Not all parties will require that you send out invitations. A family party or school party won't need them, for example. Occasionally, you may only need to invite people to your party by calling them or sending them an email.

I like sending out invitations, however, because I think it sets a tone for the party, gets kids excited to come, and establishes a theme.

Physical invitations will also alleviate any confusion about what kind of party it is, when it will take place, and any other particulars. This can be especially important with children's parties -- details can get lost when children are relaying the information.

What Kind of Kid Party Invitation

Your invitation should reflect the theme of your party. If you choose a cartoon character party, you will probably be able to find the same character for your invitations. If you choose a more creative theme for your party, you may have to use a more generic invitation or make your own.

Making your own invitations can be a great way to save a little money on the party -- and it can be a lot of fun. You can use your computer to create invitations and then print them out, use rubber stamping techniques, create simple postcards, or put your children to work making the invitations. You can create something totally unique when you create your own invitations.

There are a few things to keep in mind when you choose your invitation...

• If you have to mail the invitations, make sure the format you choose is mailable.
• If you have a very large guest list, don't plan to make your invitations. Making invitations is time-consuming.
• Try to coordinate your invitations with your thank you cards for a more 'pulled together' party theme.
• Plan to send out your invitations at least two weeks in advance. You want to have plenty of time for guests to RSVP and plan to attend your party.

Before You Start...

Before you start writing out your invitations or making them, you'll need to make up your guest list. How many children will attend the party? When deciding how many kids will be on the guest list, there are a few things you should consider...

First, you should consider your budget. Each guest will increase your party budget. In addition, you should also consider where the party will be held. If it's indoors in your living room, you'll need to consider carefully how many children your living room will accommodate.

Some people use the child's age to decide how many guests will be invited. For example, if your child is 8 years old, then they can have a party with 8 guests. I personally don't know if this method works or not. In the end, you should only invite as many children as you think you can manage -- regardless of the number.

The Particulars...

Before you dispatch your invitations, you'll want to make sure that you've included all the important particulars for the party. Below are some points you should probably include:

• Who's the party for?

• What's the party theme? (If it's a birthday party, be sure to mention it so that people will know to bring a gift for the birthday child)

• Where will the party be? (include directions if necessary)

• When will the party start?

• When will the party end?

• Any special instructions? (if it is a pool party, mention that they need a swim suit, if you're serving lunch, you should say so, etc.)

• Should guests RSVP? (Be sure to include RSVP instructions, RSVP deadline, phone number, etc.)

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