Well, they are not something that can be caught by holding hands with someone.


Welcome to what will hopefully be the holy grail of pointers in the right direction for creating a
memorable and groovy children's birthday party. The first thing to remember is when you
have chosen the date and venue, get the invites out at least two weeks in advance. Don't
forget to put a contact number on it too so you can budget for how many confirmed guests
you will have. Here is a quick guide which is elaborated upon beneath it:

  • choose date
  • finalise and pay for venue
  • pre-book entertainer, bouncy castle, etc
  • send out invites at least two weeks early
  • get as many confirmed guest as possible
  • sleep badly, wondering what can go wrong
  • a day before the party, confirm entertainer
  • on the day of the party, get to venue
  • set up food, games, etc
  • welcome guests
  • get entertainment on the go
  • serve up food
  • get the guests picked up
  • sleep well, knowing that everything's OK!


SETTING A BUDGET...

First off, house or hall? The advantage of a hall is you can fit more children in and give them
more space, and the average price of a church/ community hall starts at about £30 for three
hours plus a security deposit- order your hall for an extra hour to set up tables and food
before, and 15 minutes clearing up after. A lot of parties are held at home- just move all coffee
tables and sharp cornered objects upstairs prior to the event. If you have a summer party, can
you do it in the garden? A local park or field can even do the trick. Also, if your child is at
playgroup, can it be held there with all of your little one's friends? That save loads of hassle!
Set a minimum amount of children- if you just invite four kids, why not take them to the
cinema instead or a local indoor playground for a few hours? For more than ten children, it's
often better to settle on a hall- but check it out before, as some places are pretty big and can
swallow up any atmosphere created.
The dreaded party bag can always create problems. I have found that most people get a few
bags of funsize sweets and distribute them out, along with a big tin of Celebrations or Heroes-
those smaller sweeties go a long way.  Finally, always make space for a slice of birthday cake.

GETTING A PLAN...

For a start, you have to be realistic in what you can fit into a party. I have found that a great
party usually lasts for about two hours, with the first hour and a half devoted to games, bouncy
castle, face painter or an entertainer, followed by the last half an hour for the birthday cake
and food. By serving the food last, the idea is to tire out the kids so that they can sit and eat
without fidgeting or having a food fight!
Don't start things off immediately- there are always people who are late, because that is part
of the job description in being a parent of young children! Leave the first 10 minutes for
everyone to arrive, so just inflate some balloons, put some music on and the children will
amuse themselves. Then kick off with some games or let the entertainer start.
Inviting loads of people? Just make sure the
venue is big enough to cope with the masses
you want to invite.   
Don't forget to send out the invites in time
otherwise the only person who will turn up
will be this big headed Twiglet saleswoman
from Epping. I have met her at three parties,
and have left ever more depressed from each
encounter.
Why not give children's entertaining a go?
Use this image as a template for your act,
and watch all of the expressions of the
youngsters as you start to sing...
Not all venues are the same. You may get less
amenities than you wish for if you can get
somewhere that seems to be fantastically
cheap. Through previous experience, I have
found it helps to try and get a place with at
least four walls; otherwise you are dependant
on the weather.