Throwing a kids birthday party

One of the most important events each year for a child is their birthday. So you do not want to disappoint your child and throw a party that is not up to the standards of Dutch kids.

Of course, the most important part is the age of the child.

The 3rd birthday is something your child is usually aware of, but they are still too small to have a long party. You may also have to invite parents, as small children do not always want to stay alone. Keep it short and do not invite too many children. The best time of the day would be a morning, when the children are not tired and in a good mood.

From the 4th birthday on, parents are not expected to stay at the birthday party. You are expected to deliver your small one and pick them up at the indicated time. Pick up is usually very fast; you will not be offered a piece of cake, this is not a parents’ social event.
If you are throwing the party at your place, be sure that it is well planned. Think about the timing, when the children are going to eat, which games you are going to play, how much time each game would take. Children‘s parties are usually 2 to 3 hours long, which is more than enough. Have plans for both bad and good weather, because you never know. In the case of good weather, think about some nice outdoor location close to you, where the children can first play some games, and later on run around and do whatever they want. If it is raining, a good option for this age is a costume party, or just simple face paint, to bring them into a role-play. A treasure hunt is also a good solution for both indoor and outdoor parties.

School children, age 5-7 have already attended enough birthday parties to have an opinion about their own party. Talk to your child a few weeks in advance about what he/she would like to do, where and how many friends they would like to invite. If you decide to do it at home, a theme party is a good solution and can help you come up with ideas for games and decorations. There are a lot of tips and ideas to be found online, and also a lot of different birthday party accessories to be ordered from webshops (or just to give you an idea how to make it yourself). The other option is to celebrate at another location. Most of the places visited by children offer birthday party organization. Some of them are petting zoos, museums, libraries, botanical gardens, theatre, cinemas, sport halls… There are of course a couple of indoor playgrounds where the birthday party is fully organized for you. However, be aware that most children have already visited these playgrounds, either with their parents or for other birthdays, so this might be a easy option for you, but a boring one for the little guests.

For the children age 8-10 the birthday party is not only playing games. These children know exactly what kind of a party they want, and there is usually a theme to accompany it. There are also many locations available for the party (mentioned above). Popular activities are also bowling, swimming, carting, horse riding…

Whatever you decide to do, be careful with the number of guests. The Dutch rule is: the number of years your child is turning plus one. Better to have two separate parties with school friends and family friends, than one huge party. Children are very excited during the whole period around their birthday, so too many guests will just make them more edgy and uncontrollable.