How To Host Simple Birthday Parties at Home

I love parties, and I'm a firm believer that we should embrace every opportunity to celebrate and spend time with the people we love.

But children's birthday parties? Those can be tricky. We've learned that for us, less is more. We host small birthday parties at home with close family when our children are very small, and then starting in kindergarten, we have a special party for as many guests as the birthday child is old. My son invited five friends out for an afternoon of bowling when he turned five, for example. This keeps things nice and manageable, and nobody ends up crying in the bathroom due to sensory overload. (Did I mention that I'm speaking from experience, here?)

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Our little one just turned three, so we hosted a party at home for her. The kids and I baked and frosted her cake, we grabbed a dozen bagels and brewed some coffee, and we put up "pink, sparkly Calico Critters" decorations, per the birthday girl's request. The grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins came over. We ate, we played games, we even had a pinata. It was a great, low-stress way to celebrate.

I have a special birthday book for each of my children. It's just a picture book that I put out every year with some markers. I ask guests to write a message in the book, and one day my kids will have this sweet collection of notes from their loved ones collected over time.

Simple parties, birthday books. These have become our special birthday rituals. How do you celebrate your children's birthdays? Do you have any simple birthday tips?

Looking for easy decorations? Download some free Calico Critters printables here!

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