Making Memories: 3 Budget-Friendly Birthday Party Ideas for Kids

Celebrating kids’ birthday parties at home offers a unique and personalised experience that creates lasting memories in a familiar setting. A home setting allows for a wide range of activities you can tailor to your little one’s interests. Speaking of birthday party activities, there are plenty of fun and engaging things to try for your next get-together event. The best thing is you can create a joyous celebration without breaking the bank.

Face Painting

Face painting is a popular activity at kids’ parties, offering creativity and engaging entertainment. Instead of hiring a professional, you can buy face paints with pigmented formulas and do it yourself. Although it’s not going to be perfect, it might be fun and other parents can take part in it too, which only adds to the fun and inclusivity.

However, before taking the DIY route, there are some important things to consider to ensure the activity is fun, safe, and successful. First and foremost, make sure to buy face paints that are high-quality, non-toxic, and hypoallergenic. These are made with safe ingredients and are suitable for kids’ delicate skin. As a parent, you probably already know that kids have more sensitive skin than adults. Therefore, acrylics or craft paints are a big no-no since they can cause allergic reactions or skin irritation.

There are various types of face paint, each with its own characteristics and uses. Face-painting crayons are a popular choice due to their convenience and ease of use. You don’t need brushes or sponges for drawing intricate details which makes them a great option for amateur face painting at home. With just a little effort, you can create fun and colourful designs for your party attendees.

Split cakes (also known as rainbow cakes or gradient cakes) are another popular option for your DIY face painting at home. These face paint products contain multiple colours in a single container, allowing for seamless blending and multi-colour effects with a single stroke. You can create quick, colourful designs that children love, like rainbows, butterflies, and superheroes.

Next, water-based face paints are commonly used options due to their convenience and easy removal. All you need is soap and water to take them off. However, since water-based colours can smudge or fade you may need to do some touch-ups during the birthday event.

Aside from face paints you’ll also need other supplies like clean brushes, sponges, and gentle face wipes for each child to prevent the spread of germs and keep the whole process as hygienic as possible.

Finally, to make face painting as successful as possible opt for simple, easy-to-execute designs. You can find easy-to-follow tutorials online or use stencils for quick designs. Butterflies, flowers, superheroes, and animals are popular choices that can be done with a little bit of practice beforehand.

Make-Your-Own Food and Snacks

Having kids assemble their snacks at a home birthday party is another hands-on, budget-friendly idea that will keep them entertained while also providing them with tasty treats. On that note, you can let little ones decorate cupcakes, create mini sandwiches or make mini pizzas. These interactive activities will get everyone involved and serve as delicious party favours for each child to take home.

For instance, you can set up a mini sandwich-making station. Provide children with various types of bread, deli meats, cheeses, and condiments and let them assemble their own sandwiches. You can also provide cookie cutters for them to cut their sandwiches into fun shapes.

Who doesn’t love ice cream? Serving it for dessert is always a good idea for a kid’s birthday party but setting up an ice cream sundae bar can take this tasty treat to a whole new level. You can set up an ice cream station where kids and adults alike can select the ice cream flavours they want, choose the size and amount of their dessert, and decide on toppings.

The key to a successful ice cream station is to start with a variety of base ice creams like chocolate and vanilla and provide various candy toppings, sauces, sprinkles, and nuts. Speaking of nuts, since these are a common allergen among kids, it’s important to consider food allergies when planning DIY food and snack activities.

Scavenger Hunt

Organising a scavenger hunt for a kids’ party at home is a great way to keep them engaged and active. All you have to do is prepare a list of specific items, that your participants need to seek and collect. To plan a memorable scavenger hunt make sure to choose a theme and pick items that suit the age group and interests of the children. The scavenger hunt can take place at your home or backyard if the weather allows.

Divide the children into teams, set the rules and let the hunt begin. Don’t forget to encourage cooperation among team members and maintain a positive atmosphere throughout the hunt.