I absolutely love throwing little gatherings and celebrations. I love making even ordinary moments feel special! This is especially true when it comes to family celebrations and parties. Some parties are planned well in advance, and sometimes we embrace last-minute party planning and simply wake up and say, “let’s celebrate something.”
And these days people are throwing virtual parties for kids and adults alike! Here are some ideas to help inspire your next virtual party!)
Emily and I recently went to a book talk featuring Whoopi Goldberg who discussed her new book “Unqualified Hostess”. In the book, she shares tips for planning and throwing parties using things you already have around the house! Her book inspired me to create 10 Holiday Tablescapes using items we already had at home, and they could be adapted for any type of party.
And to help YOU pull off the perfect last-minute party, my party planning committee and I are sharing 6 tips for party planning!
1. Involve your kids in the planning and lean into what they love!
There are some overall decisions that have to made about any type of party, such as the party theme (i.e. last day of school, Valentine’s Day, the end of a difficult week!), whether guests can be invited, what type of food to serve, and some craft ideas. We love involve the girls in the planning process, and incorporating their ideas makes a party even more special! Their favorite ideas are:
- “Let’s eat on the fancy plates!”
- “Let’s invite friends to the party!”
- “Let’s make cookies!”
- “Let’s make a parfait!”
We also ask think about how to beautifully arrange vibrant and healthy foods for guests! Charcuterie boards are a wonderful party idea. Charcuterie boards are to the 2020s what fondue pots were to the 1970s.
We love to load up our boards with meats, fruits, veggies, crackers, and hummus. We’ve even made taco boards, dessert boards, and breakfast pancake boards. The options are endless! Our girls literally cheer when they see that we are in the process of making one!
2. Make a plan and backwards map!
The teacher in me loves building out a good task sequence for parties and mapping out how to prep in the least stressful way possible! I then backwards map my time, starting with the time the party starts, and block out when I will prepare food! When planning menus I consider menu items that can be made one or two days before and menu items that will need to be made day of!
Fruit, veggies, and desserts can be prepped days in advance!! For a recent party, I arranged all of the veggie trays and fruit salads, covered and labeled them, and then put them right back in the refrigerator. When it was time to eat, I just pulled the prepared items from the refrigerator and we were good to go!
I also think about how to allocate space in the refrigerator and choose serving dishes accordingly. Flat surfaces in our refrigerator are at a premium, so we try to think about how to use taller trifle bowls and jars when plating dishes!
3. Bake something, and make it the centerpiece!
We celebrate special occasions (and even ordinary occasions) by baking. I keep my dream bakes organized on Pinterest and love choosing bakes help to teach me a new baking technique.
Favorite Party Recipes
Lemon Meringue Pie
Peach Dessert Pizza
Homemade Sundaes
For early morning parties (yes, sometimes we throw parties as early as 6:30am!), I love to make one of our favorite weekday baking recipes! My signature breakfast party bake is my homemade tear-and-share sweet roll recipe. It’s a definite crowd pleaser!
Tear-and-Share Sweet Rolls
4. Make it fancy
Mabel’s #1 party request is that it be “fancy”, which means that we enjoy yummy foods on our China plates, pull down the tea cup set, raise our pinkies, and have a grand time.
We used to store Emily’s grandmother’s China dishes in a box in the back of our pantry. After reading Spark Joy by Marie Kondo and going through the KonMari tidying process, we knew we wanted to move this sentimental item into a new location. We installed additional open shelving in our kitchen and moved the China dishes out of boxes, and into a place where we more frequently see them and use them. We think of Emily’s grandmother each time we use the plates!
Lately we’ve also been making good use of our wine glasses! They are perfect for fancy smoothies, sundaes and yogurt trifles!
When we invite preschool friends over, we sometimes use the play tea set and plates for place settings. The vibrant colors pop off our white table and are a bit whimsical when used with “real food” as opposed to play food!
5. Establish the flow
A party offers a departure from the normal rhythms of life, but that doesn’t mean it has to be chaotic! I like to establish a flow of events for a party, especially when kids are involved, so that we have a plan to keep things organized.
Activity
Kids need something to do during a party, and we enjoy thinking of creative activities to keep them engaged. Sometimes activities involve making arts and crafts, sometimes they get to help decorate special edible treats, and sometimes we simply pull out toys from our toy rotation and set up play stations around the apartment! Here are a few of our favorite party activities:
Play-Doh Station
Our girls love playing with Play-Doh and one of our favorite party activities is called “Creature Creation”! Our cake stand is reversible, and the base has a divided tray with a center holder that we fill with Play-Doh. Then we fill the outer sections with fun craft supplies from a craft kit, like googly eyes, pipe cleaners, pom poms, and craft sticks. “Creature Creation” is an open-ended play time and invites the kids to get creative!
Stamp Art
Some art activities can also double as an edible treat! Greek yogurt mixed with food coloring is perfect for stamp art. We used marshmallows as stamps and the girls made beautiful designs on construction paper. Once the art project was finished, the “stamps and ink” were a yummy party treat!
Snack and Treat Time
No party is complete without snacks and treats! Our girls have an incredibly strong sweet tooth (I wonder who they got that from?!) and we try to balance sweet with savory, and healthy with unhealthy. Presentation is key when it comes to kid parties!
We have a buffet in our kitchen that we use for food presentation during parties. We serve snacks and treats in our glass serving bowls and fancy trays to make things look special. Sometimes presenting healthy foods in a fun new way can make them feel extra special.
Closing
All good things must come to an end, and the same is true for parties. When we invite friends over, we’ve found that 1.5 hours for a party is typically perfect. We’ve noticed the excitement of a party can tire kids out more quickly than usual.We try to keep the flow of the party moving and then end things while the party is still going well.
6. Add something unexpected
I think it’s fun when a party has an element of the “unexpected.” Fabulous parties don’t have to cost a lot of money, and a little creativity can go a long way. Sometimes the unexpected is a special game or activity.
One New Year’s Eve, I initiated an elaborate “Nailed It!” style competition. I made a model dessert of the Times Square ball suspended in the air before it dropped! Pair teams of kids and adults had to attempt to replicate the dessert. I put out a spread of baking supplies and treats, and even timed the competitors! Here are the results (my model dessert is on the far left):
And sometimes, the unexpected is setting out helium balloons at each of the place settings.
And sometimes, the unexpected is a 15-foot balloon arch, given to you for free by a neighbor!
The Beauty of Childhood
Childhood is a wondrous time, and our girls are at an age where almost anything can be special and magical. I love turning ordinary moments into special opportunities for us to spend time together. It’s amazing how a few special treats, some “fancy” plates, and a well-planned activity or two can transform an ordinary afternoon into a last-minute party!
_________________________________________________________________________________________
This post contains affiliate links. We may make a small commission for purchases made through these links with no additional fee to the customer. We only link to products we use and love! Thank you for supporting our blog!
Thanks for Pinning!
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More from Tidy Dad!
Hi, I'm Tidy Dad!
Tyler Moore is the creator of the “Tidy Dad” Instagram, TikTok, and website. A public school teacher in New York City, husband, and father of three young daughters, he has been featured on Good Morning America and in The Washington Post, The New York Times, New York Post, Better Homes & Gardens Secrets of Getting Organized magazine, Apartment Therapy, and many podcasts including HGTV and Minimalist Moms. During the school year, he lives with his wife, Emily, a pediatric occupational therapist, and three daughters in Queens, New York. In the summer, they spend as much time as possible in their small but tidy cottage in the Poconos.
June 15, 2020
6 Tips for Party Planning
I absolutely love throwing little gatherings and celebrations. I love making even ordinary moments feel special! This is especially true when it comes to family celebrations and parties. Some parties are planned well in advance, and sometimes we embrace last-minute party planning and simply wake up and say, “let’s celebrate something.”
And these days people are throwing virtual parties for kids and adults alike! Here are some ideas to help inspire your next virtual party!)
Emily and I recently went to a book talk featuring Whoopi Goldberg who discussed her new book “Unqualified Hostess”. In the book, she shares tips for planning and throwing parties using things you already have around the house! Her book inspired me to create 10 Holiday Tablescapes using items we already had at home, and they could be adapted for any type of party.
And to help YOU pull off the perfect last-minute party, my party planning committee and I are sharing 6 tips for party planning!
1. Involve your kids in the planning and lean into what they love!
There are some overall decisions that have to made about any type of party, such as the party theme (i.e. last day of school, Valentine’s Day, the end of a difficult week!), whether guests can be invited, what type of food to serve, and some craft ideas. We love involve the girls in the planning process, and incorporating their ideas makes a party even more special! Their favorite ideas are:
- “Let’s eat on the fancy plates!”
- “Let’s invite friends to the party!”
- “Let’s make cookies!”
- “Let’s make a parfait!”
We also ask think about how to beautifully arrange vibrant and healthy foods for guests! Charcuterie boards are a wonderful party idea. Charcuterie boards are to the 2020s what fondue pots were to the 1970s.
We love to load up our boards with meats, fruits, veggies, crackers, and hummus. We’ve even made taco boards, dessert boards, and breakfast pancake boards. The options are endless! Our girls literally cheer when they see that we are in the process of making one!
2. Make a plan and backwards map!
The teacher in me loves building out a good task sequence for parties and mapping out how to prep in the least stressful way possible! I then backwards map my time, starting with the time the party starts, and block out when I will prepare food! When planning menus I consider menu items that can be made one or two days before and menu items that will need to be made day of!
Fruit, veggies, and desserts can be prepped days in advance!! For a recent party, I arranged all of the veggie trays and fruit salads, covered and labeled them, and then put them right back in the refrigerator. When it was time to eat, I just pulled the prepared items from the refrigerator and we were good to go!
I also think about how to allocate space in the refrigerator and choose serving dishes accordingly. Flat surfaces in our refrigerator are at a premium, so we try to think about how to use taller trifle bowls and jars when plating dishes!
3. Bake something, and make it the centerpiece!
We celebrate special occasions (and even ordinary occasions) by baking. I keep my dream bakes organized on Pinterest and love choosing bakes help to teach me a new baking technique.
Favorite Party Recipes
Lemon Meringue Pie
Peach Dessert Pizza
Homemade Sundaes
For early morning parties (yes, sometimes we throw parties as early as 6:30am!), I love to make one of our favorite weekday baking recipes! My signature breakfast party bake is my homemade tear-and-share sweet roll recipe. It’s a definite crowd pleaser!
Tear-and-Share Sweet Rolls
4. Make it fancy
Mabel’s #1 party request is that it be “fancy”, which means that we enjoy yummy foods on our China plates, pull down the tea cup set, raise our pinkies, and have a grand time.
We used to store Emily’s grandmother’s China dishes in a box in the back of our pantry. After reading Spark Joy by Marie Kondo and going through the KonMari tidying process, we knew we wanted to move this sentimental item into a new location. We installed additional open shelving in our kitchen and moved the China dishes out of boxes, and into a place where we more frequently see them and use them. We think of Emily’s grandmother each time we use the plates!
Lately we’ve also been making good use of our wine glasses! They are perfect for fancy smoothies, sundaes and yogurt trifles!
When we invite preschool friends over, we sometimes use the play tea set and plates for place settings. The vibrant colors pop off our white table and are a bit whimsical when used with “real food” as opposed to play food!
5. Establish the flow
A party offers a departure from the normal rhythms of life, but that doesn’t mean it has to be chaotic! I like to establish a flow of events for a party, especially when kids are involved, so that we have a plan to keep things organized.
Activity
Kids need something to do during a party, and we enjoy thinking of creative activities to keep them engaged. Sometimes activities involve making arts and crafts, sometimes they get to help decorate special edible treats, and sometimes we simply pull out toys from our toy rotation and set up play stations around the apartment! Here are a few of our favorite party activities:
Play-Doh Station
Our girls love playing with Play-Doh and one of our favorite party activities is called “Creature Creation”! Our cake stand is reversible, and the base has a divided tray with a center holder that we fill with Play-Doh. Then we fill the outer sections with fun craft supplies from a craft kit, like googly eyes, pipe cleaners, pom poms, and craft sticks. “Creature Creation” is an open-ended play time and invites the kids to get creative!
Stamp Art
Some art activities can also double as an edible treat! Greek yogurt mixed with food coloring is perfect for stamp art. We used marshmallows as stamps and the girls made beautiful designs on construction paper. Once the art project was finished, the “stamps and ink” were a yummy party treat!
Snack and Treat Time
No party is complete without snacks and treats! Our girls have an incredibly strong sweet tooth (I wonder who they got that from?!) and we try to balance sweet with savory, and healthy with unhealthy. Presentation is key when it comes to kid parties!
We have a buffet in our kitchen that we use for food presentation during parties. We serve snacks and treats in our glass serving bowls and fancy trays to make things look special. Sometimes presenting healthy foods in a fun new way can make them feel extra special.
Closing
All good things must come to an end, and the same is true for parties. When we invite friends over, we’ve found that 1.5 hours for a party is typically perfect. We’ve noticed the excitement of a party can tire kids out more quickly than usual.We try to keep the flow of the party moving and then end things while the party is still going well.
6. Add something unexpected
I think it’s fun when a party has an element of the “unexpected.” Fabulous parties don’t have to cost a lot of money, and a little creativity can go a long way. Sometimes the unexpected is a special game or activity.
One New Year’s Eve, I initiated an elaborate “Nailed It!” style competition. I made a model dessert of the Times Square ball suspended in the air before it dropped! Pair teams of kids and adults had to attempt to replicate the dessert. I put out a spread of baking supplies and treats, and even timed the competitors! Here are the results (my model dessert is on the far left):
And sometimes, the unexpected is setting out helium balloons at each of the place settings.
And sometimes, the unexpected is a 15-foot balloon arch, given to you for free by a neighbor!
The Beauty of Childhood
Childhood is a wondrous time, and our girls are at an age where almost anything can be special and magical. I love turning ordinary moments into special opportunities for us to spend time together. It’s amazing how a few special treats, some “fancy” plates, and a well-planned activity or two can transform an ordinary afternoon into a last-minute party!
_________________________________________________________________________________________
This post contains affiliate links. We may make a small commission for purchases made through these links with no additional fee to the customer. We only link to products we use and love! Thank you for supporting our blog!
Thanks for Pinning!
If you liked this, check these out!
More from Tidy Dad!
June 15, 2020
6 Tips for Party Planning
Hi, I'm Tidy Dad!
Tyler Moore is the creator of the “Tidy Dad” Instagram, TikTok, and website. A public school teacher in New York City, husband, and father of three young daughters, he has been featured on Good Morning America and in The Washington Post, The New York Times, New York Post, Better Homes & Gardens Secrets of Getting Organized magazine, Apartment Therapy, and many podcasts including HGTV and Minimalist Moms. During the school year, he lives with his wife, Emily, a pediatric occupational therapist, and three daughters in Queens, New York. In the summer, they spend as much time as possible in their small but tidy cottage in the Poconos.
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