How to make a birthday party for an 8-year-old child?
It is the most important question for all parents of this age. When your child turns 8 years old, he/she starts to take more interest in things around him/her. For example, they can watch TV or help you with grocery shopping without any problems. Now it's the right time to think about his/her birthday party and all invitations, games, and presents!
Here are some budget birthday party ideas for 8-year-olds that will give you an opportunity not only to organize a cool celebration but also to spend as little as possible:
- Arrange a bowling night at home -it's easy to learn how to play and children love it! If necessary provide small plastic balls or ask everyone to bring their own ball from school or from home.
- Organize a children's night in the local cinema -some films are good for all ages and your child can invite his/her friends too! You'll spend less because you don't have to buy any presents or food! Just make sure that movies won't be inappropriate for kids.
- Rent a bike -your kid will love it, especially if you give him/her time to ride it alone at the park. It is also an opportunity to do some open-air exercises together with your young one.
- Create your own pizzeria! OK, it's not actually about cooking but buying ready-made ingredients and then adding them to the dough bit by bit. Your 8-year-old or girl can even help you to make a list and choose the ingredients.
- Make a treasure hunt -it's one of the most creative 8-year-old birthday party ideas! You can hide different things for kids to find: keys, coins, etc. One key will open a real chest with all presents inside! It also takes much time because everyone has to be involved in it and work hard searching for clues and items.
Where can you save money?
Cake
You can bake a cake of your own. It would be not only cheap but also delicious and healthy. You can try different recipes and add some unique ingredients which you have in your pantry.
Since this is a birthday party for your 8-year-old child, he/she will appreciate it even more if the cake has a childish shape or candy decorations on it. You can try to put a favorite cartoon character on the top of your cake, it is available in many online shops. Use your imagination and be creative!
Here is the recipe for a budget cake that will taste like a royal wedding:
- 1 cup sugar;
- 1 tsp baking powder;
- ½ cup of milk;
- 2 eggs;
- 3 tbsp of vegetable oil.
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients in a big bowl, then pour the dough into an 8inch round pan and bake for 25 min at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. When it cools down, decorate with your unique frosting!
One way is to mix half a cup of butter (room temperature) with two cups of powdered sugar and add some vanilla extract, milk, or cocoa if desired. Add these ingredients gradually while mixing at low speed until smooth. This recipe will make enough frosting for one cake. If you would like to make more frosting, repeat this recipe.
Invitations
You need to have invitations made for your child's party, but this doesn't mean that you have to order them or spend money on it! You can make inviting cards yourself with kids' help.
Just take some thick paper and draw different scenes from the movie your kid wants to watch in the cinema, print out these scenes at home, or find them online if needed! You can find many ready-made invitations for download on the Internet which you only have to print out and write all information there. It is simple as ABC!
Decorations
Please, do not overpay for decoration materials! You can make everything yourself or at least borrow the items from your friends or relatives. Think out of the box because 8-year-olds are young enough to appreciate originality in everything! Of course, you can also buy some decorations but if it's too expensive, don't do it.
Kids like balloons, streamers, and small funny figures which they will play with. It is much better than buying one or two plastic things which will stay there for about a month after the party till another child takes them home by mistake (believe me, this happens all time). It is better to give kids a pack of balloons and let them play with it.
Activities
Activities should be free and simple. You can start with a family photo session together, then discuss kid`s birthday party ideas together. Here are some examples:
- Hide&Seek;
- Race in sack race;
- Trampoline jumping;
- Roll down the hill on a large mat (for safety reasons).
Also, you can try an outdoor activity, such as a treasure hunt or a picnic in the park. You can easily google these kinds of birthday party ideas for kids and choose what you like the most!
Goodie bags
It is not necessary to spend much money on goodie bags. These are things which kids will use at home later or take with them when they go outside to play with friends, so why buy expensive toys for 5 dollars? You can make up a nice menu of different fun things together with your 8-year-old kid, wrap everything in colorful paper, and put there anything your child likes most!
Music
There is no need to hire a DJ and spend more on the music: you can make a playlist and play it on your phone or laptop, or you can download some tracks on your computer. If there is no electricity during the party (it may happen but we hope it will not!) you can use batteries for this purpose.
Things you shouldn`t save money on
Food
Make sure there is enough food at your child's birthday party because kids are always hungry! Don't buy pre-packaged snacks or meals in packages because they are not healthy. You can make some delicious sandwiches with various kinds of delicious fillings, so everyone will find something for themselves. Also, you can try to cook traditional dishes from different countries and surprise friends with this!
Clothes
Kids may get dirty during the party, so you should prepare their clothes for such cases. You can buy some nice shirts and pants for kids which they will be able to wear again after the party is over. If it`s a summer birthday party, then order different kinds of hats and sunglasses. It will be very useful!
Photo session
You need to take lots of pictures during this birthday party because your child will remember not only gifts but also photo sessions forever! Kids like taking photos with parents and friends together, especially when they dress up in special clothes (such as fairy costumes).
And don't forget about video recordings - it's wonderful if you make a short movie from these moments! Even if it is not perfect, kids will love it!
Transportation
Of course, if you live some miles away from the place where your child`s party is held, then you need to take some cars to transport all guests there and back home. If some parents cannot do this on their own, it may be a problem for them.
You can think of hiring buses or vans - they are not expensive but make sure that they are large enough to accommodate everyone (especially children who like sitting in the bus/car seat). If you don't drive or you know how much money buying extra car seats cost go with minivans instead of minibusses for example.
Gift
Surely, your child is expecting a birthday gift from you. Don't save money on this and spend what you can afford! If your child is 8-years-old, he probably wants a bicycle or a big remote control car for example. Sometimes kids ask for such presents which they don`t need: for example, why buy an Xbox when there are lots of other games in the world? Just be sure that your kid really needs the present - otherwise, let him choose it himself from his own money.
Interesting ideas for theme bday parties
Whether your boy or girl is turning 8, there is some theme for birthday parties that are not much expensive and yet quite memorable.
- Back to school party
This idea has been very popular in 2017 because parents want their kids can learn from it and make a great impression on friends! This theme usually includes small school supplies as giveaways, such as pencils, pens, or notebooks, but you can also include some larger study-related furniture like bookshelves or bookstands.
Of course, this is not the only way of celebrating your child`s birthday: you can decorate a place where the party will be held with different colored balloons and signs which say "Welcome to 2nd grade/class." Don't forget that there should be at least one teacher who will read an interesting story about how to do homework!
- Beach themed birthday
It wasn't popular in past years but now it is one of the most demanded birthday party themes! You can decorate all walls with different stickers which look like ocean waves or just buy some cheap blue tablecloths and place them on tables - everything depends on your imagination.
Prepare lots of snacks related to the seaside (for example, if you are making this for boys then prepare nautical-themed cupcakes). And don't forget about gift bags: kids will be happy to get small inflatable swimming rings as presents!
- Vampire party
If you are living in some gothic city, then this theme will be perfect for your child`s birthday! You can easily find vampire masks or purchase them online. Prepare lots of garlic and wooden stakes to make the atmosphere really creepy (don`t forget about black tablecloths).
Kids love silly stuff like this so they will surely appreciate these funny ideas. Just don't forget that every gift should have a tag with a "Bite me" inscription - it's very crucial to make the party unforgettable!
How to make this day unforgettable for your kid?
A few years ago birthday parties were celebrated not as often as it is today. And now children even have more than one birthday party: they can turn 3, 5 or 10 for example and each year their parents want these days to be very special and memorable. Of course, you cannot make every birthday party memorable but there are some ideas which can help.
- Let your child choose the theme
It's always better to give the kids a chance to decide what they want for their birthday parties. No matter how young they are - if they are 8 or 12, don't make yourself believe that there is no way for them to choose the right themes. If your kid wants a vampire birthday then let him have it! It won`t cost much money and everyone will have fun - just try not thinking about gory details. - Try DIY projects if you are not good at planning
It`s easier than you may think! Just search online or ask your friends how to decorate the room in Halloween style - there are a lot of tips and ideas on the internet. And if you have friends who can cook, don`t forget to ask them for some simple party snacks: they will be really tasty! - Theme food is another idea that can help you save money
Food should be healthy but tasteful as well. If your kid is turning 8, he probably loves pancakes so why not arrange a pancake buffet? Kids love this kind of meal because everyone can choose what they want from the table. You also shouldn't forget about party drinks or favors - those little things always make children happy!
Final words
If you are low on budget but high on creativity, ideas from this article will help you to make your child happy. Just keep in mind that kids love funny details so if there is a way for making your party memorable - just do it!