Children who are four years old are old enough to understand when their birthday is coming up and all the excitement that surrounds the big day. They are excited about a celebration that makes them feel special with gifts, cake, candy, and a party. It’s also a time when parents are expected to throw a party for friends and family that will be a magical time for the birthday child and for guests.
Monique Banks and Ariel Banks Baker, founders of BLUEPRINT party plans, have thrown over 3,000 birthday parties. They understand that every age group requires something different to keep children engaged, happy, and feeling included. One of the most important tips that they share is including a story time for birthday parties for three and four-year-old children. By taking a quick quiz, BLUEPRINT is able to create a plan that gives parents the exact tools they need to host a magical kid’s birthday party. There are 27 themes to choose from and each theme for this age group will include a story time. Below are the top reasons why the best birthday parties for four-year-olds include a special book.
Finding a Balance Between High Energy and Relaxation
Whether you’re the parent or guest, birthday parties for a 4-year-old can easily be somewhat hectic. Monique and Ariel create an atmosphere of “controlled chaos” with high energy games, favorite music playlists and constant activities. Jumping from activity to activity during a birthday party makes the experience extremely fun, but at a certain point, everyone needs a break. It’s a break that cannot be boring! With the addition of a story time, there is a shift in the energy and a time when children can participate in something fun and relax at the same time. It’s the perfect chance for everyone to calm down a little bit before the high energy fun starts again.
Read all about it!
Reading is an activity that kids should be taught to love at a young age. Instead of having kids only associate the action with going to bed or school, story time in a fun atmosphere, like a child’s birthday party, can make books and learning more enjoyable. The team at BLUEPRINT do not recommend a book that your child has read many times. Instead, recommended books are within one of the 27 BLUEPRINT themes, are colorful and interesting, and allow kids to participate in the story time with various prompts. It’s a new experience so the kids pay better attention, and no one is calling out the next parts of the story!
A Good Way to Teach an Important Lesson
As we all know, books are one of the greatest ways to learn something new. Including such an important skill into a fun celebration is the best way to teach your kids something they can take with them into their interactions with others. A BLUEPRINT plan will recommend a story with a theme that reveals a deeper message. For example: kindness, inclusivity, curiosity, and creativity. By including these values into fun environments, kids are much more likely to adapt and absorb what they are being taught.
Involve Everyone
As our kids grow up, we should always teach the importance of inclusivity and sharing. When books and reading are included in birthday parties, these significant values can be utilized. Reading and storytelling can become something that is interactive. Party guests can read along, add to the storylines, and make inferences about characters. Story books can also show different types of characters that many can relate to. Especially now, it should be our goal to teach our children that everyone is unique and different; everyone has special qualities that make them, them! By adding books that share these values, every child can be taught these important messages in a setting they associate with a fun time.
So, the next time you plan a birthday party for your four-year-old, be sure to take the advice of the BLUEPRINT team! Include a story time that provides a few moments of relaxation. Hopefully, the activity will also be remembered for being extremely fun and reinforcing positive messages.
