We hear it’s time for another birthday! Celebrating your little one’s birthday only gets more and more fun as time goes on because they can appreciate the effort you put into their parties. Not only that, but the parties are more exciting for the little guest of honor, especially because they’ve begun to form their own opinions, ideas, and interests. They might even remember that fun smash cake at a friend’s party, or how cool the pinata was at their cousin’s bash. 

So to begin, there are a few details you’ll need to know before you pick your theme. Even though parties for little kids aren’t generally long and they rely on the child’s particular schedule for what time works best, as the kids get older, the parties can be a bit  longer. 

How Long Should the Party Last?

Your one-year-old didn’t need more than one or two hours of friends and family celebrating, but your four-year-old might enjoy having a little more time with their guests. For the 4-6 year old crowd, 2 hours may be plenty enough party time. 

Should We Invite Friends and Family? 

For the first few birthday parties you have with your little one, it’s safe to say that family is your best bet in terms of attendees. But as your child is getting older, your child is making friends who may love to attend a birthday party. Speaking of friends, if you’re inviting a bunch of children from your child’s class, it’s important to make sure no one feels singled out or left out. If you are inviting more children from a daycare class or pre-K, you can even invite the parents.  

Party Planning and Theme Ideas 

Party planning for your four-year-old is pretty fun, because your little one is likely in pre-K at this point. If they’re in pre-K, then they have a whole classroom full of little friends to celebrate special occasions with! With that in mind, if your child’s birthday is towards the end of the year, you’ve probably already attended a couple of fourth birthday parties recently. That’s why you have to keep it interesting and exciting for your child with a unique party theme. 

We’re here to help you plan a great party that will exceed your kid’s expectations, but not your budget. Here are four party themes your little one and their friends will love. 

I’m Digging Being Four

Who doesn’t love digging in the dirt, especially when you’ve got your best buddies around? Construction-themed parties are fun for everyone involved. You can set up the party theme to include goody bags, the cake, decorations, and more. 

You can even add in some fun activities for the birthday builder, like:

• Foreman Says (just like Simon Says!) 
• Pin the Tools on Bob 
• Dirt Pile Play  

An Out of This World Party… 4,3,2,1…Blast off! 

In 2020, heading to outer space was a big deal. A UFO or space-themed birthday party is one of the most fun ways to celebrate leaving age 3 behind. There are so many different party games that could be fun with a space party, too. From decorating a room to look like outer space or having costumes for the little astronauts, this can be a really unique party.

Here are some fun activities to consider: 

• Make moon rocks
• Set up a space slime table
• Rent an inflatable moonbounce 

The Princess Has Arrived

Although princess parties are age-old and sort of par for the course for your little royal gal, there’s no excuse for the party to be “usual”. You can find all sorts of unique, unusual ways to make your princess’ party stand out, from different types of princess themes to different kinds of games played at the party. Don’t forget to match the decor with the goodie bags – your princess’ pals will love it. 

Here are some fun, unique ideas for your princess party:

• Play musical thrones
• Design crowns at a craft table for all
• Get fantastical with unicorns, pegasus, and other fantasy creatures

It’s Summertime 

There’s nothing like a summer pool party. When the temperature is warm, kids love to spend time in the pool or outside. There are so many ways to make a pool party unique and fun, so focus your summertime theme on “under the sea”, mermaids, fish, or tropical scenery. 

A pool party can, of course, include a pool but if you aren’t set up to host a pool party, you could try one of the following instead: 

• Set up a homemade slip and slide
• Rent a splash pad
• Use your sprinkler to your advantage! 

How are you going to host your 4-year-old’s party? Tell us in the comments! 

Just like that, your little sprout is turning three! They’re getting a little older and can actually have some fun at their birthday party. So, you know what they say… “Go big or go home!” Well, it’s time to go big. 

Three is such a great age, it’s a time when you’re little person begins to develop their personality. According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, age three is when children start learning to share, enjoy playing with other children, and start to show their feelings in acceptable ways. Now that you’re child is developing some or either all of these skills, they can appreciate a party a lot more, which means you get to go all out!

If you’re stressing over what type of party to plan, take a deep breath, we’ve got you covered. Here are some cool ideas and tips on themes, cakes, activities, and even party logistics. 

Theme Ideas 

Everyone knows the theme makes the party. Your theme will dictate your decorations, invitations, food, party favors, and activities. So you want to pick a solid theme, then you can build around it. Here are a few ideas for girls, boys, and gender-neutral parties as well. 

• Girl 
  • Princess Party 
  • Mermaid Party 
  • All Pink Party 
• Boy 
  • Dinasour Party 
  • Pirate Birthday Party 
  • Fire Fighter Birthday Party 

• Gender-Neutral 
  • Paint Party 
  • Outdoor Drive-In Movie Night 
  • Candyland Party

Cake Ideas 

When it’s time to gather around and sing “Happy Birthday to youuuu….”, the perfect cake should be in the middle. In this case, you can tailor this to your child’s preference. Do they like chocolate or vanilla? Sprinkles or gummy bears? A lot of icing or no icing? Whatever they like, it’s a great idea to include them in the cake making process. You know, make an afternoon activity out of it. 

However, you may want to buy a specially designed cake that accompanies a theme. There is definitely nothing wrong with a store-bought cake, but here a few ideas for cakes you can make at home. 

• Funfetti Cake 
• Numbers Cake (Make a #3 cake) 
• Ice Cream Cake 

Activities 

Keeping toddlers occupied at a party is key, and this can be done with fun activities. Here are a few fun ideas for a three-year-olds party. 

• Dance Break: Pull out some classic, clean tunes and get to jammin’. 
• Bubble Break: If you’re having an outside party, children can have a bubble blowing contest.
• Balloon Break: You can use a bedsheet and have the children gather around and hold the sides. Then you can bounce the balloons around on the bedsheet like popcorn.

Details. Details. Details.  

Aside from planning the party decorations, activities, and food, you will need to consider other important details. How long should the party last? How many kids do I invite? How do I ask parents to stay? What time of day should the party be? 

These are important factors that will ultimately shape the celebrations. For example, according to Parents, for children three and under, the party should be no more than one hour. As long as they are preoccupied with activities, they can handle an hour-long party. Here are a few more tips surround “children’s party etiquette”.

Time of Day: Experts suggest that 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. is a great time for a toddler party, that way parents can still make nap time. 

Length of time: The party should be one hour long.

Who is invited?: A good rule of thumb is to invite as many children as your child’s age, plus one. Aside from this close family and friends. 

Asking parents to stay: If you want parents to stay, detail this in the party invitation. You can ask that the invited child be accompanied by a parent. 

Now, it’s time to get this party started! Good luck, and remember it’s a party, so have fun with it!

The time has come to celebrate your toddler’s 2nd birthday! Seeing your child grow right before your eyes as they approach their 2nd birthday might have you feeling like time flies. That baby you celebrated just one year ago has now grown taller and is developing into a toddler. 

Just like the 1st birthday party, the 2nd birthday is nothing short of a big deal. At 2 years old, your toddler might be having more social interaction and is becoming more active and talkative. This means a bigger – and even better – party to celebrate and accommodate your toddlers needs and desires. Whether that means more children and less adults or fun activities like a bounce house, bubbles, or face paint. 

If you’re looking for a little assistance in planning a 2nd birthday party, look no further. 

Party Theme Ideas

Party theme ideas get a little easier as your baby grows up. As they start to become interested in certain things like animals, space, or a particular TV show, it’s easy to center your celebrations around them. Care.com suggests choosing a theme that captures your child’s imagination the most and carrying that theme throughout the party from invitations, to favors, and cake. As your toddler starts to take a liking to things and broaden their imagination, here are some fun themed ideas for your two-year-old. 

• Petting Zoo 
• Tea Party 
• Bounce House
• TV Show themed (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Dinosaur Train, Peppa Pig, etc.)
• Face Painting
• Superheroes 
• Pet themed (Dog/Cat) 
• Sandcastle 
• Astronauts and Space 

Birthday Outfits for Your Toddler 

Typically with birthday outfits, you stick to the same theme as the party. So if you’re planning on doing a superhero-themed party, you would dress up your toddler in a fun, age-appropriate costume with a cape so they fit the part. 

Keep in mind, at this age toddlers start to become picky about their clothing and want to dress themselves. So while you can have an outfit planned out for your boy or girl, there is a chance there might be a last minute wardrobe change from your little one. One of the best and most time-efficient places to purchase a costume for your child’s birthday party is Amazon with over 50,000 different outfits to choose from. 

How Long Should a Party Be?

One of the biggest tips for throwing a 2nd birthday party is to keep the party short and sweet. Two-year-olds are still taking naps at this age and most likely have very short attention spans. For a party at this age, the party should be no longer than two to three hours. 

Party Favors for Kids and Adults 

Party favors, or goodie bags, usually are one of the highlights for children at the end of a party, apart from the cake of course. However, sometimes upon opening up the goodie bag, many of the items tend to be junk, easily distracted, or don’t provide long-lasting entertainment. To ensure you have a top-notch party favors, here are some items to include, and of course, this can change with the theme:

• Crayons, Markers, Colored Pencils 
• Coloring book
• Crafting activity for home
• Stickers
• Puzzles
• Books
• Candy 

As for the adults, it’s important to thank them for bringing their child to the party and for giving a gift to your little one. During the party, offer plenty of refreshments and adult-friendly food and drink to keep them satisfied and hand out thank you cards on their way out. 

Cake and Dessert Ideas 

As mentioned above, it’s important to carry the theme of your toddler’s birthday in every aspect, including the cake. While your child will be more excited about the idea of eating cake than how it looks – it’s a good idea to stick to the theme with the desserts, if possible. 

Gift Ideas for Boy and Girl 

The only thing more fun than getting gifts is gifting gifts to a cheerful 2-year-old on their birthday. When deciding what to gift for your boy or girl, remember that toddlers don’t tend to have high standards at this age. Every gift is very exciting and important to them and they’ll be grateful for almost anything. 

In general, make sure to purchase age-appropriate gifts that are safe for them at this period in their life. Try to avoid gifts with excessive packaging, or consider gifting the item out of its packaging at the party. Your toddler will be working on their motor skills at this age so toys that involve coordination of the hands (I.e. buckling, zipping, lacing, etc.) will be very beneficial for them. 

For a boy or a girl, get them their very first bike. A bike is a fabulous and exciting gift for a two-year-old because it allows them to exert their energy and feel powerful and accomplished doing something new. 

For girls, this educational plush doll allows your toddler to fine-tune their motor skills by zipping, tying, and using velcro. For boys, the same toy but in a bear version is available. 

What are you planning to do for your toddler’s 2nd birthday party? Let us know in the comments below!

So, we hear someone is turning one… it’s time for a birthday, right?!

Don’t worry – there are plenty of other birthday parties to host down the line. According to professional party planners, your little one likely isn’t ready to celebrate in style, so it’s OK if the party is geared towards the friends and family of mom and dad. 

Your baby’s first birthday is a big deal, both for you and baby. That means it’s the perfect time to celebrate this milestone for both of you. While your baby might not be walking, talking, or really ready to enjoy a party of their own, a first birthday needs to be celebrated. Mark the occasion by hosting a birthday party for your baby, close friends, and family. We’ve got you covered on how to do this in style but without breaking the bank. 

First, we’ll cover a few basic questions like how long the party should last, some great places to get both gifts and gear, as well as a few theme ideas. Then we’ll get into the specifics!

Here are a handful of commonly-asked questions about hosting a first birthday party. 

• What can you do for a first birthday?
• How much should you plan to spend on your baby’s first birthday?
• What are some popular party themes? 
• How long should the party last? 

What can you do for a first birthday? 

Celebrate, of course! 

A first birthday party is a big occasion for both baby and parents, so there’s no reason to skip out on a party or celebrations just because the guest of honor isn’t fully ready to appreciate a party in their name. 

There are so many different things you can do to celebrate your baby’s first birthday. There are some special things you can plan to do, like take a photo with your baby for a keepsake. You can also think about writing them a letter to read later in life. Another way to celebrate baby’s birthday is to try a new experience together. Of course, these aren’t necessarily party ideas, but they are activities that baby can enjoy too. 

In terms of the party, keep it simple. 

How much should we spend on the first birthday party? 

Party planners suggest budgeting somewhere between $300.00 and $1,000. Of course, budget is a personal preference. To help you get a better idea of what exactly you might need to add in to your party budget, consider the following: 

• Food
• Decorations
• Goody bags or party favors
• Gifts
• Cake 

That should help you get started!

What are some popular first birthday party themes?

At this stage, there won’t be too many opinions from the peanut gallery (your baby) about what sorts of decor to have, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with the party theme. Experts suggest staying away from clowns and similar costumes or decor in order to make sure your little one doesn’t get scared or shy away from the party. 

These 46 creative 1st birthday party ideas should get you going, but some of our favorites include: 

• A country fair
• Forest fur friends
• Cars-themed
• Sports of any kind, from football to hockey
• Baby shark (check out this sweet decor theme) 
• Disney
• Princess themed (you should absolutely order a crown like this) 
• Sun and Moon 

Check out some other fun themes for your baby’s party here. 

How long should the party be? 

For one thing, you know your baby’s schedule. Plan to host the party during a 2-hour window that will help baby be on his or her best behavior. You don’t want the party to be too close to nap time, bed time, or another part of your routine that could throw behavior off. That said, 2 hours is a great timeline for a first birthday party so the guest of honor isn’t overwhelmed after the party, or even during. 

What to Expect shares some great insight on how to time the birthday party for the little guest of honor. 

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s talk about the goodies! 

Party Favors for the Kids

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35G4uCXNVDU

One of our favorite parts of our childrens’ birthday parties is the goodie bags. Party favors are a fun way to make the celebration memorable for everyone. From cake-pops or decorated edible favors to cutesy boxes full of small toys, trinkets, cups, or similar items are perfect for a first birthday. You can even find matching party favors to your decorations from Etsy or Amazon, which we totally recommend. There’s nothing like a one-stop-shop.

Party favors for the Adults

Depending on the theme of the party you’re hosting, party favors for the adults can be lots of fun too. Especially if you manage to match them with your theme. Say your little girl is the perfect match for a princess party. There’s no reason not to order personalized glasses or cups that will go along with the decor and the guests when they head home. 

Maybe baby girl isn’t necessarily ready for a bottle, but your gal pals will be ready for this rose-gold bottle opener. 

Giving Little One Their Gifts

No party is complete without the gift table. Even though your baby might be a little young to enjoy the full festivities, gift-giving is not one of those things. With the help of moms everywhere, we are putting together a little list of great first birthday gifts for your little one, all of which are below $100. Check back soon! 

Congratulations! You’ve made it through the alphabet, and now it’s time to learn the letter “Z”. There are so many cool words connected to this letter such as zip, zero, and zig-zag. Today, we’re going to focus on the word “zoom”! Relax parents, this is not about the Zoom calls you have to join on a daily basis. We’re talking about “zoom” for cars. 

Remember, growing up when you would race cars, and say “zoom zoom”. We were associating a sound with an object and word. For example, “mooo” and “cow” or “quack” and “duck”. Sounds can often help us identify things without even seeing them. In this case, going “zoom” with cars is a fun and creative way for children of all ages to express themselves. These types of activities encourage children to tap into their imagination while helping them build cognitive and social skills. 

So, without further adieu! We’re learning how to create a painting by using cars and going “zoom”. This is a fairly simple craft and requires mild cleanup. 

What you’ll need: 

• A large sheet of plain paper
• A plastic sheet or oilcloth (or a lot of newspaper, depending on how much paint your kids decide to use!)
• A black felt tip pen
• Some paper plates
• Some thicker paint (i.e. acrylic paint)
• Some toy cars that are not precious (i.e. it doesn’t matter if they change colour permanently)!

How to set up this activity: 

• First, make sure all your surfaces and kids’ clothes are covered (i.e. overalls or aprons)
• Layout a large sheet of plain paper and use your black felt tip pen to draw large outlines of the letter Z and add dashed lines for ‘road’ markings
• Squirt a good dollop of paint into each of your trays or paper plates.  
• Add a toy car to each paint tray or plate
• Let your kids roll the car back and forth in the paint to coat the wheels
• Once the wheels are loaded with paint, your kids can drive their cars along the Z ‘road’, following its shape.

You can also find more details on how to make a “zoom” painting here. 

By the end of the activity, you’ll have an awesome, colorful painting of the letter “Z”. After this activity, have some more creative fun with this coloring illustration. You can download and print, and let your preschoolers’ imagination run wild! 

The letter “Y” is close to the end of the alphabet, which means we’ve worked together to teach almost 26 letters. Great job, parents! We are nearing the end of the alphabet, and also nearing the end of our shelter-in-place orders. It will be fun to take your kindergartener or preschooler out into the world with their new ability to identify and write all these letters. 

To learn many of the letters of the alphabet, crafts are a fun and creative way to teach your child. We’ve made all kinds of fun projects over the last few weeks, like a rainstick for the letter “R”, and Tic-Tac-Taco for the letter “T”. But today, we’ll be doing something a little bit different than the other crafts and activities. 

The letter “Y” is for YOU and this activity is all about YOU! There are no printouts needed here. Just the items listed below and YOUrself:

• A plain piece of paper
• Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
• A photograph or a mirror 

To learn the letter “Y” and discover the beauty of their individuality, have your children draw themselves! It might be helpful to offer them a mirror or a photograph of themselves to use as reference. 

Once your self portraits are complete, share the finished product with us in the comments below! It will be so fun to see all of the diversity in how we see ourselves! 

Other words that start with “Y”

• Yoga
• Yarn
• Yawn
• Yum
• Yellow

In our world, there are so many words that start with the letter “w”, like water, wet, waffle, witch, watermelon, wolf, and of course the animal we are going to be learning about today, wolf.

Want to get started learning about wolves? Wonderful!

Wolves can seem like big scary animals, but on paper and in pictures they look like cute fluffy dogs. Here are five interesting facts about our furry wolf friends:

• Wolves are the largest members of the dog family.
• Wolves are legendary because of their howl, which they use to communicate.
• The largest wolves are said to weigh upwards of 175 pounds, although most weigh in the neighborhood of 100 to 125 pounds. 
• Wolves travel and hunt in packs of up to seven animals.
• Wolves are extremely social animals that develop very close social bonds with family members and their pack.

While you take the time to learn about wolves with your preschooler, have them spot the differences in the pictures below:

Do you have any fun facts about wolves? Share them in the comments below. We can’t wait to continue learning!

This June is my 10th anniversary, so I wanted to share what I’ve seen over the years. This is what has changed in wedding dress popularity since I was married.

What seems crazy to me is that most couples are only together for 4.9 years before they get married, regardless of how old the partners in the relationship are. No matter how old you are or how long you’ve been together with your significant other, anniversaries are exciting. Especially when they’re your wedding anniversary. 

Anniversaries are special days, especially when you’re celebrating your 10th wedding anniversary. I still can’t believe I’ve been married for almost ten years, and with my now-husband for 15 years! We met towards the end of my college career and began our relationship after I graduated from Appalachian State University. 

We used to celebrate our dating anniversary. But over the years we have had several other special occasions crop up, such as our wedding, the birth of our children, the day we bought our house, and more. As we get closer and closer to June, I’m finding myself more and more nostalgic for our wedding day. So many things have changed since then! 

Among the million things that change over the years such as style and taste, trends come in and out of popularity. When you’re planning your wedding, some brides find they don’t care about trends because they want to look more unique on their special day. For some people, they’ve thought about this day since they were little, and that kind of day-dreaming yields lots of opinions.

In my experience, I wanted to know what kinds of things were popular as we were planning our wedding. The most important things to be unique, to me, were the cut of my ring and the accompanying wedding band as well as the style of my dress. When I was getting married, the most popular dress style was a strapless mermaid gown. 

Of course, that’s different these days. My husband and I got married just outside of Atlanta where we live now. The most popular wedding dress style in Georgia is the princess style, which is beautiful, but definitely something that has become more popular in recent years. 

I’m fortunate enough to have had an engagement ring in my family that I had my eye on for years. And fortunately, my then-fiance knew about it and was able to acquire it before he asked me to marry him. My family ring had a beautiful, clear, large center diamond with baguettes on either side. This was a popular style in the ‘50s when the ring came into my family. We were able to create a beautiful custom-made wedding band that was unique to fit the engagement ring, satisfying the daydreams I had when I was little. I hope that one day my daughter can have this ring when it’s her time.

A decade changes so much – from wedding dress styles to the dates in your life you find important. When you’re looking back at your own wedding, you’ll be astonished to see all of the differences between then and now. 

Enjoy the nostalgia!   

Letter V is an easy one to draw, but it can be awfully tough mastering how to say it. In fact, most kids won’t learn to properly pronounce this sound until they are 4-5 years old! That being said, you and your little one can still have plenty of fun with letter V.

You can use the included printable to play two simple games that focus on that tricky letter V sound. Download and print the sheet, then carefully cut apart the vegetable cards. Be sure to keep them in a resealable plastic bag in between play sessions so they won’t get lost.

Game #1: Matching

• Separate the vegetable cards into two equal sets – one for you, one for your preschooler.
• Lay your preschooler’s vegetables in a row on the table or floor in front of them.
• One by one, show a card to your preschooler and ask, “Where is this vegetable?”
• If they can point to the match, you declare “Victory! V is for Vegetable!”

Game #2: Making Soup

• Get a small cooking pot and wooden spoon from the kitchen.
• Explain that you are going to make Letter V soup together. Only things that start with v can be added to the soup!
• Move through the room together, proposing different items for your soup. First, ask your preschooler about some items that definitely don’t qualify. For example, “Pepper! I like pepper. Does pepper start with v?” (Little people love to call out silly grownups when they get something wrong, so expect some very energetic no’s!)
• Every few letters, circle back to your pile of vegetable cards. “How about vegetable? Does vegetable start with V?” Add one or two of your cards to the pot.
• Once you’ve gone through a few rounds of this, stir up your soup and take some pretend bites together.
• If you have other V-items around, turn them into soup too! A small bottle of vanilla, a toy van, paper valentines, and wild-growing violets from the yard are all great choices.

After playing hard, you may both need a snack. You can learn the shape of letter V by shaping it out of real vegetables. Carrot sticks, celery, and strips of cucumber are all nice, straight shapes that are suitable for making V’s.

Don’t be vexed – verily, a valiant effort will vanquish your troubles with vicious, villainous Letter V!

With the kids home from school and daycare, many parents are struggling to find a balance between work-life, mom-life, and self-care. Staying on your health and fitness grind during quarantine is hard and there’s no beating around that bush – but there are ways for it to be a little easier. 

Let’s face it. Kids need our undivided attention right now. If they’re old enough, they are most like confused about what is going on. 

“Why is mommy home so much?”

“Why is mommy ignoring me while she’s on her laptop every day?” 

These are valid questions that shouldn’t go unanswered. It’s important to explain to our children that while things might look a little different right now, schedules and guidelines within the home need to be followed. Whether it’s quiet time during meetings or TV time with dad during a quick jog, things that are of higher priority to you shouldn’t fall by the wayside. 

Working out is so essential to our health, especially during a pandemic, because it boosts our immune systems to keep us healthy. And if you’re like thousands of mom’s out there wondering how to keep up with your workouts during a time like this, you aren’t alone. Here are some of the best workouts you can do at home that allows the kids to get involved while still getting your sweat in.  

Riding Bikes

If your family owns bikes, this is a fantastic (and fun) way to get active outside. With car traffic down 75% right now, there really is no better time to get outside and start riding. Kids typically don’t view bike riding as exercise, so this is a sly way to get in your exercise without any objections from the little ones. If you don’t own a bike yourself, let the kids ride while you jog beside them. 

Yoga

Kids have an affinity for stretching, bending over, doing flips, and contorting their body in multiple different ways – because well, they can. You can find thousands of free yoga videos on the internet, like YouTube, some of which are kid-oriented. Lay down a blanket or yoga mats if you have them in the living room and start practicing. The kids will find this exercise challenging but fun at the same time as it requires concentration and coordination. 

HIIT 

You might be wondering, what is HIIT? HIIT is high-intensity interval training and one of the top exercises in the United States right now. It’s a cardio exercise that involves short bursts of intense exercise, like jumping backs, high-knees, and burpees. HIIT is amazing to do with kids because there are no props or weights required. Kids also have terrific stamina and will surely challenge themselves and you to keep at it. This workout is especially is fun for mom because this will surely tire your kids out for the rest of the day. 

Let us know in the comments if you tried any of these exercises with the kids!