|
Birthday party
decorations for Children
by Tash Hughes of
Word
Constructions
Decorations around the house help
make a child’s birthday party special.
But when you’re on a budget,
decorations may seem like an unnecessary extra.
Decorations give a lot of pleasure to
the children and help set the atmosphere for fun. They
also brighten up the house for you and in the mood you
take on the day.
So here are some inexpensive ideas
for decorating the house, in general and for themed
parties.
General decorations
-
Look through your Christmas
decorations and see what is adaptable. Whilst any
Santa objects may be out of place, tinsel and
colourful lanterns may be perfect for a party
atmosphere.
-
Balloons can be bought cheaply at
discount shops. You may have to look at supermarkets,
department stores or speciality shops if you want
specific colours or shapes, but generic balloons are
easy to find.
-
If the party is after the actually
birthday, consider using the wrapping paper to
brighten the house. You could make a collage of paper
bits or wrap some empty boxes and have pretend gifts
as decorations.
-
Walk through your garden and find
some interesting flowers and foliage for vases. Don’t
think of structured arrangements of prize roses – mix
colours and textures to make an interesting array for
children to look at.
-
Swap some pictures from your
child’s room or play area to the party area to make it
more child friendly.
-
Set up a string across the room or
a wall (well above your head height for safety) and
use it to hang decorations. You could hang tinsel,
birthday cards, your child’s artwork, small toys,
balloons, beads, leaves, ribbons or sheets of wrapping
paper.
-
Place dolls or teddy bears on the
chairs and couches instead of your normal cushions, or
sit them on the table, sideboard or mantelpiece.
-
Get your children to do some
drawings on big sheets of paper (eg the sort you get
from the butcher or deli) then blu tack these onto the
walls – down low where the children will see them, not
you. If you know an older child, get some special
drawings done for you.
Themed decorations
-
Think of reusable decorations. For
my daughter’s fairy party, I bought some foam beetles
and bugs for $2 at a discount shop. These were stuck
on the walls and windows for a woodland look and then
became part of her craft box later.
-
Fairy, princess, dress up and other
‘girlie’ party themes can have a spectacular table
decoration. Sprinkle some glitter, plastic necklaces,
beads, Christmas balls, tinsel, coloured stones and
the like across the table cloth – most of these things
you will find at home already or can be reused later.
They can also be picked up cheaply at most discount
shops.
-
Use brown paper or old newspapers
to cut out relevant shapes and stick them on walls and
windows. Some examples could be a pirate hat, a
treasure chest, horses, cars, trucks, people,
mushrooms, favourite characters, birds, animals and
food. If you make them out of sturdy paper or card,
the children could decorate them as an activity and
take them home.
-
If you have sheets or towels with
appropriate pictures, maybe hang them over the
curtains or use them as throws on the furniture, they
could even become table cloths.
-
Collect some small toys relevant to
the theme and use them to decorate the table and
windowsills. These can then be given to the child to
play with.
-
Visit op shops and discount shops
for ideas. You may be able to get cheap toys,
materials, pictures, clothes, jewellery and household
items that can make interesting decorations.
-
Music can influence the feel of a
house, too. Use music to set a scene and you will need
less decoration anyway. For instance, play some
western music instead of having cowboy hats around the
room or play a Wiggles CD instead of hiring a disco
ball for a dance party.
-
If you want a disco ball look, buy
a foam ball (or make a papier Mache one) and cover it
with foil. Stick on various coloured stones and
sequins for a sparkly effect. Hang it from a string,
and voila!
Tash Hughes is
the owner of Word Constructions and assists businesses
in preparing all written documentation and web site
content. Tash also writes parenting and business articles for
inclusion in newsletter and web sites. |
