5 Great Entertainment Ideas for a Child’s Birthday Party

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Every parent wants to make their child’s special day the best one yet, but you don’t have to mimic MTV
guilty-pleasure show My Super Sweet Sixteen in order to do it. Most kids don’t need a crazy, over-the-
top display in order to enjoy a birthday party. There are plenty of ways to entertain your children and
their friends that don’t include renting a club, hiring an A-list band, and making a grand entrance via
stretch hummer or helicopter. Here are just a few forms of entertainment that kids of all ages are sure
to love.

1. A trip to the theme park. Whether you live near a theme park (or several) or you’re making a
long trip to visit a specific locale (The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, perhaps?), this is one
birthday that your kids are sure to remember. It can be a pretty big expense, however, so you
may need to limit the birthday boy or girl to just a couple of friends (instead of a gaggle); this
will also relieve you of the burden of constant headcounts and hand-holding. But after a day of
exciting rides, photos with costumed characters, and sticky treats your child surely won’t mind
that he missed out on a room full of classmates.

2. Laser tag. For active kids, there’s nothing more fun than strapping on some molded gear and
gunning for their friends with laser-pointing weaponry. Some parents might find this sort of
sport questionable, but kids are guaranteed to have a blast playing the updated, electronic
version of “war” that you played as a youngster. Plus, it’s a lot safer than paintball or airsoft
since a buzzer just goes off when a player is tagged.

3. Game day. While you could definitely dust off the old-school board games (or even purchase
some of the newer co-op games that are coming out for younger kids), you may want to go
modern instead of retro by hosting a birthday bash that features the latest video games. Set up
different gaming machines on monitors throughout the house and let kids hop from station to
station playing racing games, shoot-‘em-ups, and even Rock Band and DDR.

4. Theme party. Every child will have different preferences when it comes to choosing a theme,
which is what makes the idea so unique. Are your kids into car racing, hockey, or insect
collection? Perhaps they like cooking or getting crafty. Maybe horses, marine life, or the stars
in the sky catch their interest. Or pirates and ninjas could be the order of the day. Whatever
your kids love, you can make it into a great themed birthday party with a lot of creativity and
effort (and not a lot of cost, in some cases).

5. Traditional entertainment. Remember the wedding magician you hired for your reception?
Why not bring him back to entertain the kids? Or how about a clown, some acrobats, or dancing
and singing acts? These traditional entertainers are trained to keep kids riveted and they’ll
make your child’s birthday fun and special.