Simple DIY Birthday Party for a Six Year-Old

Tate just turned six. I am so grateful that we got to have another simple DIY birthday party at home. I’m not sure how long they will last! We go to many birthday parties at expensive trampoline or gymnastics places. The peer pressure is real! This article calls it an “expenditure cascade.” So far our kids aren’t complaining about birthday parties at home. Once they grow out of home birthday parties, we are going to try free parks.

Now that our children have entered the Montessori “Reasoning Mind” stage, we give them a budget and they plan their own parties. They make a plan for food and favors. It’s really cute to watch them cut things from their lists because they don’t have the money for it. For example, Henry crossed off a Star Wars piñata in favor of a vegetable tray for his birthday back in February.

Tate decided to make a cake at home to save money. This gluten-free mix is our all-time favorite. It might even be better than regular cake! We topped it with gummy stars from Whole Foods. Tate also let us know that he didn’t want us to sing Happy Birthday. But it was okay for us to yell, “Happy Birthday, Tate!”

Rather than invite the whole class (which is also an awesome way to go), we stick to smaller groups. The guideline to invite your child’s age + 1 has really worked for us.

Cheers to another simple DIY birthday party! (I can’t believe it’s been five years since his 1st birthday!)