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INTRODUCTION
Children's parties can be great fun, or on the other
hand can turn into absolute nightmares be it for a variety of reasons.
However, there are a number
of hints & tips which I recommend you take into account when
planning your child's birthday party, the most important one being.....
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BOOKING AN ENTERTAINER
Good entertainers get booked up well in advance, so
if you're going to hire an entertainer for your party, it is advised
that you phone and book them early. Your local yellow pages is a
good place to start and many of the entertainers will have their
own website you can visit. Other considerations are:-
- Availability -When making the call the first thing you
need to know is whether the entertainer is available. Don't be
tempted to ask about the fee immediately, fees vary depending
on requirements.
- Services Offered - Find out what you're getting for your
money first, most entertainers will ask you how old the children
are, how many guests there will be and where you are holding the
party.
- Experience - Of course there's one thing that does count
for a great deal when booking an entertainer and that's experience!
How long have they been performing professionally?
- Past Clients - Where have they performed and who are
their past clients? This will normally give you an idea of the
quality of their performance and an indication of how good they
are.
- Public Liability Insurance - It's in your interest to
ensure the entertainer you are booking has Public Liability Insurance.
If he / she is negligent and damages your property, injures someone,
or in the very worst case, causes death, you'll be able to make
a claim for your losses and, as an insured professional, will
stand a better chance of receiving compensation.
- Qualifications - To help ensure that you are getting
a competent entertainer ask whether they are a member of any recognized
Magical Societies such as the International
Brotherhood of Magicians
or the Bradford
Magic Circle. Members of such societies usually have
to pass strict auditions to be allowed entry.
Remember entertainers fees can vary from very cheap
to very expensive so make sure you ask the relevant questions first.
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PLAN WELL AHEAD
Think about who you wish to invite, the type of party
you want (themed, garden etc.), details of food and refreshments,
and of course booking a professional
entertainer. It is important to do this as soon as possible as many
entertainers get booked up well in advance.
INVITATIONS
Before writing invitations there are more things to consider
than you might imagine.
How many are you going to invite to the party? Consider
where you are holding the party very carefully. If you are intending
to invite a small number of children then a party in your home may
well be the best option but remember that living rooms are not usually
designed to accommodate large numbers of excited children.
If on the other hand your child seems like they want to invite half
of the school then hiring a hall or community centre may be the
better option. Having a bigger hall allows much more freedom for
the children and you can let them run around without having to worry
too much about damaging things.
Who do you invite? Children are great judges
of character and if they talk about someone as a "naughty"
boy or girl, I would advise that you do not even entertain the idea
of sending them an invitation. Consider age groups also, avoid wide
age ranges. If you are doing something for the younger children
the older ones will get bored and vice-versa. Remember to make a
list of all people invited for future reference.
How long would you consider to be ideal for a childrens
party? Many children's parties can be spoilt by going on far too
long. Experience has shown that two hours is the maximum needed
for a really good party for children in the three to ten year old
range.
Don't forget to send your invitations out early, if someone else
in your child's class is having a party on the same day it could
cause a lot of problems and may result in you having to change your
plans.
Finally
if you have not already got your invitations why not print your
own using the designs on the FREE printable
invitations page .
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THEME / FANCY DRESS PARTIES
These are often a good idea for older children but try to avoid
this type of party if there are going to be younger children there
(3-4yrs). Experience of these parties has shown that quite often
children turn up wearing impractical and sometimes
even dangerous fancy dress costumes, and I can more or less guarantee
that one of the boys will have a sword! For a selection of fancy
dress costumes with free post & packaging visit Cranleigh
Costumes.
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FOOD AND DRINK
The party food should be kept very simple and not have too much
choice. Children rarely go for sandwiches and other savoury items
unless they are presented in a novel way. Novelty sandwich boxes
are often a good idea and also help prevent one child getting all
the crisps and others having to do without. When it comes to drinks,
rather than giving cups of juice out why not use the cartons of
juice which usually come with a straw, spillage's can also be kept
to a minimum this way
Try
and avoid giving sweets, lollies and ice creams out during the party.
Save them until the end and possibly include them in any party bags
that you may be giving out.
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DISTRACTIONS
Avoid opening the presents until the end of the party. Why not make
it a way of ending the party and have all the children sitting down
as the birthday child opens their presents in front of them. Remember
to make a note of who bought what so that thank you letters can
be sent later.
During the party, try and avoid giving out balloons, blowers, prizes
and other items until towards the end. Things often get broken or
get lost and that usually ends up in tears. Once again it is a good
idea to put anything like this into the party bags.
Other distractions could include toddlers and very young children.
They don't usually understand what is happening and to avoid accidents
they are best kept
away from the where the games are taking place and also the area
where the entertainer is performing. Sitting on a parents knee is
usually the safest place. Entertainers work in different ways but
through experience I have found that it is better for the childrens
to sit on the floor during the show rather than on chairs. I have
found that this helps them feel much more relaxed, after all they
are made to sit quietly on chairs all week whilst at school.
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PARTY GAMES
Planning your party games properly makes an enormous
difference to their success. Children don't like to play lots of
games one after the other as this often becomes boring. Think about
making each game a little more exciting, that way the attention
on the game is not lost and the game lasts longer. One game that
seems to be played at every party is pass the parcel. This is the
type of game that can become quite tedious and can go on for too
long. It is not necessary to have every child win something in party
games, keep it flowing and avoid wrapping the prize in hundreds
of layers of paper!
Type of games played are also an important factor
to think about. I would recommend avoiding the 'you're out' style
of game. This type of game only leaves the children that are 'out',
sat around getting bored. You will then therefore have to keep an
eye on two groups of children instead of one. One way of getting
around this would be to change the format slightly. For example,
why not give a prize to the person who is the stillest in musical
statues or the one that sits down first in musical bumps. By doing
this all the children are part of the game until it ends. An idea
for musical chairs is, occasionally as once chair is removed another
is added at the opposite end.
Prizes won by the children during the games are best
not given to them immediately. Instead tell them that the prize
they have won will be put into their party bag which they can take
home at the end of the party. By doing this other children will
not feel as left out and by the end of the party will be happy with
their own bag of goodies regardless of its contents.
So that's it ..... if you want a successful
party, plan it well in advance, keep it simple, restrict the age
range, keep it no longer that 2 hours. and book a reputable professional
children's entertainer.... good luck!
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