Make Your Own Kids' Birthday Invitations

Looking for a fun way to get your child involved in planning her own birthday party? Have her make her own kids' birthday invitations! Kids' birthday invitations are an easy project that any child old enough to color or use a camera can help put together herself. Here's how to set up a fun family activity that also helps kids get involved and feel like grown-ups for a bit.

Preparation

Start by talking to your child about how she would like her birthday invitations to look. Explain to her that you'll need to include basic information such as time, date, location and any special instructions; then let her decide from there. If she's not certain or needs a bit of inspiration, try prompts like:

• What are three things you really like to do?
• What is your favorite color?
• What is your favorite toy?
• What do you play with your friends at preschool/school?
• What is your favorite cartoon character?
• What are your favorite foods?
• What things should be at a birthday party?

You can use your child's answers to help her decide on a theme for her kids' birthday invitation designs.

Design

Once you and your child have established a theme, you can design your invitations. The best part of making your own kids' birthday invitations is that your child can actually design her own. She can take photos that you can pull into your favorite photo editing program, select from clip art to arrange in desktop publishing software. She can also make her own drawing using crayons, paints, pictures or any other craft material on a blank sheet of paper, and all you have to do is take a photo or scan her artwork into your editing software. Download a free birthday invitations print layout template so you can correctly size and position your child's personalized design to send out for professional printing.

Print

Kids' birthday invitations should be professionally printed - and believe it or not, it's actually pretty cheap to do (at the time of this writing, you could get 50 invitations from PsPrint for about $40). Print your invitations on 16-point gloss cover paper stock for a glossy sheen that highlights the party atmosphere. For extra durability that'll help you turn your kids' creations into scrapbook-worthy artwork, add a thick and glossy UV coating. Other options are available for your convenience, such as custom sizing, folding and elegant foil stamping. You can even have your kids' birthday invitations addressed, stamped and mailed - without ever having to handle them yourself (note: you should always get a hardcopy proof first to make sure your invitations turn out exactly as you expected). Most parents opt for store-bought, generic kids' birthday invitations, but you can get your child involved in something truly special that encourages family bonding, responsibility, artistic creativity and - most of all - fun when you make your own kids' birthday invitations.