So, you’ve got a group of ten seven-year-olds coming over this weekend for your kid’s birthday party. You’ve probably got all the basics covered, like food, a game, and a designated time to open presents. That might not take up the whole two hours you’ve planned to have everyone stay. What else can you do to entertain your guests?
Crafts are almost always a huge hit at kids’ birthday parties! At every age bracket, kids learn new skills and have new interests, so there are so many possibilities no matter what age of kids you’ll be hosting. Younger kids will tend to have shorter attention spans, so it’s a good idea to keep crafts for little ones simple and quick, while older kids might really like to do something hands-on that will yield a fun take-home item.
One way to help you decide exactly which of the millions of craft ideas out there is perfect for your child’s birthday party is to determine if you want to stick to a theme for your party. If your kid is having a themed birthday party, you can use that theme to help you pick what your craft should be. If you’re having a science-themed birthday party, consider a craft that is the result of a cool experiment. If there is no specific theme, that means you can pretty much go to town. Crafts are also great for when you don’t want to buy party favors. Just have the kids make their own!
For younger children, handprint crafts are easy and fun. Their parents will love to have another keepsake that will remind them their kid’s hands really were that little once! If your little ones are having a superhero party, let them make handprint art of their favorite hero. Another favorite for little kids is playdough, which is versatile enough to work for tons of craft activities. The fewer the steps there are to complete your craft, the more successful it will be for younger kids.
For older kids, something they’ll really want to keep is always the best way to go, instead of something that will lose its novelty as soon as the party is over. Decorating photo frames according to the theme of the party is always a hit, especially if you’ll be taking photos during the party. Send the photos to the parents to print out later, and the kids will have something to remember the awesome day. Other small keepsakes like bookmarks will be fun to make and continue to be useful long after the party ends!
Crafts are great down-time during the excitement of a birthday party and will be the perfect bridge between playing a game and eating cake, for example. Run some ideas by your little one if you want to make sure the craft is something they will truly enjoy to create with their friends on their big day!