Parties for Preschoolers

July 19, 2008

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Parties for Preschoolers

by Penny Warner
reviewed by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P.

Preschoolers are very active little beings, and they're really starting to get the hang of this birthday party thing. You'll need several games and activities to occupy them, and plenty of healthy snacks to keep their energy up. You might invite the parents, too, to help out and share in the celebration.

Your child probably can handle six or more guests at this age, and the party can comfortably stretch to two hours or so (the kids might be able to keep on going, but you're likely to need a break after a couple of hours). Above all, expect the unexpected. Children may become tired and cranky, squabble over a toy, not want to play with the other kids, cling to parents, refuse the refreshments, or simply want to go home. Don't worry about these normal behaviors--just expect surprises and go with the flow!

Here are some practical tips to help you throw a great party for your preschooler:

1. Begin with a theme
Your child might have developed a strong interest in a particular subject or activity that would lend itself to a fun birthday theme--anything from pirates to ballet dancers, horses to cartoons. Some other themes popular with this versatile age group include:

Dinosaur Discovery Party. Take them back in time and treat them to a dino dig, with old bones (you can buy a couple of plastic dinosaur skeletons from a toy shop, bury them in a sandbox, and let the kids use shovels and whisk brooms to unearth them) and dinosaur eggs (you can wrap modeling dough around plastic dinosaur figures and let it harden or put the little figurines in those plastic Easter eggs that snap together).

Garden Tea Party. Let your little ones put on the ritz at a "formal" tea party. Ask your guests to come in fancy outfits (or provide some dress-up clothes, hats, and gloves for them to don) and have art supplies on hand so they can design their own pretty placemats to set on the table. The refreshments--and the rituals that surround serving them, which your guests will enjoy mimicking if you set the example--are the star of this type of party, so provide delicate finger sandwiches, delectable desserts, and a teapot full of juice, lemonade, or other favorite beverage (real tea usually doesn't go over so well with the preschool crowd).

Arts and Crafts Party. Unleash your toddlers' artistic potential by stocking up on a variety of art supplies, such as paints, markers, modeling clay, glitter, glue, stickers, and colored paper. Be kind to the parents, too: Provide old T-shirts to help protect your guests' party duds.

Kids on the Go Party. Children at this age are fascinated by all types of vehicles--planes, trains, motorcycles, cars, trucks, and boats. Let them play with toy cars, planes, and boats, or set up a series of child-size boxes decorated to look like train cars. Give each a road map (really a map of your house) leading them to special treats.

2. Let your invitations and decorations reflect your theme
Once you've selected a theme, it's easy to come up with fun ideas for invitations and decorations. The Kids on the Go Party, for instance, might inspire you to reproduce a picture of your child waving from the car, astride his favorite riding toy, or dressed up like a train engineer and send it out as the invitation. Decorate the walls with road signs and posters of different vehicles and exotic locales. If you're opting for the Garden Tea Party and the weather cooperates, you can set up your feast outside; otherwise, you can transform a room into an indoor garden with a host of flower decorations and big suns and vines fashioned out of construction paper.

3. Plan the games and activities
It makes sense to design at least some of activities for this highly energetic age group around your theme, but you don't have to be a slave to it. Preschoolers won't mind one bit if some of the entertainment consists of tried-and-true favorites such as Musical Chairs; Red Light, Green Light; storytelling; puppet shows; or dancing. Keep the pace lively, but not frenetic, and have some quiet activities (such as arts and crafts projects, puzzles, or building block sets) at the ready in case one-or all-of your guests needs a little break from the action.

4. Serve fun and healthy foods
Your cake can be decorated to reflect your theme, of course, or you can simply serve cupcakbes, cookies, or ice-cream sundaes. Also, be sure to set out platters of non-sugary snacks, such as baby carrots and celery sticks with ranch dressing for dipping, pretzels, crackers, cut-up fruit, and chunks of cheddar and Swiss cheese.

5. Stock up on favors
Favors in keeping with your theme will keep the spirit of the party going--dinosaur figurines or sticker books, for instance, wooden train whistles or compasses for the locomotion crowd, or little flower pots with seeds or wide-brimmed straw hats for the garden party set.

6. Don't forget the camera!
Take lots of pictures and videos to preserve the memories of this special time, and create a scrapbook or album to save the photos and other mementoes.


RELATED INFORMATION

			Birthday Parties: A Child's Time to Shine
			Parties

Created May 15, 2001
Reviewed May 17, 2001

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