Joint Birthday Party Ideas

My boys are 3 years apart and their birthdays are a week apart.  Not only do I have the pleasure of summer birthdays (June 27 and July 4) that must happen before friends flee for the summer, but trying to juggle two parties as they got older is so not cool. When they were younger, joint parties were so easy. The little one didn’t care.  Now…that’s a different story.If you find yourself in the same predicament with kids of different ages and gender or multiples, don’t sweat it! A joint birthday party is easy if you remember these 4 tips…

photo from The Khoury Kids

1. Make sure everyone your older child(ren) is on board for a joint party.  Older kids aren’t fans of their little brother/sister’s friends wrecking their flow so make up for this by having one on one time at a later time. The most important point is the age difference so use your judgment…partying with preschoolers and preteens can be a no-win situation without good planning, see tip #4.

2. When you send out invites, be sure that guests understand they don’t need to bring a gift for the kid they aren’t ‘invited’ for.  I never mention it is a joint party because I don’t want guests to feel obligated to bring a gift for both.  In the case of overlapping guest lists, I’ve had clever friends who would bring a small gift for both or something they could use together like a walkie-talkie set.

photo from Pink Cake Box

3. Make sure each child gets special birthday attention; have a separate little cake/big cupcake for each, sing Happy Birthday with both their names and alternate with each child opening presents.

4.  Pick a theme that is cool enough that tip #1 becomes obsolete. I can at least, help you with that. If you need help narrowing it down, think of activities that are perfect for all ages.  You can never go wrong with a generic theme like a pool or carnival party. Laser tag, sport and dance parties work well for older kids.

If you need more inspiration, ying and yang works.  Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Sunshine And Puddles
They go together like cookies and milk and is perfect for a boy/girl throwdown.  Printables from Style Me Gorgeous | Happy Rainbow cake pop from Bubble And Sweet

Dinosaurs
You can turn any ‘boy’ theme into a suitable creation for a joint party, even dinosaurs! Split the party area (or party table like Bird’s Party did for hers) or decorate using both colors. I am so inspired with this pink dinosaur party from Confetti Sunshine | Every child will enjoy making their own fossil.

Evil Twin
I think this would be a genius idea for tweens or teen twins (tweens!?!)…you know they are a picky bunch. Get guests in on the fun by inviting them to dress up as their favorite evil/twin (Superman/Bizarro, anyone?) or have a station with mustaches for twirling, eye patches and other facial hair that lets one know you are the evil one.

Tor.com has a plethora of awesome ideas | Food is a no-brainer with black and white treats; check out this great round-up of ideas from Spoonful.

Other great joint parties to check out:
Olivia The Pig 1st and 3rd birthday party from Cake Likes To Party.
Pirates And Mermaids Party from LaRae’s Crafty Corner.
Ice Cream Party for a 2 and 4 year old from Moncrief Photography.
Lemonade & Lollipops for 11 year old twins from Bloom Designs on HWTM.
Boy + Girl super hero party from Hello Naomi.