Childrens parties- i love them (Children's Parties)

Member Name: mummy2twogirls

Product:	Children's Parties
Date:	31/10/08 (167 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: seeing the smiles on your childs face

Disadvantages: some people thinking the planning can be stressful

The advantage of having a ten year age gap between me and my younger sister, and then a 13 year gap between my other younger sister is that when it came to their birthday parties i loved getting involved and organizing things, over the years we must have thrown every type of party available, one year on a budget, the next not having to worry. Both of my sister's birthday fell in the summer months- April and July, so more or less we would have reasonable weather.
There are hundreds of idea's out there and plenty of themes you can base your party around depending on what your child likes at the time.
Having had two daughters and there birthdays falling 3 weeks of each other, this year it only seemed fair to have a joint party as they turned two and one.
Below i will list tips and idea's that have helped me out in the past and hope that someday they might become useful to you.

~Where to hold your party~
This depends on many of things, the season ( winter, summer etc) how many people you wish to invite, how old your child is, what your budget is.
*A local village hall seems like a best bet if the weather isn't very good and you are wanting to invite a lot of people, many places don't cost the earth and there is plenty of space for activities.
*At home/ garden- this is the cheaper option but depending on the size of your house garden does depend on how many people you can invite, you don't have to worry about making mess too much as you can clean it up. Garden parties can only really be held in summer/ spring though.
* A play barn- There are hundreds of these scattered across the Uk, and they do all the work, they provide a huge play area, a meal, drinks, birthday cake, card for the birthday girls/boy, and you only have to pay a set amount for each person that comes.
* Bowling, ice skating, cinema, swimming parties, these are obviously aimed for older children, again many places do do special party packages and you pay for each person that comes.

~What to eat~
We all love party food, and again depending on what type of party you have depends on the food,
Sandwiches, sausage rolls, cheese and pinapple, sausage on sticks, veg sticks, fruit kebabs, crisps, breadsticks, all go down well at younger children's parties.
For older children i find making a huge buffet often gets left, so i do beef/chicken/veggie burgers, sausages, in bun's, a big bowl of onions, bowl of salad, bowls of wedges, and maybe the odd bowl of veg sticks, cheese etc, for them to pick out while chasing round the house or in between going on the bouncy castle.

~Drinks~ I normally have big jug's of black current or orange squash, cartons of juice, or jug's of water, giving kids fizzy drinks can make them to hypoactive, and some parents may frown upon you!

~Games/ activities~ Musical chairs, musical bumps, sleeping lions, statues, pin the tail on the donkeys, pinyarda, treasure hunts, i also have a activity table where i put colouring pencils,paper, hats, playdough etc.

~Entertainment~ clowns, special children's entertainers, who cater for types of ages,music, Be creative it doesn't matter weather you hire a top class entertainer or have uncle jim who thinks he funny entertain the kids, kids don't mind and are happy at any outcome.

~cake~ Shop brought or homemade, you decide?? i prefer homemade as you can design the cake how you want it, if you're no dab hand in the kitchen ask a family member/friend who you know is? they will probably only charge for the ingredients or do it for free which is a lot cheaper than paying cake shop prices, and at the end of the kids it will end up getting squashed at the bottom of kids party bags anyway.

~Party bags~
This depends on girl/boy, age. There is lots if idea's about, but don't get spending to much i normally put in each bag...
Piece of cake
Small toy-yo yo,toy car, plastic bracelets, small notepad's, pens
Small pack of sweets- smarties, haribo, etc
A lolly pop
A small thank-you note for coming to the party( normally do these on the computer, nothing special but it's a nice gesture
And finally a ballon blown up on ribbon tied arounf the handles of the bag.
Party bags don't cost a fortures, buying in bulk is cheaper, multi-packs of sweets and lolly pop's, big bags of ballons, bags of pocket money toy's- wilko's, woolworths, online.

~ A few money saving tips~
Buy plastic plates, cups, and cutley- you can simply throw away afterwards and you don't have to worry about things getting broken.
*Make a list of people who you want to come and stick to it, that way you know how many to cater for.
*Hand make invitations, it's fun, and your child can help making it that little bit extra special, or even design them together on the computer- saves time and money.
*Ask people to reply before the party so you know how many party bags to make up, what sex, and how much food and cake you will need.
*If having the party at your house/garden, make sure all valubles are put away prior to the party starting, also i found putting a gazebo up in the garden is handy for rain or shine as it can protect for from the sun or rain.
* Ask a few adults to come round and help supervise.
* Ask on the invitations if the child has any allergies.
*If booking an entertainer, make sure their reputable, if they ask for a deposit ask for written confirmation to cover your back.

And finally have fun, it may seem like hard work but it is fun at the same time, your kid's aren't young for long, and can be done whatever your budget, don't worry about the mess, that can be cleaned up afterwards.
It's the smiles on your child's face that is priceless.

Summary: Remember your children don't stay young forever- enjoy it!