Throwing a birthday party on a budget just got easier with these ideas and themes for planning a fun birthday party for kids. You can have an affordable celebration where everyone has a blast with just a little creativity and prior planning.
I’ve been to plenty of “over the top” celebrations and to some very simple more homespun parties and after the balloons are deflated, only the memories remain and the credit card bills in some cases.
As a practical grandmother, I’ve come up with some Fun & Inexpensive Theme Ideas for a fun birthday party that won’t bust the budget. I would love to hear your ideas too for future updates to this post!
Pro tip – to avoid getting lots of toys or gifts your child does not need, set up a Wish List on Amazon and include the link with your invitation. Here is how easy it is to set up an Amazon Wish List. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Fun & Inexpensive Theme Ideas for Kids’ Birthday Parties
Backyard BBQ
If your little ones are having a birthday party in the summer, why not throw a backyard BBQ? Throwing hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill is so much fun! The great thing about BBQs is that everyone feels so welcome. You can invite adults and kids alike and everyone will have a great time.
Ice Cream Bar
Kids love ice cream and it’s pretty inexpensive. Purchase ice cream decor then several ice cream flavors and have plenty of toppings for everyone. Kids love making their ice cream sundaes. The fact that they get to make their own will make their day.
Water Party
Summertime is a perfect time to throw a birthday party. A water party is a very inexpensive idea when it comes to a birthday party. You can put out a little pool, a slip n’ slide, a sprinkler, and even set up water balloons. Seriously, kids have a blast playing with water and there’s no doubt that this would be an awesome birthday party for a special little kid.
Arts & Crafts Party
Kids love doing arts and crafts. Why not bring that to the birthday party scene? You can easily do arts and crafts with a dozen kids and have a great time. You can even get your supplies at the Dollar Store! One idea is to buy unpainted frames and bring a Polaroid camera to take instant photos to put in the frames. Everyone can take home their frame and photo to remember the fun time they had! You can find more ideas on Pinterest.
Luau
Another fun and inexpensive birthday party idea is a Luau theme. What a great way to celebrate a child’s birthday. You can buy cheap Luau decor from Amazon.com, the dollar store, or one of my favorite sources, Oriental Trading. There’s plenty of room to be creative with this idea. Play Hawaiian music and have a ton of fun dancing with those kiddos and having a great time.
Superhero-Themed Birthday Party
Almost every child out there has a superhero costume of some sort. Throw a superhero-themed birthday party at home. Have everyone dress up in their favorite costume and have superhero party favors. If you’re creative enough, you can save a ton of money doing this.
Painting Party
This is a personal favorite of mine, a painting party! Find fabric paint or puffy paint that gets squeezed from a tube. Supply white t- shirts and these can be their take home party favor. When we painted onesies for my daughter’s baby shower, I brought twine and clothespins and made a clothesline to let the paint dry.
Cute Cupcake Party
Sweet treats and festive fun come together in a cupcake-themed party that is sure to delight kids of all ages. This adorable party idea is not only budget-friendly, but also incredibly easy to pull off. Decorate with vibrant shades of pink, purple, and sky blue, and scatter cupcake-inspired accents like sprinkles, cherries, and whimsical cupcake wrappers throughout the celebration. For added excitement, consider serving a variety of cupcake flavors and hosting a cupcake-eating contest or cupcake-themed games like ‘Pin the Cherry on the Cupcake’.
For Toddlers – Party at the Park
Take advantage of the simple needs of toddlers. They can find joy and fun in small pleasures. Reserve a spot at your local park where they can run and play on an age-appropriate playground. You can bring some outdoor toys like beach balls and bubble toys.
More Ways to Save on Party Costs
For my granddaughter’s birthday party, I made individual Charcuterie cups for veggies and dip and fruit, cheese and crackers. The kids loved them and it was a more sanitary way for kids to enjoy their snacks instead of using platters. Clear cups work best.
- Consider asking guests to bring a specific item such as a dessert or side dish.
- If you are using a caterer or restaurant, let them know your budget and allow them to suggest alternatives to keep costs down. You don’t have to have all the food catered. Making salads, snacks and desserts can keep the costs down.
- Search for “free party printables” by typing that into your browser. You’ll find banners, cupcake toppers, invitations, thank you notes and more. Many can be customized to fit your theme. Print them out yourself at home or you can have Staples do it for you (not as inexpensive as you might think).
- Instead of buying disposable plates and napkins in a specific theme, buy them in plain colors. These are often much cheaper.
- If you cannot throw the party at home, search for low cost venues such as a park, clubhouse, YMCA, American Legion hall, the beach or the lake.
- Think about hiring a teen for a babysitter, activity coordinator or kitchen helper.
- Use digital invitations such as Evites and get an accurate guest count. You may have to nudge people a few times to RSVP but this is more cost effective than having too much food.
- Plan to use your leftovers – you can cut your grocery bill for a few days following the party and freeze what you can for later.
Focus on fun and making memories!
Here’s a photo of cute cupcakes from my granddaughter’s birthday party.
Throwing an inexpensive birthday party doesn’t need to have limits. You can throw an awesome party on a budget. The thing is that it takes time and effort. Start planning early, so you have no problem putting the time and effort into your fun and inexpensive birthday party! Do you have any money-saving ideas to celebrate on a shoestring?
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Wish I had this list when my son was little. One of his favorite birthday parties was a Sherlock Holmes (and Mr. Watson party). I can’t remember why he love Holmes so much. It was his 7th birthday.
We made invites out of puzzle pieces that the kids had to put together. As party favors we gave Mr. Watson hats, notebooks and pens, magnifying glasses, and instead of Holmes’ famous pipe we gave party blowers. My son dressed as Sherlock Holmes and the kids were encouraged to come dressed as either Holmes or Watson. The ground at the front of the house was decorated with black footprints leading them to the backyard.
At the party, the kids were divided into 2 teams and played “clue” with clues I found online to find the “X” (no bodies. Haha-too scary). They also played a game where they had to solve scrambled word games and mazes that we projected onto a giant piece of paper on a wall and the teams had to go from start to finish on the huge puzzles. The cake was decorated with edible footprints, edible magnifying glass and an edible notebook.
oh my goodness, that sounds like a magical party. What a wonderful memory you made. xoxo