs nothing and does the job; no guest will think less of the party for it. If you would rather not spend the week before chasing replies, Blast is an animated video invitation with music, sent as a link: it is free to create and send, and it collects every RSVP in one place for as many guests as you invite.