There are so many different variations of kids party ideas, parents are left wondering where to start if they want to achieve something a little more original than the rest of the class. So rather than just following the other parents from your child’s class, here are a few tips and ideas for your children’s party.
As with most things in their young lives, boys and girls will have very different ideas as to what makes a great birthday party, so sit down with your child and ask them first of all if they have any preferences, or maybe ask which of their friends parties did they enjoy the most. If they are indecisive (like most kids) then let them have a couple of options.
In our experience, kids will want to invite the whole classroom, with the exception of the one or two kids they don’t get along with. It’s a personal choice as to what you decide to do, but I think inviting everyone to the party is better than leaving one or two out, this often can only make things worse for your child in the long run. You may even be questioned on it by the parents of those who get left off the list, so as we said, have a think about it, but it’s a personal choice.
Maybe explain that it would mean potentially one or two more gifts for their birthday, that’ll soon bring them around 
Planning a child’s birthday party
If your child’s birthday falls on a school holiday, especially the Summer break, then you really want to start planning quite early to avoid people being unable to attend. In my experience, you’ll still get some parents calling you the evening before to say their child can or cannot attend the party, so consider stating an “RSVP by” date on the invite to give people a nudge.
Ask your son or daughter if they are aware of anyone else’s birthday on the same day or close to theirs, you’ll want to avoid a clash. There is nothing more annoying for parents trying to organise a children’s party only to find your child brings home a party invite for the same day as you had planned, so get organised the earlier the better. Children may not be able to recite their spellings 100% of the time, but for some unknown reason they’ll know all their classmate’s birthdays, I think it stems from their desire to know who is oldest, who is youngest and who can run the fastest !
Once you’ve decided on a date, you’ll have to consider where you are holding the party. Almost every town has suitable halls for hire if you’d rather have 30 odd children tearing around a hall rather than your home, then they are a perfect option.
If you opt to hire a hall, check out their kitchen facilities, and double-check what you can or can’t use. If you’re making your own party food then you’ll still want somewhere to prepare it, and somewhere to pour drinks etc. Halls are reasonably inexpensive, and the general rules is you leave it as you find it, so be prepared to be sweeping up trodden in crisps and spilt fizzy drinks.
If your child celebrates their birthday in the summer, then a garden party is a great option if you’re brave enough to go up against the British weather. Kids love playing outside, and spillage and mess is a lot easier to tidy up in the garden. A bouncy castle may sound fun, but consider if 30 kids are coming, you better find a big one, then the concern is what to do if (or when!) it rains.
Decorate your venue with balloons and banners, but don’t go leaving dozens of balloons all over the ground. The boys will stamp on them, the girls may get distracted by them and end up not paying attention to the real party fun.
Hiring professional children’s entertainers
If you’re looking to save yourself some stress and hassle then you need to consider hiring a professional children’s entertainer. Just ask yourself, would you rather be standing there with your camcorder smiling and laughing, or would you rather be pulling your hair out whilst trying to amuse 30 kids ?
You’ll have enough to do during the party, setting up the food, providing drinks, wiping noses and maybe even tears. Unless you’re planning on inviting a small army of adults to help out, you certainly won’t have much opportunity to provide the entertainment yourself either.
Professional kids entertainers have a whole host of games, music, magic and fun ideas to keep the children entertained and amused for up to a couple of hours, leaving you time to take some photos and make some memories. Take a read through our list of local professional children’s entertainers and get some idea of what they each offer, contact them and see if they are available and ask what kind of show they can do for your child’s age group.
A question people often ask is if they should expect parents to stay at the party, or just drop the kids off and wave goodbye in a desperate bid for a couple of hours peace. Depending on the age group, and maybe how confident or shy the child is. If you’re planning a party for 4 year olds or under, then our suggestion is to write Parents requested to stay on the invitations. However, 5 year olds and up are left every day at school, so perhaps it’s just a question of asking the parents what they’d prefer. If you do hire a professional children’s entertainer and have a small bunch of your friends there, if one or two Mums or Dads stay then that’s plenty of adult supervision.
When it comes to party food, more people try to offer healthy options these days, we blame Jamie Oliver, but there is still plenty of space on any kids party food table for sweets.
Keep to the sandwiches that your child eats, nice and simple, bowls of crisps and biscuits is fine, but do make some effort on the healthy options, sticks of carrots and cucumbers, small fruits such as grapes and strawberries are popular too.
Then of course, the kids party must-have is the party bags. When it comes to these, then the pound shop is your friend. Since we said goodbye to good old Woolworth’s, the poundshop has become the place to go for kids party bags and fillers. You’d be amazed what you can get for a pound in these shops, and there is plenty of variety for boys and girls.
Don’t forget to add a slice of the birthday cake to each bag, and a nice touch is to ask your child to hand each bag individually to the guests when they leave with a pleasant “thanks for the present” farewell.
Most importantly, plan your party well in advance, pick a suitable weekend, state a start and finish time on the invitations, and be prepared for a fun and memorable experience. And don’t forget you camera !!
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