There are those parents out there for whom planning and putting on a child’s birthday party at home is stressful and scary. It needn’t be! Why should you have the party at home – and not at some rental party spot???

1. It is cheaper to have the party at home as you don’t have to pay for the rental fees. With the money you save you can hire a few neighbourhood kids to take pictures or help out. Some party places charge per head and so it can get very pricey that way.

2. You can customize the party the way you like (decorate as you wish, set the activities, food, pacing of the party). You can spend as much or as little as you like. You are in control! Make it a small party, make it a low-key party… whatever you like. If you start early you can prepare little by little.

3. You can get to make new friends – parents are more likely to hang around if the party is at a home, where there are not paid workers tending to the children and where 元朗唱k food and activities will be added to the bill. Better yet, arrange with a few of your favourite parents to stay and help, also you don’t have to rush out when the party is over and you can linger at the end of the party with some of your favourite kids and their parents.

4. You will have the satisfaction of knowing that you did it – on your own! It may be a challenge for you (some parents find it easy and some find it very difficult). Like anything in life you get out of it what you put into it! Sometimes it is good to challenge yourself and not just take the easy road. Your child will admire you – you will be a super parent!

5. With a home party the child gets to show his/her home to his/her guests. “Be it ever so humble there’s no place like home“. They get to be the host or hostess with the most or mostest. They get to show their guests where they live and what they are about- show off their pet, point to the big rock in their backyard, or introduce new friends to their neighbour. Their home is unique to them – it makes it truly his/her party!

6. It is a great lesson for the child on hospitality. So that a child knows that preparing your home then welcoming your guests and being responsible for their happiness while under your roof is sacred. “A guest never forgets the host who had treated him kindly” (Homer)

7. It is more personal and warm at your home, you are not at one of those “party mills” where the kids file in one group after another into a room with a number on it. We have been guests in a party room with one child and then a week later back to the same room with another child. The same balloons were there and they were dusty.

8. You get to be creative! For the creative types it is easy and fun. For you non-creative types – it is good practice, creativity in this day and age is an essential skill!

9. It forces you to clean up. Enough said… 🙂

10. You can implement “Plan B”, if the activity/food/craft/whatnot is not working at the party place then it is very difficult to do something else. At home you have everything at your disposal. Some of the parties we have been to that seemed less than enjoyable were in Party Places where some of the children quickly did the craft and sat in a room bored and restless while the other half of the children took their time.