Happy Birthday JR!

Today is my son, JR's, 2nd Birthday so I am going to share my favorite Children's birthday party tips!

1. Always keep in mind that the party is for the enjoyment of the kids! Your primary goal is the make the children feel special. Get the guest of honor involved in the planning and ask them what kind of party they would like. Do they want pink balloons or pony rides? Do they want hamburgers or hot dogs? Cupcakes or cookies?
2. Don't stress! Just remember that they are going to remember if they had fun, not whether or not your house was spotless!
3. Enlist the help of some big people! Don't try to host a children's birthday party alone. It takes a team to pull off an event like this because needs to keep an eye on the little ones at all times. Encourage parents to stay with their children but you must plan on feeding them too!
4. A Birthday party is a great place to re-enforce the manners that you are teaching your child at home. Include everyone in your child's class. This is not a time to risk hurting people's feelings as it is a celebration! When opening gifts, teach your child to make the appropriate "thank yous" whether they like the gift or not! Be sure that you child writes thank you notes to everyone who attends. This will be the start of a great life long habit!
5. Keep the kids busy! Activities are your best friend at a child's birthday party. Be sure that you keep them entertained to keep them out of trouble. One idea that I love is to copy a coloring page that fits your theme onto legal size paper and ask the kids to color one that they can later use as their place mat.