A Kid’s Surprise Party

Surprise parties are always popular for adults who may be celebrating an upcoming milestone birthday. Friends and family come together to celebrate without the birthday person knowing what is being planned. The same idea can be used with kids as well. However, I would not recommend throwing a surprise party for small kids, i.e. under the age of 10. I caution this because during those years, kids so look forward to their special celebration. As kids become preteens and teens, there may be years, such as 12, 14, or 15, that are just not that “big.” So, if you go out on a limb and plan a surprise party for your kid on one of these “off” years, your kid is sure to be surprised.

If planning a kid’s surprise party, keep a few guidelines in mind to make it a success:

• Be selective in the guests you choose to invite, so that word will not get out about the party.
• Hand-deliver the invitations to guests and reiterate to the guests and their families not to mention one word.
• Lead your kid to believe that a special outing will be the birthday celebration this year, i.e. going bowling, swimming, a trip to the movies, etc. Have one family member take the birthday kid on this outing.
• During this time while they are away, prepare the house for the party. The best part of a surprise party is not only the people yelling “surprise,” but also the balloons, streamers and birthday banner greeting the surprised kid as well. Focus on decorating up a storm!
• One of the areas to focus on for decorating is to make sure the windows are covered so that the birthday kid will not be able to see inside, pull drapes, throw sheets over the windows, and turn off all lights. Make it look like the rest of the family went out so as to not raise suspicion.
• Have the guests arrive at least 30 minutes before the birthday kid is set to arrive. If you have also invited the parents of these kids and they will be parking around your home, make sure to note that they should park a few blocks away so that the birthday kid will not notice these familiar cars.
• As the birthday kid enters, jump out and yell, “Surprise! Happy Birthday!”

That’s the absolute best moment. The rest of the party for this age group will be taken up with eating, talking, hanging out, watching movies, playing music, etc. In this regard, the actual planning of “what to do” at the party is simplified. The big part of organizing this party is making sure the surprise doesn’t and coordinating the day.

For these targeted ages, it will truly be a blast! Have Fun!