10 Tips for Throwing a Great Party for Kids

Are you willing to spend hours making the food, organising party games and cleaning up afterwards? If not then maybe you should consider holding your party in a hired venue with caterers and entertainers, in a kids play area or in a restaurant. This means that all the work is done by others and you can sit back and enjoy the party.

If you are doing the party yourself, or hiring a venue but are still in charge of the decorations and table wear, then you need to decide on a theme. Now, you may think you don’t need a theme and this is fine, but you will probably find your kids are begging you for a Disney Princess or a Micky Mouse party. One of the most simplest but effective themes I’ve seen is a Neon Disco, everything is just brightly coloured and the kids can come in their favourite neon clothing or disco outfits.

You can hire someone to do the catering for your party but it’s cheaper to do it yourself. It really doesn’t need to be complicated, we are talking kids here. even if you don’t want to make sandwhiches you can just stick a few pizza’s in the oven along with some chicken nuggets and party sized sausage rolls and that’s the savoury sorted. For dessert you can make jelly or trifle and if you are not confident in making cakes then just buy some cheap cupcakes and a few chocolate fingers or party rings. I like to add a few grapes or strawberries to the table to add a healthy touch. Do be prepared though, getting the food ready can be really time consuming, especially if you are doing it all yourself…you could always ask for help from friends and family.

It’s always nice to have a nice table covered with party food, with a pretty table cloth and some themed decorations. However, it’s not always necessary, especially when you don’t have room. When I had a small house I used to find that picnic boxes, which can be purchased from Party Stores, are great. You just pre-fill them with some food before the kids arrive and then hand them out. They are great for garden parties so the kids can take them outside and picnic.

This is where party entertainers are a godsend! Entertaining kids can be a pain, but there are few things that can help. First of all remember that you can’t have any losers! If you do you will most likely have tantrums and tears, depending on the ages of the party goers. The answer is simple, when you have a game make sure all players get a little prize, even if it’s a sweet. When a child is ‘out’ then call them a winner and give them a prize then tell them to sit out of the game so you can pick the other winners. I always play along with them so I can be the first ‘winner’ because no child wants to be the first out of the game.  A good tip I learnt more recently is to  give each child an empty party bag at the beginning of the party and let them collect their prizes in it to take home at the end…you can always pop a slice of cake in before they leave if you wish. If you don’t know what games to play, then take a look on Pinterest, it’s always a great source for any kind of party.

If there is one thing I have learnt about kids parties, particularly school age kids, you never know how many are going to turn up for sure. I have experienced even more problems because all three of my littlies have birthdays in the summer holidays. I do my best to get phone numbers of parents of the children invited and give them a call a few days before the party and remind them. I always cater for the number of children invited even though generally only half of them will turn up. When my older children were younger they had much bigger numbers at their parties because their birthdays are term time.

As for the invitations, you can get them to match the theme of your party if you wish. I’ve not always done this. You should include the date of the party, the time it starts and finishes and any special instructions like fancy dress. I also put on my mobile number.

Think about how many children you want at the party. If you invite the whole class and they all turn up you will end up with 30 children. If you are using a hired venue then you may be restricted on numbers because you will be paying for each child. However, if you are hiring a hall then you may want to fill it as much as possible so the more the merrier. Get your child to decide who they want to come and then use your judgement based on how many you can cater for.

7. Activities

As well as games you may wish to provide some activities for the children. I generally start a party by having the children make something. For example, at my daughter’s My Little Pony Party we coloured in cut out ponies and stuck wool on them for tails and manes. Other favourites include making bracelets, planting seeds in little pots, or decorating biscuits…which they can eat later. I had a princess party for my other daughter and we made crowns and tiara’s which the children then wore for the duration of the party.

Over on The ladybird Adventures you can find some fantastic outdoor games for a kids party.

My Little Pony Activities

Princess Tiaras

8. Let Them Play

You need to decide how much structure you will have to your child’s party. If you plan every minute you risk wearing the children out and they will become un co-operative. I had a party in a box for my daughter and it involved followed a very detailed set of instructions for games and activities. It was lots of fun, but once I noticed the children losing interest I sent them outside to run around the garden and play. After about 15 minutes they were ready for more games and puzzles.

9. Squabbles

Depending on the age of the children and whether or not their parents have stayed at the party with them, you may find yourself dealing with some squabbles between the children. If you notice two children not getting on with each other you could try splitting them up into different activities. It’s a difficult situation if a child is being naughty, but you have to remember that it’s not your responsibility to discipline them. I find it’s a good idea to keep a phone number of all the parents so you can give them a quick call if the child is being particularly disruptive, or has become upset or hurt. Useful too if a child starts to feel poorly.

10. Hometime

Make sure the parents know what time to pick up their child. Have their party bags ready, they are always less upset about leaving when they have a handful of goodies to take with them.
I always find I’m cleaning up for a good while after a party so I make sure I have a little treat for myself at the end of the day, I will deserve it.