Kid’s Party Planning Secrets

Planing a kid’s birthday party? Find inspo at Dulwich Hill Village

With Spring upon us, kid’s party season is in full force (although, when isn’t it kid’s party season!?). At the Inner West Mums, we’re always on the look-out for creative ideas for kid’s party themes, games and gift inspiration, so we turned to the good folk at Dulwich Hill Village – one of our fave Inner West retail spots – who shared their secrets for fun kid’s party ideas with suggestions on some exciting gifts to boot.

Kids gift and party ideas

We started with a visit to Gleebooks in Dulwich Hill. Don’t let the name fool you – Gleebooks has been part of the Dulwich Hill Village and much-loved by ‘Dully’ locals for the past 13 years. With their expert knowledge, the team at Gleebooks hand-picked a range of books to inspire curiosity in young children whilst inspiring Inner West Mums with party themes and activities. Here’s some of their top picks.

Imaginations will run wild with Through the Fairy Door by Lars van de Goor – and not just the kids. Whilst little ones will love the fairy story, every page can provide mum or dad with inspiration for a colourful, fairy-themed party.

🎈Kid’s party idea

For a fun-take on a fairy-themed party game, why not explore your garden or park for fairies? You never know where they might be hiding! You could create little fairy nooks for kids to find, or encourage them to create little paper craft gifts to leave around the garden or park for the fairies to discover.

‘Through the Fairy Door’ by Lars Van Goor and ‘The Big Book of Nature Art’ by Yuval Zommer (image courtesy of Gleebooks)

Bob Graham’s new book The Concrete Garden will spark the artist in all kids – after all, as kids will discover in this book all you need is chalk and plenty of concrete surfaces for DIY decorations and lots of party fun.

🎈 Kid’s party idea

Why not get the kids involved in creating a chalk birthday wall mural during the party? It’ll keep them entertained and create a lovely artwork for the birthday child.

‘The Concrete Garden’ by Bob Graham and ‘Leaf-light’ by Trace Balla (image courtesy of Gleebooks)

Continue the creativity with projects involving natural and recycled materials featured in The Big Book of Nature Art by Yuval Zommer.

Books of course make great gifts, with Sunday Skating a lovely new picture book by Andrea Rowe and Hannah Sommerville. It’s all about kids trying something new and not giving up. It’s okay to be a beginner.

Kids will pour over the detailed illustrations in Leaf-light by Trace Balla, a wonderful new picture book capturing the natural wonder of the Australian bush and the people and animals you will find there.

🎈 Kid’s party idea

How many native Australian plants and animals can your party guests draw? Pop out some coloured pencils and paper, set a timer, call out a plant or animal and get them to draw the item in the set time. The winner can simply be the best drawing of each round.

Cupcakes (image courtesy of Viktor Forgacs, Unsplash.com)

Kid’s party food

All those party games are hungry work, so next up Inner West Mums visited Strawberry Fields Patisserie in Dulwich Hill Village, who have been bringing joy to the hearts and bellies of Inner West families for the past 10 years.

Their secret for fuss-free kids’ party fare is to serve vibrant and colourful food – as kids (and some adults!) eat with their eyes first.

Not that kids need much tempting when it comes to sweet treats, but Strawberry Field’s shortbread characters – with their expressive faces and chocolate-dipped, sprinkle-coated limbs – are a perennial party favourite.

Shortbread characters from Strawberry Fields (image courtesy of Strawberry Fields)

Kids also love to snack so, according to Strawberry Fields, focussing on practical ‘one-biters’ in sizes suitable for little hands is a winner. Think small tarts in an array of flavours, sushi and mini sandwiches.

Sweet fruit tarts from Strawberry Fields (image courtesy of Strawberry Fields)

For sweet tarts, add a colourful fruit topping of strawberry or blueberry for that extra pop of appeal. Everyday food skewered on sticks – like fruit, veggie sticks or cheese – make them party-fun and increase their kid appeal.

With plenty of parking and easy access by bus and light rail, Dulwich Hill Village is one of Sydney’s best kept neighbourhood secrets. Filled with quality specialty retailers, dedicated service providers and talented artisans, Dulwich Hill Village is the perfect place to visit especially if you’re planning a kid’s event. Be sure to chat with the local business owners who will happily reveal their secrets for planning a stress-free and fun children’s party.