My youngest turned 9 years old last month. This year he decided that he wanted to have a pool party and invite his classmates and friends. I rented the pool and employee room at our local aquatic center. Then I began brainstorming some simple ideas for the kids to have fun.
I booked the party room for 2 hours, then the pools for the last hour so that the kids all had 1 hour of private pool time with their friends, while I straightened up the party room and then cleaned it up.
I’ve hosted a birthday party or two in my day and I’ve learned that when you have a limited time to get things set up you’ve really got to have a game plan in gear. I made sure I took pictures of the room so I could visually remember the layout and know just how many tablecloths to purchase, etc.
We figured out what exactly to serve ( because even if the party is in between meal times you have to have snacks! )
Luckily there is a park adjacent to the pool, so my Husband was in charge of watching the little party goers for approximately 15 minutes while I quickly set the room up.
Then, he brought them in and we played a guessing game of “who knows Noah best?” With questions that Noah had already pre-answered. The top three winners each won a small gift card to somewhere.
From there we sang Happy Birthday. Then, Noah blew out the candles from his homemade cake that his sisters created this year!
Then, snacks
*Tip, if hosting somewhere besides your house, purchase little cups of ice cream. You know, the kind you peel the top off? It makes life much easier. *
Immediately afterward they all changed and hopped into the pool!
Planning out that first hour with many activities to keep the kids hopping (because come on, they all really just wanted to swim) worked amazing. I also personally prefer to have swimming last as well. We’ve been to parties where the swimming was first, and it’s just too hard to get the kids wrangled back up after to eat cake.
So, our orange and blue shark swimming party was a success. Our next birthday party? This August Anika wants an 80’s themed party for her sweet sixteen!
~Melissa