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I love hosting birthday parties! Each year, I host a themed party for my 3 kids. I love everything about it: from the many hours dreaming and planning of a theme, DIY decorations, picking the best cake to make, creating the invite design, and of course endlessly scouring Pinterest for ideas.

I typically host the kids parties in our home, and with that comes some challenges. One of the main struggles that I’ve had is hosting a crowd in our small home. My home is <1000 square feet and doesn’t have a very open concept. I also live in the Midwest and hosting parties outside year round is not an option. I have a kiddo born in February, which leaves us only hosting his parties inside due to weather. I’ve done it successfully many times and I’m here to share some ideas of how I did it.

Utilize the space you do have

(1) Rearrange the furniture

One of the hardest aspects about hosting in a small area is having one space for everyone to be in together. For me, the biggest room in my house is my living room. If you have a small home too, I would bet yours would be the same. One of the best things you can do to get some extra space for hosting is moving furniture and other items in your living room. Move things like coffee tables, end tables, kids toy bins, storage bins, and other “extra” items out of the room. Basically anything that will not serve a purpose in the party, like seating or a flat surface area to put presents, food, or decorations can go! Remember this is temporary only. The purpose is to make more space.

(2) Bring in more seating

Now that we have cleared out the “extra” items in your largest hosting space, like the living room, it is time to add more in! The only items we would want to add back in is extra seating. This could be chairs from other areas of the home, folding chairs, benches, desk chairs, cushions, bean bag chairs, and stools. If you have a small space, I would highly recommend investing in some folding chairs. These ones are from Amazon and extremely reasonably priced and sturdy. They are super easy to store and just grab them out when you need them. They will last you decades! I wouldn’t even be able to count the amount of times I have taken out our folding chairs when we are hosting a party or even when company is coming for dinner. They are so worth it! If you don’t want to buy any or it is not in the budget right now, consider borrowing some folding chairs. Does a family member, friend, or neighbor have them to lend you?

(3) Set up folding tables

This one goes along with the last tip of having some folding chairs on hand. I have two of these 6 foot white folding tables and again, have used them over and over again. It is worth it to invest in one (or two) of these. You will use them for countless purposes. It definitely comes in clutch when hosting in a small space. We have a small 3-seasons room in our home and this is where I will usually set up the white tables. This is either for people to have a spot to eat or to put out snacks/foods/drinks. Don’t own one? Don’t want to purchase? Consider borrowing!

(4) Reimagine the rooms in your house

If you’re reading this, you likely have a small space for hosting and will totally understand the pain points of having a large enough room to fit everyone at once. I like the idea of everyone being together at the party and not being separated into groups. However, I have noticed that even if you DO have a large enough room for everyone to fit in together, that doesn’t happen anyways. Use this to your advantage and be creative about the rooms in your house. If you have games planned at your party, can you set them up in the basement or garage? If you plan a DIY photo booth, can you set it up in the entryway or hallway? (I’ve done the hallway photo booth!) Can you set up the drinks or snacks in the garage? Rethink the areas of your home and it's totally okay if things are separated.

(5) Designated drop off area

Use one space in your home as an “off limits” room, typically one of the bedrooms. The purpose of this is having one designated area for guests items, like jackets, purses, diaper bags, etc. This will keep these items out of the hosting space and in one location that is hidden and out of the way. Personally, I use my bedroom for this.

(6) Clear the kitchen

One thing I’ve noticed about hosting and attending parties is that the kitchen is so often the focal point of a party, whether the host likes it or not, right?! It is the common gathering place for guests to get drinks, munch on snacks, and socialize. The kitchen in my home is small and the counter space is limited. This means I need to maximize the space I do have! For me, this means clearing my kitchen counters. I need the room for setting out food, drinks, snacks, and cake. Think about the items on your kitchen counter that could be easily moved out: toaster, coffee maker, KitchenAid mixer, air fryer, etc. Again, this is temporary! Throw them in your “off limits” room or somewhere out of the way. Once you have this out of the way, it makes such a huge difference in having the room to set out all of your food items and having space for guests to hang out and mingle in the kitchen. One item that I’ve had my eye on is a decorative noodle board, which is a wooden cover for your stovetop. It gives extra space when the oven/stovetop is not in use and would be awesome during a party for extra room for food, utensils, paper plates, and napkins.

(7) Keep the invite list exclusive

This one may be obvious, but it is important. You will want to identify a small guest list to invite to your home. To get a best guess on how many people your home can comfortably host, I like to visualize my space on how you will set it up. Figure out how you want to rearrange your home (using the tips above) and how many tables/chairs you can set up into the living area or main area of the home. Once you know how you’ll set up your space, count the number of spaces that an adult could sit comfortably. Not everyone will need to be sitting all at once, but at least have one chair for all of the adult guests. I don’t count the kids in the mix because they rarely sit at a chair during a party. ;) I also never count myself or my husband in the mix because we’ll be busy hosting and don’t need a seat. Consider the count for adults seated a good baseline for your guest list.

Food for thought: a smaller party is more manageable for the birthday kid anyways. Depending on the kid and their age, a large crowd is sometimes chaotic and overstimulating for the birthday kiddo. Do everyone a favor and try not to overpack the house.

(8) Keep the party short

Short and sweet, baby. This is the way to go for most kids' birthday parties, but especially when you have limited space. I suggest putting a designated end time for the party. Guests will know what to expect and how long they will be there. This helps so much in hosting in a tight space. Two hours is a great time frame. It gives just enough time for everything you want to “accomplish” at a party. Food, cake, games, opening presents, and social time.

(9) Keep it simple

Your party guests are there to celebrate the birthday kiddo! They are your close family and friends. Remember that exclusive guest list? They don’t mind if the space is small, if they have to eat standing up, or if they have to sit on the floor while watching the birthday kiddo open presents. They just care that you invited them and are so happy to celebrate the birthday with you and your family. Don’t worry about impressing them with your home- impress them with your fun theme, unique cake, and creative DIY decorations. Better yet, don’t worry about impressing anyone and keep it simple. :)

Happy party planning, friends!

9 Tips for Hosting a Birthday Party in a Small Space