How to Get the Most Out of
Kids' Party Decorations

Kids' party decorations will be an important part of your event. They will help create a special atmosphere around your house.

You don't have to spend a lot of money on party decorations. Stick to your budget. You can get a lot of mileage out of inexpensive materials. You can even decorate the house yourself.

There are a lot of children's party decorations that you can choose from. Here's what I recommend for the sake of simplicity:

• Paper Streamers
• Inexpensive Posters
• Your Collection of Stuffed Animals and Dolls
• Colorful Confetti

Birthday Balloons

Balloons are key items for decorating your party area. You will need lots of them. Fortunately, birthday balloons are not necessarily expensive. Use dozens of them in all sizes, shapes, and colors. Expect some balloons to pop, so buy plain ones in quantity instead of in small packages.

Quick Tips:

*Get out old bicycle pump to make blowing up less painful. Stretch balloons first to make them easier to inflate.

*Don't buy helium balloons until party day. They lose their "holding" power very quickly.

*Do be careful to keep small pieces of popped balloons away from toddlers. Be sure the children play with only inflated, intact balloons. Immediately dispose any that break.

*To simplify cleanup, let the kids take balloons home as favors.

Birthday Table Decorations

Remember the less crowded the table the better. A too large centerpiece and a lot of small items scattered about will produce spills. You can attach bowls to the table with double-stick tape to keep them from tipping over.

Centerpieces

Attach balloons to the center of the table. Make sure you adjust them high enough so children can see across the table. Tie a string of a floating balloon to a heavier object, like a metal washer. This will help "anchor" it to the table. Tie or tape one or two balloons to the back of each chair.

• Buy a plain white paper tablecloth. Your birthday child can color it in advance, or guests can do that when they arrive. Or cover the table with plain, heavy paper and let the kids scribble with crayons while they are waiting for food. Children can write their names on it. Later, embroider the names and use the cloth year after year, adding new names.


• Be sure the tablecloth has a sharp drop and will not rest on the laps or knees of the children.


• Use the colored comic sections of your newspaper taped together to make a colorful and inexpensive decorative table cover.


• Design a place mat and photocopy it. Let your imagination run wild. Start with a picture of your child and let him or her decorate it with pictures or squiggles. Copy on colored paper, let your child add more color with crayons, and cover the mats with clear contact paper.


• Use colored construction paper for place mats. Supply crayons for children to decorate them. The color may bleed onto the tablecloth if paper gets wet, but it will wash out with no problem.


• Or buy solid vinyl place mats that children can decorate with permanent markers or stickers and take home as party favors. (Be sure your table is protected if you use permanent markers.)


• Let colorful napkins perk up the table if you're using plain white paper plates.


• Use a small blanket as a table pad if you are worried about water damage to a dining room table.

Indoor Kids' Party Decorations

Make sure to decorate more of the house than the play area and the room where the food will be served. Decorating the front door, however, helps set the party mood.

Using Streamers:

*Tie paper streamers across the entrance to any room that doesn't have a door.

*Attach streamers to the walls and ceiling with dabs of toothpaste - it will hold nicely and it washes right off.

*Make paper mobiles by attaching cutouts to streamers at different lengths.

*Or make mobiles on coat hangers, with small dolls, cars, or other little toys. Remember to hang them at different lengths.

*Let preschoolers make streamers of paper chains they put together themselves.

Tips for Indoor Decorations:

*Rub balloons against your clothes to create static electricity, and they will stick to walls by themselves.

*Draw theme art on poster board for each child to color at the beginning of the party. Hang posters up on the walls, and at the end of the party have the guests take them home as party favors.

*Save decorations if they can be used again for another party.

Outdoor Kids' Party Decorations

*Tie balloons to the doorway or mailbox to provide a festive air and to help guests find the house.

*Stretch a "Happy Birthday" banner across the front of the house or above the front door. It can be made from a roll of drawing paper or an old sheet, or purchased in a gift store.

*Make a path from the front door to the party area, with arrows pointing the way to the "Fairy Castle", the "Dragon's Lair", or "Raggedy Ann and Andy's House". For extra emphasis, make footprints from construction paper for the kids to follow.

*String paper streamers between bushes and trees to confine activities to appropriate areas.

*Hang thin ribbons of various colors from the lower branches of trees for a delicate, festive effect.

*Wrap paper streamers around tree trunks to resemble candy canes.

Subscribe to Family Smiles
Privacy Policy | About Us| Contact Us