Planning class parties are one of those mom tasks that feel like work even though you don’t want them to. Plus, they have a nasty habit of sneaking up on you. As we head into the holiday season, two of the party planning moms from The Local Moms Network—CEO Layla Lisiewski and Westport Moms’ Megan Rutstein—are sharing their best tips below.
These two busy moms have seven kids, from toddlers to teens, and have planned a lot of parties. Both of them says they are absolutely loving the new SignUp Sheets from Evite, and call it their favorite new mom hack.
Read on for their class party suggestions—including using SignUp Sheets from Evite! And to read our Meet a Mom interview with Karen Klein, VP of Product at Evite, click here.
Get Organized Early and Easily
Even if you think you work better under pressure, group projects like class parties require teamwork—and delegation. “Evite’s SignUp Sheets is the best tool to help organize school volunteers, the simplest way to organize class parties, and the most effective way to coordinate parent-teacher conferences,” says Layla.
Make It Simple for People to Help
Moms are busy and if you try to get help via text or emails, you may be left doing all the work on your own. “Evite’s new SignUp Sheets are free to use with no extra login and the ability to adds custom tasks and time slots. I love the ability to add a wish list from any retailer so volunteers can shop for their specific items quickly and easily,” says Layla, who says her entire PTA is making the shift to this new tool.
Choose a Theme to Build Excitement
Get inspired and get others excited with a simple to plan theme, suggests Megan. “Themed class parties around holidays like Halloween are especially fun because there are endless ideas that are easily executed,” she adds.
Give Yourself a Deadline
In addition to starting early, Megan shares “I always tell myself the event is the day before.” That way, she is never scrambling with last-minute details on the day of the event.
Plan Beyond Parties
Utilizing tools like Sign Up Sheets throughout the year can help you delegate beyond just party planning as a volunteer. “As a room parent, I created a sign-up sheet and sent it to the class so parents could sign up to bring school supplies in for the teacher. As a team mom for my son’s baseball travel team, I created another sign up sheet to organize the snacks for those long six-hour double headers,” says Megan, who adds that this tool has been a “game-changer” for her.
Layla agrees: “Time is money when you’re running your own business. When there is something I would like to volunteer or pay for, I need a quick call to action. I would’ve volunteered more if SignUp Sheets were available sooner.”
This story is sponsored by Evite.
