There are a few experiences as magical for a child as a birthday party. It’s a day that’s all about them, and it’s a great opportunity for parents to create memorable experiences that their children will remember for a lifetime. One of the major traditions of birthday parties in North America is the giving of gifts, which can range from small toys all the way up to tablets, video game systems, and computers. In some families, the tradition is to give money that the child can use to buy things they want or save for when they are older. But what’s interesting is that gifts aren’t the key to creating lasting memories: experiences are.
It’s not that kids don’t remember getting presents, but over time birthdays and holidays all tend to blend together in our minds. Most of us would be hard-pressed to remember what we got for Christmas last year, much less what Uncle Ed gave us when we turned six. But what we do remember is that time the family dog ate an entire cake, or that one year when all of the cousins dressed up like the Beatles and lip-synced birthday songs.
So in addition to giving presents, which every kid loves, parents should also focus on creating the kinds of experiences that the birthday boy or girl (and their friends) will still be buzzing about in school a few days later. And the good news is that these things don’t need to be expensive or over the top. So, while spending a few hundred dollars to take a bunch of kids on a pony ride is a lot of fun, families don’t have to go to those extremes to make memories.
Obviously, the kinds of experiences that parents should consider will vary by age. What will make a three-year-old squeal with delight will most likely not resonate with a 10-year-old on the cusp of becoming a grumpy teen. But no matter how old your child is, there are a few activities that are guaranteed to be crowd-pleasers. And there is one universal constant that everybody loves: glitter.
That’s a word that is almost guaranteed to make parents shiver, because no one wants to spend weeks, months, or years finding random tiny pieces of metal embedded in sofa cushions or stuck between floorboards. Let’s face it: it may be fun, but it’s also a pain in the neck. The good news is that there are ways to incorporate sparkle into a kids’ party without glitter bombing your house.
One idea is face painting. There are a number of great products on the market that incorporate glitter into colored paints. Not only are these 100% safe, but there is no loose glitter to contend with. But most importantly, it looks really cool, so if anyone in the family has even modest artistic skills, face painting can be the hit of the party.
If you want even less mess, glitter stickers are another popular alternative. There is zero danger of furniture getting damaged, and unlike face planting, stickers can last long beyond the next bath. It’s not a question of gluing glitter onto existing stickers: glitter can literally be embedded with other materials on the sticker straight from the factory, and it will never flake off.
Stickers also offer the opportunity to create personalized items. Rather than simply giving out stickers with a picture of a birthday cake, parents can order custom stickers with their kids’ names on them – and even their photos! And thanks to modern printing techniques, they don’t have to order hundreds of them because there are no minimum orders or high set-up fees. Parents can just go online, upload an image, and a few days later they have gifts and party favors to remember.
Many parents stress out about throwing birthday parties for their kids. They want to create perfect experiences that their children will love – and that family and friends will remember. And thanks to glitter stickers from StickerYou, it’s easier than ever to do that quickly and easily.
