Birthday party checklist, week by week

A kids' birthday checklist is the jobs in order, then the supplies those jobs buy. Set the budget, the place, and the guest list first. Send the invite, plan food and a cake, then buy decorations and favors. Write a one-page order for the day.

Jobs by week

When	Job
3 to 4 weeks before	Set a spending cap. It guides the guest list and the place.
3 weeks before	Write the guest list. Plan 3 weeks for the invitations.
2 to 3 weeks before	Choose home, a park, or a booked place.
2 weeks before	Send invitations if they are not out, with the date, time, place, and a reply date.
1 to 2 weeks before	Write the food list. Buy dry goods a week ahead.
1 week before	Order the cake. Buy decorations. Write the party-day order.
4 to 5 days before	Assemble favors.
3 days before	Hang decorations.
2 days before	Buy fresh food.
Party day	Cook fresh food. Keep 15 to 30 minutes of buffer for the day. Keep each activity to 15 to 20 minutes.

Sheltent's checklist sets the budget 3 to 4 weeks ahead, the guest list three weeks before, the venue 2 to 3 weeks ahead, invitations 2 weeks ahead, and the food list 1 to 2 weeks before, on the Sheltent checklist. That page also puts the cake order and the decoration purchase one week before, fresh food two days before, and a 15 to 30 minute buffer on the day.

Plan 3 weeks for the invitations, and keep each activity to 15 to 20 minutes, on the PartyWizz checklist. Assemble favors at least 4 to 5 days prior, and hang decorations at least 3 days prior, on Aleka's supplies list.

Parties for Peanuts calls the budget the first step, then the theme, the guest list, and the place, on the Parties for Peanuts checklist. A smaller guest list is frequently simpler for younger kids, on that page. For the words on the invite, see how to make a birthday invitation. For the theme that drives the list, see kids birthday party theme ideas.

Birthday party supplies checklist

Buy or pull these once the jobs above are set:

• Invitations, paper or a text, with a reply date
• Plates, napkins, cups, and a tablecloth
• Food, drinks, and ice if you are outside
• A cake or cupcakes, plates for that table, and a knife
• Decorations: a banner, a table covering, and something on the wall
• One or two games, and a prize only if the game needs a winner
• Favors, assembled early. See birthday party goodie bag ideas
• Trash bags, and bandages for a kids' party, which Aleka's supplies list adds
• A phone or camera with a charge

Party planning checklist

The planning list is the same jobs, named as decisions rather than shopping lines. Choose the date. Set the cap. List guests. Pick home or a park. Send the invite. Plan food and the cake. Pick decorations and one activity. Assemble favors. Confirm replies. Write the order for the day and name a helper to watch the clock.

Sheltent's checklist asks you to deliver the cake three hours before the party, on the Sheltent checklist. That is a vendor delivery time. A cake you bake at home comes out when children are seated.

If you have one week

PartyWizz allows a start of just a week, on the PartyWizz checklist. Host at home or in a park so you are not booking a hall. Send the invite today. Shop the supplies list. Write a one-page order: arrival, one game, food, cake, favors at the door. A hired entertainer and a custom rental come off this route.

A paper countdown

The Kids' Birthday Party Planner plans one child's home birthday party over four weeks on paper, carrying unfinished tasks forward and keeping spending under a cap. It includes a start page with party facts and a late-start route, plus countdown pages for 4 weeks, 2 weeks, 1 week, the last 2 days, and party day. It is print-only: fill it in by hand. It uses undated pages: you write your own dates. It is laid out on US Letter and A4 as separate PDFs.

These week counts come from the opened checklists. A hall with its own booking calendar can need an earlier call than the 2 to 3 week venue line.