Do you cringe just a little when you get an invitation for your child to attend a birthday party? I’m always afraid they are going to load up on cake, candy, sodas and pizza, play videogames and come home with a bag of plastic toys that will inevitably end up in the trash.
There are healthy alternatives to these children’s birthday party norms, and hopefully you’ll be able to set an example for other parents to follow with these suggestions.
Skip the pizza, soda and cake and try options that are better for the children’s blood sugar and won’t cause them to spike and crash. Setting up a taco bar is a good way to offer grilled or sautéed veggies and chicken or beef.
Baked ziti made with whole-wheat pasta, homemade marinara, all-natural cheese and any veggies you think you can sneak in. For dessert try baking an all-natural carrot cake with homemade icing. Serve water and juice instead of soda and you should have a group of relatively calm kiddos.
Kids are very inquisitive; if the weather permits the party to be outside, try scheduling a nature hike with a guide or a trip to the zoo. Take butterfly nets, insect jars and a book lined with pieces of tissue paper for pressing flowers. After the hike take all of the nature the kids collected back to the house.
The flowers can be pressed and dried, then pinned to linen covered cardboard for party favour crafts. The butterflies and bugs can be looked at and talked about then released all at once in the backyard at the end of the party.
Science museums will often welcome birthday groups and organise a tour for your party if you set it up in advance. See if they wouldn’t mind demonstrating a science experiment to show the kids. Planetariums also offer fascinating, educational experiences and the dramatic experience is exciting.
Check in your town to see if there is an exotic pet party person. You can hire them to come to your house with frogs and iguanas and snakes and other animals to show off to the kids and get them interested in zoology. A petting zoo party is also another option to get the kids excited.
There’s no need to worry about throwing your child a birthday party because with a little bit of planning you can teach them healthy and inquisitive ways to celebrate their birthdays from now on.
Lisa is a guest post blogger who writes about party planning events from a Super Mario party to great wedding anniversary parties. She has a blog at www.thepartyworks.com.
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