Every card here is laid out the same way: a themed headline across the top and five blanks underneath — For, Date, Time, Where and RSVP. Fill them in by hand, or type the details into the message you send with the picture. Each theme’s page adds three ready-to-copy wordings — a classic one, a playful one and one for a drop-off or venue party — and the basics below apply to every one of them.

When to send them
2–6 weeks before the party. Two weeks is the floor for a casual party at home (L.A. Parent; PBS KIDS for Parents says 2–3 weeks). Paperless Post suggests a month, Evite says most parents send 4–6 weeks out, and for a party at a venue Paperless Post advises at least six weeks.
The RSVP date
At least five days before. Ask for replies at least five days before the party, and sooner if a venue needs a final head count (L.A. Parent). Two or three days out, call or text anyone who hasn’t answered (PBS KIDS for Parents).
How many to invite
Your child’s age plus one. The old rule of thumb still holds for a party of close friends (Emily Post Institute). The exception is a whole-class invitation.
Invitations for the class
The whole class, or hand them out privately. Many schools require the whole class to be invited if invitations go out at school (Girl Scouts of the USA). For a shorter list, send them to families directly — not in class, at a troop meeting or in the class group chat (Emily Post Institute; Girl Scouts of the USA). Etiquette experts quoted by L.A. Parent call inviting only the girls or only the boys a polite way to trim a class list, but never leave out just one or two kids.
Printing it
Half-letter or 5×7. The card is a 3:4 portrait (1,200 × 1,600 pixels). Print it half-letter, two to a US Letter sheet cut down the middle: each half is 5½ × 8½ inches, the card fills about 5½ × 7⅓, and it fits an A9 envelope. Or print one on 5×7 cardstock, where it fills about 5 × 6⅔ inches with a slim border and slips into an A7 envelope.
Sending it digitally
A group text or an email. The download is a picture, so it drops straight into a group text or an email — the same channels Paperless Post and Evite use for digital invitations. Type the date, time and address into the message too, so parents can copy them into a calendar, and post it in the class-parent chat only if the whole class is invited (Girl Scouts of the USA).

What every invitation needs

  • Your child’s name — and the age they’re turning, if you like
  • The date, a start time and an end time — an end time gets families there on time (L.A. Parent)
  • The full address, plus parking or which-door notes if it’s tricky to find
  • Who’s invited, including whether siblings are welcome (Evite)
  • Drop-off or stay — “drop-off preferred” is the polite way to put it (L.A. Parent)
  • What to wear or bring: a swimsuit and towel, a costume, sneakers
  • How to RSVP and by when, with a name and a number that takes texts
  • A line about gifts, if you’d rather guests skip them (L.A. Parent)

Sources: L.A. Parent, PBS KIDS for Parents, Paperless Post, Evite, Emily Post Institute, Girl Scouts of the USA, Wikipedia, Shutterfly. Card sizes are measured from the printable itself.