Party Planning

It' almost here....the biggest day of the year. No, I'm not talking about Thanksgiving or Christmas, I'm talkin.. Kenzie's birthday. I love this day. In my mind it's a National Holiday.

When my children were growing up, birthday parties were a must. We went to Chuckie Cheese(s), Waterpark(s), Bowling Alley(s) and Miniature Golf(s). We had lots of bashes at home. Lots of them. Lots of cakes, ice cream, balloons, games and messes. The rule has always been--- you don't turn a year older without a party. The parties did get smaller, more family-like, less gifts and more cash.

Kenzie's party is coming up. Yesterday, I watched as her mommy scripted the date, time and place into the Hannah Montana invitations. Kenzie put them into the envelopes and into a neat pile.

Mommy did the licking then dictated the names from the yellow paper with the red lines that the teacher gave her. Kenz wrote them on the envelopes. (I had gone home by then. Mommy said it took an hour.) There was a card for everyone in the class. How much more fun can it get?

The invitations went into the backpack. Today everyone will find one in their cubby and then the whole class will be part of the planning.

Kenzie's having a party!

Kenzie's having a party!

And in her dreams Kenzie will be counting down the days.

From the PBS kids website:

Age 5

Five-year-olds know parties are very important and may enjoy the planning even more than the event itself.

That's why it's especially important to involve your five-year-old in the entire process. Theme parties work well.

Fives especially enjoy dramatic play, so have some props on hand for make-believe games (a pizza parlor, a fire station, a bakery, etc).

Fives are usually ready for games that teach right and left like Hokey-Pokey and Simon Says. While they're ready for organized games, some fives still have trouble taking turns, so plan accordingly.

Most fives have the small motor skills necessary to use scissors and string beads so they're now ready for crafts that involve more than simple finger painting.

Plan for a party of about two hours.