Budget Birthday Parties for Preschoolers.

Yesterday your neighbours threw a big birthday party for their little boy. They really went overboard, hiring clowns, a magician, decorating the house and even setting a petting Zoo with goats, rabbits, and a brown pony in their front yard. They must have spent thousands! The Latino community down the street recently had a Communion party and catered to hundreds of people with a big buffet and tons of flowers.

That spanish family that just moved in from Madrid, made a gigantic "Tortilla de Patatas" and gave it out as "Tapas" for all the neighbors and friends in their house warming party.

Your little darling is about to turn three and of you would like to give her a nice Birthday Party, but you feel you cannot begin to match the neighbors´s. You are on a tight budget, but –of course--you don’t want anyone to know that.

Considering the short attention span of young children, you will need to come up with different fun activities to keep them busy, happy and out of trouble. These are some useful things you could include in your budget party:

1.-Cake and Candles

Baking a big cake, (following your mother´s instructions or a simple recipe book) and decorate it according to your little girl´s favourite theme. Serve their favourite refreshments.

2.-Games

Plan outdoor games that little ones enjoy, like “Duck, Duck, Goose!” or “What time is it, MR. FOX?”

3.-Finder´s keeper Treasure Hunt

With the help of older children you can organize a simple ¨Treasure Hunt¨ game around the house and yard. Considering that your preschooler guests cannot yet read, instead of cues, hide little inexpensive gifts in very easy to find spots. As soon as they find one, they get to keep it.

4.-Balloons

Buy an assorted stack of twisting wholesale balloons,  some mylar animal balloons, a balloon pump and some balloon weights. Maybe there is a teenager around that knows how to make a few animals by twisting balloons and could dress as a clown for a few bucks, or your husband has the talent and will power to learn in a few days.

You can decorate your house very impressively with a few balloons arranged in bouquets here and there, some helium balloons floating around in the ceiling with some colorful paper string hanging, etc.

5.-The Balloon Artist

The best choice --of course-- would be for you to hire a professional balloon twister. Children adore them! Depending on their profile or expertise, they can charge anywhere from $100 - $300 an hour, and sometimes they provide affordable packages and dress as clowns. You can find them advertised online or in party shops.

There is nothing like the smile and the open eyes of the child when she sees a lame long rubber balloon transform into a cute little poodle or a sword. The party will be a success if you add the incentive of a balloon twister. The neighbour will probably wonder: “Why didn’t I think about that?” when she sees happy kids leave your house with their sculptured balloons.