How to make a birthday invitation

A birthday invitation is five facts on a card or in a text: the child's name and age, the date and start time, the full address, a reply deadline and a way to reply, and one extra note.

Write these five facts first

Copy this list before you open a design app. The Greetings Island birthday invitations page names the same essentials: who, when, where, a reply line, and an extra note.

Fact	What to write
Who	The child's name, and the age they are turning. A first birthday uses this same line.
When	The date and the start time. Add an end time if the party has one.
Where	The full street address of the home, park, or other place.
Reply	A deadline and a phone number or email, so the parent knows how to answer.
Extra	One practical note, such as a swimsuit, gifts, or a surprise the guest should keep quiet.

That page puts the reply deadline at usually 2 weeks prior. Write the deadline on the card so you are not guessing later who still owes an answer.

For a standard birthday party, the same Greetings Island birthday invitations page says to send invitations 3 to 4 weeks in advance, and 6 to 8 weeks early for a milestone event, a destination party, or a celebration in a busy holiday season.

The Emily Post invitation timing guide says to err on the early side if the event is important or the guest list is large. Its table lists a casual party as same day to 2 weeks. The Emily Post invitation timing guide table does not list a children's birthday row. When the date is a holiday or the list is large, use the longer window.

Who receives a card

The Emily Post children's birthday party etiquette page gives a guide of one guest for each year of the child's age, plus one. Make that many cards, plus a spare for your own notes.

Call or mail the invitations. If cards go home from day care or preschool, give one to everyone in that group, which is the approach on the Emily Post children's birthday party etiquette page.

Size the card for the envelope

Pick the envelope first. Cut or fold the card so it slides in with a little room. A home tutorial set the card to 6 inches tall by 4 inches wide so it would fit the envelope on hand, then placed two cards on the page (Just a Girl and Her Blog).

Adobe Express lists a 5:7 template size on its birthday invitation page. That is one size that shop offers. It is not a mail rule.

If you mail the invitation in the US, the finished piece, card plus envelope, has to fit letter size to go at the letter price. USPS sizes for letters require at least 3-1/2 inches high by 5 inches long by 0.007 inch thick, and no more than 6-1/8 inches high by 11-1/2 inches long by 1/4 inch thick.

Limit	Height	Length	Thickness
At least	3-1/2 inches	5 inches	0.007 inch
No more than	6-1/8 inches	11-1/2 inches	1/4 inch

Length is the side parallel to the address, on that same USPS sizes for letters page. Address the envelope along the longer side, then check the finished piece against the table before you buy stamps. An index card is thick enough for the minimum, which that page gives as a guide. A square greeting card can mean extra postage, because the USPS sizes for letters page says square pieces often jam equipment.

The Greetings Island birthday invitations page lists the facts to write and a send window, and that page does not give USPS letter-size limits or a handwrite path.

Make the card, or send the text

1. Write the five facts on scrap paper. Read them aloud once. A missing end time or a vague "our house" leaves the parent with a question.
2. Choose the envelope. Cut or fold the card to fit it. Leave a blank margin so a home printer keeps the edge of the art.
3. Copy the facts onto the card by hand, or print them. Draw one simple picture with a crayon: a dinosaur, a shell, or a horse with a horn. Use your own drawing.
4. Make a spare copy for yourself. The home tutorial put two cards on one page, then cut them apart.
5. Mail the card to the parent, or hand it to the parent.

A text uses the same five facts, in the same order, one message per parent. The Greetings Island birthday invitations page says a customized invitation can go by email, WhatsApp, or SMS from its platform, and that its templates download as PDF files compatible with home printers. Adobe Express says you can download the invitation as a PDF, JPG, or PNG to share. A plain text with the five facts reaches the parent too.

Those shops are one way to get a file. The facts, the envelope check, and the handwrite path also work on a blank card.

A filled card (illustrative)

The names, the date, and the address below are made up. Copy the shape, not the details.

Who: Sam is turning five. When: Saturday, June 6, from 2:00 to 4:00. Where: 12 Oak Lane, the backyard. Reply: Please reply to Alex at [phone or email] by May 23. Extra: Bring a sweater if the evening cools.

If the home has no backyard, the Where line names the room you do have. One rewrite, and the rest of the card stays.

A card you can print or text

The Dinosaur Birthday Invitation invites guests to a dinosaur birthday party by text or on paper. It includes an invitation front, 7 × 5 in, two per sheet, an invitation back with RSVP and allergy lines, a Party Maker file: type the details, print, or save a phone-size image to text, and a start-here guide and how-to-print note. It is an instant download after checkout: one ZIP with US Letter and A4 PDFs and the Party Maker file. It is print-only. It requires a web browser, and a printer and paper or cardstock to print. It requires you to print, cut and assemble the pieces; no physical supplies are included. Its card size is 7 × 5 in, two per sheet; phone image 1080 × 1920 px.

The letter-size table is for a piece you mail in the US. A card you hand to a parent, or a text, only has to be readable. For the party that follows the invite, see dinosaur birthday party ideas. For the rest of the plan, see kids' birthday party ideas.