With the advanced planning and weighing the cost, I have made decisions on games, food, decorations, etc. for the party. I have found that transitioning from planning phase to implementing stage flows when I schedule my time. After planning, I schedule, and then I know how best to execute that plan.
With my son’s baseball party, I had the games, food, invitations/thank you notes, guests’ lists, and goody bag contents decided prior to the party. I decided to use the 9 innings of a baseball game as the timeframe for the party. With most of the details done, I scheduled the party as follows:
Pregame Prior to 2:00 p.m. Coloring page – copies and crayons 1st Inning 2:00 – 2:15 p.m. Game – Pin a Baseball in the Glove: Blindfold the kids and have them pin a baseball in the “glove.” The closest baseball wins. Winner gets to start the 2nd inning. 2nd Inning 2:15 – 2:25 p.m. Fun Competition Who can throw the baseball the farthest? Who can hit the baseball the farthest? Who can run to the base first? 2:25 – 2:30 p.m. Drink Break – snow cones 3rd Inning 2:30 – 2:40 p.m. Game – Musical Bases: Place bases on the ground. Use “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” as the music and have kids stand on a base when it stops. Have a hat that contains 4 cards: Home, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd base. Draw a card from the hat and whichever base is read, the kids on that base are out. 4th Inning 2:40 – 3:00 p.m. Game – 3-Inning Baseball: For this mini game, follow the rules of regular baseball with these exceptions: use a plastic bat, a Wiffle ball (no mitts needed), and a lawn chair placed behind home plate (exactly where an umpire stands). The seat’s backrest marks the strike zone – if the ball hits it, it’s a strike. Each team is at bat for just three innings. 3:00 – 3:05 p.m. Drink Break 5th Inning 3:05 – 3: 15 p.m. Game – Hey Batter, Batter: This game is a relay race where the kids run to one end of the party area, put on a baseball hat, and hold the bat. They shout “Hey Batter, Batter,” take it all off, and then run back so the next teammate can do the same. The first team to get all its players across the finish line – wins! 6th Inning 3:15 – 3:25 p.m. Game – Dizzy Bat: Place the bat on the ground in a standing position and have the child put his head on the handle at the top. Have him spin around a few times and then try to run back to their team. The first team done – wins. 7th Inning 3:25 – 3:30 p.m. Baseball-on-the-Spoon Relay: Use ping-pong balls as baseballs for this game. Divide the kids into two teams. Line up the teams and have the players carry the ping-pong balls on the spoon to the opposite side of the yard, around a base, and back to the starting line. Then they will pass the spoon to their teammates, and the game continues in this manner until all players have gone. If the player drops the ping-pong ball, they must pick it up, and resume the game where the ball was dropped. The team to finish first – wins. Stretch 3:30 – 3:45 p.m. Sing “Happy Birthday,” Candle, Cake, and Ice Cream with Raspberry Lemonade 8th Inning 3:45 – 3:55 p.m. Open Gifts 9th Inning 3:55 – 4:00 p.m. Thank you and presentation of goody bags
I then scheduled my week. On Monday through Wednesday, clean my house, work on laundry, and complete grocery shopping. On Thursday and Friday morning, I help at my son’s school. Then Friday afternoon, bake the cake. After dinner, decorate the cake. On Saturday morning, gather items for the games, prepare the goody bags, setup after lunch, and enjoy the party.
Next week, I will share the results of the executed plan. Do you stop to schedule your time leading up to an event? Do you have any tips to help us save money, energy, and time while preparing for a birthday celebration? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.