Kids Party Countdown: What to Do and When

Work backwards from the date and almost nothing gets forgotten. Six weeks out you make the decisions, four weeks out you send and order, and the last week is preparation. Here is each stage.

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1. Six weeks before

Nothing needs buying yet. You need five answers: the date and time of day, where it is happening, roughly how many children, a rough budget, and a theme or just a colour.

Book the hall or the entertainer now if you want one, because weekend slots in term time go early. If you have not settled on where to hold it, that is this week's decision.

Stuck on the theme? Themes by age will get you there faster than scrolling.

2. Four weeks before

Invitations go out now. Much earlier and people forget; much later and they have booked something else.

Put the finish time on as well as the start. Parents plan around it, and you will not be left with stragglers at half five wondering how to say something.

Order decorations, tableware and party bag fillers in one go instead of three separate panics. How much tableware do I need will stop you over-ordering. Rough out the food and pick the games.

3. Two weeks before

Chase whoever has not replied, because your food and party bag numbers depend on it. Ask about allergies at the same time. It is an awkward thing to discover while you are handing the food out.

Write the running order down, even roughly. Somebody else should be able to follow it while you are dealing with the cake.

4. One week before

Fill the party bags this week. It is the job everybody leaves and it always takes longer than expected, particularly if you are wrapping anything.

Make two spares.

Put everything else in one box: tape, scissors, string, bin bags, matches, a spare candle, kitchen roll, the prizes. Having that box in the car is what stops the day going wrong in small ways.

5. The day before

Decorate anything that will survive overnight. Banners, garlands, the party table.

Get the cake sorted or out of the freezer, and prepare whatever food keeps. If it is at a hall or venue, pack the car tonight. Mornings disappear.

Find the candles and put them somewhere obvious. They are the thing that gets forgotten.

6. On the day

Balloons last. Inflate them in the morning. Do it the night before and a fair few will be on the floor by the time anyone arrives.

Leave the food covered until people are actually at the door. Keep the first fifteen minutes loose as well, because people arrive late and children need a few minutes to settle before a game will work at all.

Party bags by the door, handed out as they leave.

Questions people ask

When should invitations go out?

Four weeks before for a weekend party in term time. Three is fine. Two is tight if the class is a popular one.

When do I inflate the balloons?

Foil the day before is usually fine. Latex on the morning. Helium latex starts dropping within about a day, so leave those as late as you can.

What is worth doing the night before?

Banners, the party table, packing the car and getting the cake ready. Anything a child could knock over at breakfast, leave.

I have left it three weeks. Is that a problem?

Plenty of parties get pulled together in three weeks. Send invitations today, order this week, do the party bags at the weekend.

More planning help in the Kids Party Hub: how long it should last, where to hold it and the full checklist.

For the party itself: games, food, themes by age and party bags.