There are so many options for birthday party invitations…

Free printables and card crafts appeal to many parents, while others prefer a personalized commercial card. A birthday party package from an online supplier includes inexpensive matching invitations. You can even send free animated birthday party invitations by email. This Guide to Birthday Party Invitations covers each option in approximate order of cost to make it quick and easy for you to find what you need. Hey, that’s what computers are all about!

Have you noticed it doesn’t cost anything to email a cute card? You’ve no doubt sent or received a greeting card online. Kids love to send and receive online greetings, so animated birthday party invitations are a natural for older kids. They just don’t get any cuter than the e-cards at Hallmark. 123Greetings also has a good selection.

You’ll find several selections at birthday party invitation sites. Some of the cutest are, not surprisingly, at the toner and specialty paper supplier sites. See what I mean at HP, Canon, and Avery. For a simple invitation, DLTK offer a good selection of kid themes.

Crafty parents can find ideas for creative homemade party invitations online. PBS’ Zoom has several ideas for homemade party invitations. You will also find ideas for homemade invitations under different party themes, such as these at Family Fun. If you want to learn more about card-making, order the book Cards That Pop-Up, Flip & Slide

Home printing software such as Hallmark Card Studio, Greeting Card Factory, Print Shop, and Printmaster include plenty of birthday card templates for you to print at home. If your family enjoys paper crafts, these software programs have tons of additional fun projects. My kids have loved our Print Shop Deluxe program. Plus, some of these programs include access to even more clip art and templates online.

Of course, you can always pick up inexpensive fill-in invitations with the matching plates and napkins at your discount store. But it’s frustrating when you can’t find enough of the theme you want, not to mention trudging around finding low-cost favors to go with it all. Online suppliers such as Birthday in a Box put the whole set at your fingertips.

If you’re not satisfied with the appearance of the free printables above, you can now find many beautiful personalized cards at the commercial card printing sites. Your computer actually makes this traditional way of purchasing personalized cards so simple to click and order. I’ve found a good selection of cards for birthday party invitations at “Noteworthy Notes” and “Announcements and Notes by Jeanette”. Don’t miss the amazingly pricey selections at “FineStationery.com” and “Madi and Company”.

Plan Your Guest List

Plan your guest list around the type of party you will be having. If you’re hosting a makeover party at a girly spot in the mall, your daughter will have to agree to keep the guest list down–and it will probably have to be a girls-only party. Many party places will tell you what the maximum number of guests can be.
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Invite Close Friends and Family

Invite close friends and family first. This is a no-brainer. Your child will undoubtedly have one or two favorite pals that simply must be on the guest list. Add any must-have family members, such as cousins, and that’s the start of your guest list.
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Don’t Invite Kids Your Child Doesn’t Know

Don’t invite kids your child doesn’t know. It is not necessary to invite your child’s entire class to his or her birthday party. That said, it would be wrong to invite everyone and exclude just one or two children. Try to keep the classmate list to the kids that your child actually plays with. And be sure to mail the invitations to the guest’s homes instead of having your child hand them out at school.
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Don’t Feel You Need to Reciprocate

Don’t feel that you have to reciprocate. Johnny across the street invites your kids to his party every year–but your kids don’t play with Johnny any other time. Don’t feel as though you have to invite him just because he always invites your kids. By not sending him an invite, it may send a message to his parents that your kids don’t actually play together.
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Don’t Hurt Feelings

Don’t hurt feelings. No trimming down of the guest list is worth hurting a child’s feelings. If you’re having a backyard circus party at your house and the kids next door is going to be sitting in his yard watching the festivities, then that’s just wrong. Be sure to use your judgment to spare any ill will.
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No one should go home a loser!
Competitive games are enjoyable only for the people who win. A party should be fun…Avoid tears by selecting games where everyone gets a chance to succeed. For example, if it’s a game like musical chairs, when a player is called “out”, assign that player the task of playing the music.
After one round, that player will rejoin the group. Better yet, plan a few cooperative games, in which the whole gang faces a challenge, such as following a treasure map, then they each receive a prize or split
the treasure evenly.

Catch the Balloon

Indoors Equipment: 3 or 4 balloons Formation: Circle Arrange the players in a circle on the floor and have them number off. Put the highest number in the center to act as ‘it’. “IT” holds a balloon and calls out a number while dropping the balloon to the floor. The holder of that number then tries to catch the balloon before it touches the floor. If the player is successful ‘it’ tries another number. If the balloon touches the floor then that player is “it”.
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Buzz-Bomb Balloon

Indoors Equipment: 1 balloon per player, not inflated Tape or string to make a target Formation: line or circle All players inflate their balloon. Some players may need help When the adult helper says “1,2,3,GO!” The players release their balloons in the direction of the target. If you are having a theme party, use a picture from the theme as the target center. Score 5 points for the closest balloon and 15 points for a direct hit. This game works well with teams – each team gets their own colored balloons; red, blue, green etc. Or, you do not need to keep score at all and just have fun playing the game several times.
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Red Rover

Players are divided into two teams. Line up facing each other, about 25 to 50 feet apart. Each side takes turns calling “Red Rover, Red Rover, send (name) come over.” At that signal, the player called, runs from his line and tries to break through the line of opponents, who have joined hands. If he breaks through, he can take one opponent back with him to his team. If he does not break through, he must join the other team. The team to add the other players on its side first, or which has the most players at the end of a designated time
period, wins.
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Blind man’s Bluff

Indoors Equipment: 1 chair per person; 1 blindfold Formation: Circle ‘It’ is blindfolded and stands in the center of a seated circle while the players change seats. ‘It’ now sits on a player’s lap. No words are spoken. He must guess whose lap he is sitting on. If he’s correct, the two change places. Prizes for game playing should be small toys, stickers or candy. This will make it affordable for each child to get more than one.
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Hot Potato

Players form a circle. A bean bag is passed from player to player while one player sings, whistles or claps. When the music or clapping stops, the player who has the bean bag is out and sits in the center. The last one out wins. Stops should be made frequently so the game moves quickly and players will not be out for a long period.
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Duck, Duck, Goose

All of the children will sit down in a circle facing each other They are now the “Ducks”. Pick one child to be the Fox. The Fox slowly walks around the outside of the circle, gently tapping the other players heads while saying “Duck” each time he/she taps. After a few times around the circle, the Fox selects a “Goose” by tapping a players head and calling “Goose!”. The Goose quickly jumps up and chases the Fox around the circle, trying to tag him before he can get to the spot where the Goose was just sitting. If the Fox succeeds in taking the Goose’s place he is now safe and the Goose becomes the Fox. If however the Fox is tagged while running from the Goose, he must start the game again.
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