Advice and Tips for Planning an Autism Friendly Birthday Party
It has been years since my autistic daughter has had a birthday party outside of the home. We usually keep our celebrations small because it’s more convenient for her. Especially with her birthday being in the summer and less likelihood of guests showing up. That and it’s difficult for her to make friends. Because of that, her birthday parties are at home with family. This year, however, I wanted to try something different. Here are my advice and tips for planning an autism friendly birthday party.
We’ll start, of course, with picking a location.
You know your child best, but things to keep in mind include:
- Noise level
- Indoors/outdoors
- Private party room
- Food options
Of course, these are things that you’ll want to keep in mind when planning a birthday party for any child. Outside of the above factors, I would recommend making a party budget and doing your best to stick wit hit. Sure, unexpected expenses may occur, but it’s best to be prepared for these things.
Your journey to empowered living starts with the Neurodivergent Mom’s Self Discovery and Empowerment Toolkit
So with all of that in mind, why in the world would I pick Chuck E Cheese’s?
Chuck E Cheese’s is America’s number one place for birthdays. Now celebrating 40 years of fun, no wonder so many families choose Chuck E Cheese’s for their birthday parties. And with their easy online birthday reservation system, they do most of the work for you! Just show up with your guests, and they’ll do the rest- including clean up.
From cake, to ice cream, to goodie bags, to fun themes like:
- Party Like a Rock Star
- Sports, Sports, Sports
- Dressed in Pink Party
- Chuck E. Super Fan
You also have options like the Eat More Play More package:
- The Eat More Play More package is geared towards children 8 and up. Package includes 3 slices of pizza per child.
- Price: Same price as the Super Star Package
Includes the Following:
- 10 points/tokens more than Super Star (55 points/tokens in most locations)
- 3 slices of pizza and drinks for each child.
- 2 hours reserved table space
- Ticket Blaster experience with a chance to catch the Magic Ticket.
- Party Server
If you have concerns about your child not being able to handle the excitement, consider a VIP Birthday Party.
- Reserve a VIP Party on Saturday or Sunday and get the whole party area to yourself at the earliest timeslot before the restaurant opens, for one hour!
Another piece of advice? Book during the week instead of the weekend. And try for an evening party. We went on a Thursday evening and there weren’t many other children.
Your journey to empowered living starts with the Neurodivergent Mom’s Self Discovery and Empowerment Toolkit
Chuck E Cheese’s is also now offering a Sensory Sunday option the first Sunday of the month.
Our party host was also incredibly responsive to our unique needs. We really lucked out here. She let us have the option of having Chuck E Cheese just take a picture with the birthday girl instead of making a big deal out of it.
With few guests in attendance, it also gave her the opportunity to bond with her little sister a bit.
They don’t do a lot together and it’s taken Sweet B quite some time to tolerate her little sister. So for them to be able to spend time together like this means a lot.
Of course, Sweet B found plenty to do at Chuck E Cheese’s on her own!
We had an amazing experience at Chuck E Cheese’s and would certainly go back for another playdate for the two.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Chuck E Cheese’s. The opinions and text are all mine.
Your journey to empowered living starts with the Neurodivergent Mom’s Self Discovery and Empowerment Toolkit
Kori
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