While there is absolutely nothing wrong with throwing your child's birthday party at a Chuck E. Cheeses, McDonalds, Build-a-Bear, roller or ice skating rink, bowling alley, or pottery place, it can get tiring attending the "same party" over and over again.  They all begin to blur together and even your child may not remember their actual birthday party.  We have always wanted birthdays to be unique, special occassions that would be completely memorable for our child.  That's why we've always thrown themed birthday parties. 

For many parents, including ourselves, this can be a very daunting task.  As full-time working parents of two, we worried about the expense, whether the guests and the birthday child would enjoy the party, and our ability to "pull it off".  Over the years, we've found that planning a birthday party needn't be a difficult task.  With proper planning and scheduling, it can be pulled together with ease.  The first step is to identify a theme.  Themes help "bring it all together" and make planning the other elements of the party easier.  Theme selection should be done with the birthday child in mind (their hobbies and interests) and their age and the age of the potential guests. 

Once a theme has been selected, you should focus on identifying a location, date, and time.  Keeping your theme in mind, select a location that will accommodate the maximum number of guests comfortably.  If you're having the party in your home, the date and time will be of upmost importance.  However, if you're having the party outside of the home, the date and time may be driven by the selected location (e.g., availability of the local park or pool).  Stick with dates close to your child's birthday and on a weekend.  Don't be afraid to schedule a party on a Sunday afternoon - often your guests will have fewer time commitments, therefore conflicts, on Sundays as opposed to Saturdays.  

Once you have a solid date, time, and location, then you should select invitations that will help build pre-party excitement.  You want invitations that are going to be interesting to potential party guests and that will entice them to attend.  Today there are many options for party invitations - you can use the ones associated with themed partyware or you can make them yourself. 

Next, you should set the party agenda - what games, activities, and/or crafts will the partygoers participate in and their order.  The key here is to "overplan" - it's better to have tons of ideas in your hip pocket, rather than have too few and have unplanned time.  That's when boredom sets in and guests can get unruly.  Games, activities, and crafts should be designed such that they relate to the selected theme.  Finally, you should begin planning on decorations, supplies, and food related to your theme. 

As I write this, all of this does seem to be a bit overwhelming.  Birthday party planning guides are an invaluable resource for moms and dads planning a party.  These guides provide detailed information related to all aspects of party planning:

• Invitation ideas to build pre-party excitement
• Ideas to find the ideal location
  
• Detailed instructions on how to decorate both indoor and outdoor settings and a list of needed party supplies to "set the stage"
  
• Ideas on party favors so that the fun doesn't have to stop when the party ends
• Detailed games and activities related to the party theme
• Ideas on the cake and food/beverages related to the party theme

These guides cut out all the research and make throwing unique, creative birthday parties easy and no-fuss for everyday moms and dads. 

We've developed several birthday planning guides for themes that we have successfully planned and pull off in the past - secret agent/spy/detective mystery party, carnival party, princess dress-up party, and a fashionista (fashion show) party.  See Creative Birthday Parties for more information.