Planning A Great Themed Kids Party On A Budget

There are hundreds of party themes for kids parties such as the Pirate theme, Winnie the Pooh theme, Barbie theme and so on. When it really comes down to it, to what makes a party a specific theme, is color trends. You can make any kids’ party theme specific with only a few detailed objects that relate to the theme and the rest is about color.

Contrary to belief, for a pirate themed party, you don’t need to have treasure chests, flags, fake ships, real sailor’s hats, a treasure map and a message in a bottle. People will think nothing less about the party’s theme if you only have one large treasure chest but pirate types of colors decorated everywhere. However, there are five great variables to keep in mind that make a great themed party on a budget. To keep up with the trend, the six variables will be surrounding a Pirate theme party.

  1. Location: Having a themed party at an event facility can put a rock through your budgets window. You will not only be paying a large amount of money for the facility but you will also be paying for set-up and clean-up. You have a few options when it comes to the location of the party. First consider the theme of the party and then consider who you know that may have a space available that coincides with the theme. A pirate themed party would be best at a home with a pool or a nearby park that has a beach or playground. As a parent, it is good to remember that kids have ruthlessly extensive imaginations which make planning a themed party easier since the playground to them is the ship and the ground is the sea. Use the imagination to your advantage to find a free space to have the party.
  2. Party Count: More is not merrier when you have to provide space, food and bags of goodies for all those who attend the party. Keep the number of attendees at a minimum or make it known that the kids should come to the party without their parents. The amount of money you will spend on a themed party for 10 kids is much cheaper than 20 kids with their parents. With a smaller crew you can get a smaller boat and there is a smaller dent in your treasure chest.
  3. Invitations: The days in which you needed to have matching invitations to the party’s theme are long past. Now you can send your invitations out over email or get creative with the supplies you already have at home. You can even make it a bonding experience with your kid while at the same time getting your kid excited for the party by crafting paper invitations.
  4. Food: There are two options to stay within a budget while preparing food for a themed party. For the basics, purchase generic brands and buy in bulk. When you do so, try not to buy trays and pre-cut items as they are often more expensive than to cut and prepare them yourself. To stay within the theme of the party when it comes to desserts, you can provide cupcakes and cookies but have the other kids bring sprinkles or frosting to share. You could also purchase a custom made theme cake over the Internet and receive online birthday cake delivery. The last tip to saving money on food is to plan the party for kids and parents after they have eaten or at a time that they would not expect to be served food.
  5. Activities: You can never go wrong with crafts, especially when you have all the supplies at home already. For a pirate theme party, you can make sailor hats out of newspaper or decorate shoeboxes to look like treasure boxes. Remember, it never hurts to reuse old gave favorites such as pin the tail on the pirate, pirate musical chairs, or Captain Says.
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  • jentyree June 15, 2012, 4:57 pm

    Great article! This year is my sons 8th birthday, and we are going to a local place called Peter Piper Pizza. $9.99 per kid gives them food, drinks and tokens for the games. I told all the adults (who I am friends with) that I’m covering all the kids, but the grownups can either go in together for pizzas or buy something for themselves. They all are understanding and would do the same thing. The party is for the kids, not the adults. Great idea though for the pirate party – have at a park or beach, and then even do a cook out, as most parks/beaches has grills available for use.
    Great article 🙂

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