Birthday party planner: the whole party, planned in one go
A birthday party has a hundred small decisions: theme, food for 20, games, timings, who brings what. This prompt has your todo.is agent plan the lot for your age group and budget, find local venues or supplies with links, write the invitation, and hand you a shopping list and a minute-by-minute timeline.
The prompt
- Plan a birthday party for [WHO AND AGE]. It's on [DATE AND TIME] at [PLACE], about [NUMBER OF GUESTS] guests, budget [BUDGET]. They love [INTERESTS OR THEME IDEAS]. Suggest 3 themes and pick the best one, then give me: a party-day timeline with activities and games, a food and drinks menu with quantities, a shopping list grouped by store section, decoration ideas, and a cost estimate. Write a short invitation message I can send on WhatsApp, and design a printable invitation as a PDF. If it's not at home, find 3 local venues that fit with links. Remind me of the to-do list 1 week and 1 day before the party.
What to change
- [WHO AND AGE]: E.g. "my son Leo, turning 7" or "my partner's 40th".
- [DATE AND TIME]: E.g. "Saturday 14 March, 14:00–17:00".
- [PLACE]: "at home", "in the park", or "find a venue in [your area]".
- [NUMBER OF GUESTS]: Include adults if they stay, e.g. "12 kids and 8 parents".
- [BUDGET]: Total with currency, e.g. "200".
- [INTERESTS OR THEME IDEAS]: E.g. "dinosaurs and football", "80s music", "a relaxed garden dinner".
Example result
- Leo's 7th birthday: Dino Dig party
- Saturday 14 March, 14:00–17:00 · at home and garden · 12 kids, 8 parents · budget 200
- Why this theme
- You suggested dinosaurs and football. Dino Dig wins: it works indoors if it rains, and the "dig" doubles as the party bag.
- Party timeline
- • 13:00 Set up: balloons, table, dig pit in the garden (sandpit or tray of sand)
- • 14:00 Guests arrive: dinosaur colouring table while everyone arrives
- • 14:20 Fossil dig: kids dig for plastic dinosaurs and "fossil" cookies (20 min)
- • 14:45 Dino football: kicking the ball into the "volcano" box, short rounds
- • 15:15 Food
- • 15:45 Cake and singing
- • 16:00 Freeze dance with dinosaur roars
- • 16:30 Party bags with dug-up dinos, goodbyes by 17:00
- Food and quantities (12 kids, 8 adults)
- • Mini sandwiches: 40 halves (cheese, ham, jam)
- • Veggie sticks and dip: 2 large trays
- • Fruit "dino eggs" (grapes, melon balls): 2 bowls
- • Crisps/chips: 4 large bags
- • Juice boxes: 18 · water: 12 bottles · coffee and tea for adults
- • Cake: 20 slices (one large rectangle cake)
- Shopping list by section
- • Bakery: sandwich bread x3, cake (or ingredients)
- • Fresh: carrots, cucumber, grapes, melon
- • Snacks: crisps, cookies for "fossils"
- • Party: green and orange balloons, plates, cups, napkins, 12 plastic dinosaurs, paper bags
- Cost estimate
- About 180, leaving 20 for anything forgotten.
- Invitation message
- "Roar! Leo is turning 7. Join us for a Dino Dig party on Saturday 14 March, 14:00–17:00, at our house. Wear clothes that can get sandy. Please reply by 7 March and tell us about any allergies."
- Before the party
- • 1 week: confirm numbers and allergies, order the cake
- • 1 day: shop for fresh food, set up the dig pit, charge the speaker
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in who it's for, the date, place, guests, budget and interests.
- Paste it into todo.is on the Today screen or send it to your agent on WhatsApp or Telegram.
- You get the full plan as a PDF, a printable invitation, the WhatsApp invite text and the shopping list.
- Ask for changes ("make it a sleepover", "cut the budget to 120") and your agent reworks the plan.
Tips for a better result
- For kids, a rough rule many parents use is one guest per year of age, plus a couple. Smaller parties are calmer.
- Always ask about allergies in the invitation and plan at least one safe snack for everyone.
- Have a rainy-day backup for any garden activity.
- Ask your agent to remember the date so you get a reminder to plan next year's party a month ahead.
birthday party planner: FAQ
- How far in advance should I plan a birthday party? For kids, 3 to 4 weeks is enough for a home party; venues and entertainers can book up 6 to 8 weeks ahead on weekends.
- How long should a kids' birthday party be? Two hours suits most young children; up to three hours works for older kids with a planned activity.
- How much food do I need per guest? Plan about 4 to 6 small savoury bites per child plus fruit, cake and drinks. Your agent works out quantities for your exact headcount.
- Can it plan an adult birthday too? Yes. Say it's a 30th, 40th or surprise party and it plans a dinner, bar or party at home with the right menu and timeline.
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