Must Know Birthday Party Secret Tips
Wow, putting on a birthday party for a group of kids regardless of their ages takes planning, time, sometimes aspirin and let’s face it, guts. So I salute you!
Having performed at hundreds if not thousands of birthday parties and special events doing magic shows and being on the other side of it by planning my own children’s birthday parties, I have some tips for you to keep your stress level down. Whether you invite me to perform for your child’s party or not, I hope your party is smashing success!
For my children I have had Princess Parties, Chef Parties, a Petting Zoo, Pony Rides, Parties at the Park, Chuck-E-Cheese, Surprise Parties and Sleepovers. The only thing I haven’t done for one of my children’s parties is have a Bounce House. Funny thinking about it. I guess one was never needed since I keep the kids occupied as the party rolled along. But these days I would say half the homes I perform magic shows at have a Jumper as well. But let’s jump into (pun intended) making life easier for you by planning your child’s party!
Some people might have a talent for party planning and seem to handle it easily while for others it is a roller coaster white knuckle experience! But let me tell you, those that appear to handle any size children’s birthday party easily do so because they work from a plan. Whether this is your first party or your tenth, working from a plan gives you confidence and brings calmness! I always use one and so should you.
So here are tips for you that will have your next party running smoothly, allow you to relax and even enjoy it. (No, really!)
Tip One: Involving Your Birthday Child
Involve your special one in the planning process. Unless it is a surprise party keep them involved in the planning and prep stages.
Involving them will get them excited and makes it a much more memorable event for them. And isn’t that the reason you are doing the party? To create a special moment with memories to share later? It also shows your child how much planning and effort goes into making a party happen.
Of course, getting their input is great but it should be age appropriate. The younger your child is the simpler the input. Get the general ideas of what they think a birthday party is all about. Then try to use some of those ideas to fulfill their dreams. Allow them input on the theme, menu, games, guests and decorations. Older children can help create/fill out invitations and decorate. Even if they are younger and only help for short bits of time they will start to absorb the process!
Tip Two: The Guest List
The frightening Guest List. This is where you have to draw a line. For younger children it is easier to only invite classmates and a few playmates. Older children seem to want to invite their entire school. Ask how many rowdy kids you can handle yourself. Are you hiring a professional children’s entertainer? They will handle the kids for you during their show, giving you a much needed break and time to calm down and collect your thoughts. (As the magician at parties I have had many parents come up afterwards and comment how my best bit of magic was how I mesmerized the children into sitting still for so long!)
To start, give a ballpark number of guests your child can invite. Shoot low at first. They will always come up and ask to add guests later. Negotiate by knowing you want to keep the list number to 20. Offer to invite 15 friends. When the list rises to 20 you will be stress free knowing you haven’t been begged to go over your limit.
The ages of the kids being invited is important to keep in mind for your own sanity during the party. Will they be dropped off or will an adult be with them? If the party is for toddlers request an adult stay at the party with them. This keeps you from having to be the Fun Police who watches and patrols the children all the time!
An old school “rule of thumb” for toddlers is to take the age of the birthday child, add one to it and that is the number of guests to invite. For a four year old you would invite five other toddlers to the party. But these days the party is about inviting friends and relatives to celebrate together. Especially for celebrating a child’s first birthday at their One Year Celebration. This is where hiring a children’s entertainer can really save your sanity by occupying the kids for a set amount of time and give you a break from running everything!
Of course, if you are having the party outside your home the types of entertainment, games and activities you can do changes. If you are planning to use the park for the party do you need to reserve a spot ahead of time or will someone have to get there extra early to hold on to your spot? What is your back up plan if it rains?
Tip Three: How Long?
How long will the party last? Do you really want an all day party? How many hours do you want it to go on? Are you braving a sleep over? Here is what to do to get things to wind down and get your house back!
The younger the children the easier it is to put a shorter time limit on it. Little ones tire quickly and other parents might have their child on a routine with naps at a certain time. When a child misses nap time and loads up on party food trouble can be just around the corner!
In general, for toddlers a two hour party is more than enough time for games, entertainment of some type, cake and singing Happy Birthday. Let’s say you invite the children to come at noon. Have some type of activity going when the first child arrives. Decorating a hat, name tag or other craft item that new arrivals can jump into are great. If you are having an hour of entertainment have it start at 12:30. When it is over at 1:30, have the cake and sing Happy Birthday. Open presents and you are done at 2:00. How easy was that?
Kindergarten to 3rd graders can go three hours especially when your entertainer fills an hour of that for you. Just extend the craft time to include some games and after the entertainment have a piñata. Three hours will fly by.
Keep in mind your limitations. Your older child is going to think they want their party to go on all day and night! And if it is a sleep over, it will! Some professional entertainment early in the evening will really help here to give you a break from an all nighter. I have been asked to come perform at a child’s party at ten o’clock at night. It seems late unless it is a sleepover.
So this is where keeping the number of friends invited smaller and then negotiating up letting your child think they are getting more then they thought pays off. (When they become adults you can pass this secret on to them!) The more children at a sleep over the later they will stay up. Four or five girls will fall asleep much earlier than a dozen will!
Scheduling the cake and signing happy birthday towards the end of the party is a good way to signal everything is over. No more games or activities. You and/or your helper can start cleaning up and putting things away. Most people will get the hint and help you or leave!
Hopefully these tips give you ideas and some piece of mind when planning your Southern California birthday party. Using a plan and lists will help keep your stress level down. Have a great party and you too can enjoy it! =)
Kid's Magician Doug Hoover
