#LifeSkillsNow Mini-Series: Kid’s Guide to Party Planning and Hosting
Your Kid Wants to Throw a Party? Let Them Run the Whole Thing.
11 short workshops that walk a kid from “can I have a party?” all the way through the thank-you notes.
They Pick the Theme. You Do Everything Else.
Your kid has opinions about the cake, the decorations, and which friends are invited, but the grocery run, the timeline, the food, the setup, and the cleanup land on you, and somewhere around 11pm the night before you wonder why this felt like your project.
It doesn’t have to be. Party planning is a real skill, and it’s mostly lists, math, and thinking ahead. Kids can be good at all three once somebody shows them how.
These 11 workshops hand the job to your kid. Katie walks them through her five-part planning sequence (who’s coming, what you’ll do, what you’ll eat, what guests will see, what they’ll take home), then four cooking workshops give them food ideas that feed a crowd, and two more cover how to welcome a guest and how to talk to one.
Katie has done this at scale, by the way. She once fed a few hundred people at a backyard graduation party on a budget, so the list-making advice comes from someone who has tested it under pressure.
My son even said after the etiquette class ‘Oh wow I’ve been such a jerk to grandma all those times! Next time I’ll put down my screen! I didn’t know I was being so rude!’ WOW! Self awareness from a 10 year old boy.
Jackie S., on The Heart of Etiquette
Why Kid’s Guide to Party Planning and Hosting?
Most kids have never seen all the planning that goes into throwing a party. They arrive, it’s beautiful, they leave. The work is invisible.
These workshops make it visible, then hand over the clipboard. Each one is short, specific, and ends with something your kid goes and does.
- Five sequential planning workshops (5 to 9 minutes each) that build one real party from the first list to the last thank-you note
- Four cooking workshops with recipes built for a crowd: a build-your-own pasta salad bar, three salads made without a recipe, roast chicken and roast beef, sourdough waffles
- Two workshops on the host part nobody teaches: making guests feel welcome, and holding up your end of a conversation
- Three bonus videos (hard boiled eggs, Measuring 101, and how to start a sourdough starter)
- A one-time purchase with no subscription, and it’s yours to keep
Kenny is enjoying this series. She is planning a father’s day party for her dad and made her menu plan based around his favorite foods. She has a grocery list now and is very excited to go shopping for her party.
Kenny’s mom
What Your Kid Will Be Able to Do
By the end, your kid can plan and host a party without you hovering. Specifically, they can:
- Answer the five questions that make a party plan (who, do, eat, see, get) and turn the answers into invitations
- Build a menu that fits the party, including a make-your-own pizza bar or taco bar
- Write a grocery list that matches the menu, and a prep schedule so most of the food is made before party day
- Walk through the whole day in their head first: where coats go, where people sit, where the garbage goes, where the food is served
- Delegate on party day (yes, possibly to you, and yes, that counts as a skill)
- Cook a pasta salad bar with three dozen topping options, three salads from memory, two roast main dishes, and a batch of sourdough waffles
- Make a guest feel welcome, and be the kind of guest who gets invited back
- Look someone in the eye, stand up straight, and say the thing they meant to say
- Take notes afterward on what worked, which is how the second party gets easier
And when it’s over, they write the thank-you notes. Katie covers that part too.
What’s Included in the Kid’s Guide to Party Planning and Hosting Mini-Series
Eleven video workshops with printable handouts, recipes, and a real-world action step for each one, pulled from previous seasons of #LifeSkillsNow. This is the whole hosting track in one place, at a price that won’t make you think twice.
Access to a private, ad-free membership area with no distractions and no autoplay
Lifetime access so your kid can come back the week before the next birthday
Downloadable videos for offline watching
#LifeSkillsNow Mini-Series: Kid’s Guide to Party Planning and Hosting
Your Kid Wants to Throw a Party. Let Them Run the Whole Thing.
- Downloadable Videos
- Printable Handouts and Recipes
- Access Never Expires PLUS if anything is added, you get that too!
- 11 Workshops for Kids Ages 5 to Teen
- 3 Bonus Videos Included
- Private, Ad-Free Dashboard
- $10 per Workshop + 3 Bonus Videos = $140 Value!
$30
Rest Easy with our Happiness Guarantee
You have time to decide what you love! Let your kid watch a few workshops, hand them the planning lists for a real party, see what happens, and if you don’t love it let us know within 30 days of purchase and we’ll give you a full refund.
You have unlimited access to all the content, so even if your kid watches every workshop and you still ask for a refund, we’d give it to you because we believe in this collection so much. That’s our risk, but we trust you probably won’t do that. It’s just important to us that you understand how much care we’ve put into this.
All of these videos are getting us excited about our party coming up, and they’re helping us think of things we hadn’t thought of yet.
Shelby
Mini-Series Package, 11 Workshops
Workshops included in the Kid’s Guide to Party Planning and Hosting #LifeSkillsNow Mini-Series:
The five-part planning sequence, all with Mrs. Kimball
Plan Your Party 101: Decide on Your “Who, Do, Eat, See, Get” [Part 1 of 5]
with Mrs. Kimball, ages 8-teen, 9 min
The five questions that turn a party idea into a plan, plus a bonus peek at Kimball family party themes over the years. After this one, your kid is ready to make invitations.
Planning Your Party Menu [Part 2 of 5]
with Mrs. Kimball, ages 8-teen, 7 min
How to pick food that matches the party you’re throwing, with examples including a make-your-own pizza bar and a taco bar.
Creating Smart Grocery Lists and Food Prep Plans [Part 3 of 5]
with Mrs. Kimball, ages 8-teen, 9 min
Turning the menu into a grocery list, then figuring out what gets made when so almost nothing is left for party day.
Thinking Through ALL the Details so Your Party Runs Smoothly [Part 4 of 5]
with Mrs. Kimball, ages 8-teen, 7 min
Your kid closes their eyes and walks through the day as a guest would: coats, shoes, gifts, seating, serving, garbage, and grab-and-go activities.
It’s Party Day! (and Beyond) [Part 5 of 5]
with Mrs. Kimball, ages 8-teen, 5 min
Last-minute prep, the art of delegation, and what to do after the party, from thank-you notes to notes on what to change next time.
The food
Create a Build-Your-Own Pasta Salad Bar for Families or Parties
with Mrs. Kimball, ages 5-teen, 11 min
Cook the pasta, then set out three dozen topping options so every guest builds their own bowl. Great for selective eaters, allergies, and wildly different tastes at one table.
Make It by Heart: 3 Simple Salad Recipes You Can Make Without a Recipe
with Mrs. Kimball, ages 5-teen, 44 min
Cabbage salad, broccoli salad, and potato salad, all learned by heart with no measuring spoons required. The longest workshop in the set, because it’s three recipes.
Simple (Yet Delicious) Main Dishes You Can Make Tonight!
with Jill Winger of The Prairie Homestead, ages 7-teen with help, 19 min
Roast chicken and roast beef, with the tricks that make both simple, from the author of The Prairie Homestead Cookbook.
Making Sourdough Waffles (or Pancakes)
with Wardee Harmon of Traditional Cooking School, ages 5-teen, 24 min
Quick, easy waffles or pancakes if you have two cups of sourdough starter on hand. No starter yet? The bonus video shows how to grow one in about 10 days.
The host part
The Heart of Etiquette & How We Treat Others
with Monica Irvine, Founder of The Etiquette Factory, ages 5-teen, 27 min
Three etiquette skills for any age: how to make a guest feel welcome, how to be a guest who gets invited back, and how to be a good conversationalist.
Building Great (Polite) Communication Skills
with Jennifer Scott, author of Connoisseur Kids, ages 5-12, 9 min
Eye contact, posture, and enunciation, practiced through exercises kids do with a family member.
Eleven workshops. Three hours. One party your kid can honestly say they threw.
What does a workshop feel like?
1. Watch a Short Video
Most run 5 to 11 minutes. Three are longer (19, 24, and 44 minutes), and those are the cooking sessions your kid will watch with the ingredients out.
2. Optional: Print the Handout
Every workshop comes with a printable worksheet or recipe. The planning ones are lists your kid fills in for their actual party.
3. Try the Action Step in Real Life
Each workshop ends with one specific thing to go do: write the guest list, draft the menu, make the pasta salad bar, practice the greeting at the door.
With the Kid’s Guide to Party Planning and Hosting Mini-Series, the mental load moves off your plate and onto a clipboard your kid is holding.
Got Questions? Here are Your Answers:
Your kid. Every workshop is taught straight to kids. You’ll want to be nearby for the cooking ones, especially draining hot pasta and anything in the oven, but the videos don’t need you in the room.
The five party-planning workshops are for ages 8 to teen. The cooking and manners workshops start at age 5, and Jennifer Scott’s communication workshop is aimed at ages 5 to 12. Jill Winger’s main dishes workshop is listed for ages 7 and up with help.
No, though your kid may lobby hard for one after workshop two. The lists, the prep timeline, the recipes, and the guest skills all work for a holiday dinner, a sleepover, or a Tuesday when grandma comes over.
Between 5 and 44 minutes, 2 hours and 51 minutes for the whole set. The salad workshop is the long one because it covers three recipes.
For the waffles, yes, two cups of it. If you don’t have one, the included bonus video walks your kid through making one, and it takes about 10 days with less than five minutes of hands-on time a day. Plan ahead or just skip to the other recipes.
In a private, ad-free membership area you can get to anytime. Videos are downloadable so you can watch offline, and every workshop includes a printable and an action step.
Yes! It’s a one-time purchase with no subscription, and your access never expires. Your 8-year-old can come back to the same planning lists at 15 for a graduation open house.
The #LifeSkillsNow Mini-Series are pulled straight from previous Seasons, so if you already own one or more, chances are you have some of these workshops already.
Yes! Kid’s Guide to Party Planning and Hosting is one of several. Celebration Essentials and Creative Gifts Kids Can Give both pair well with this one. Read about all our #LifeSkillsNow Mini-Series right here.
No, our terms and conditions require you to use your #LifeSkillsNow Mini-Series login solely for personal use. You’re welcome to watch alongside your spouse or invite a friend over to watch with you at your house.
Still have questions? Our Happiness Coordinators are here for you. Start a conversation with the chat icon in the corner of your screen.