FREE REPORT...
"7 Secrets to Creating the Perfect Birthday Party!"
One of the most stressful
events in a mom's life is often the yearly planning of her child's
birthday party: "What food do I serve? How many children do I invite?
How much can I afford to budget? Should I hire a professional
entertainer for the party? Where will I find these entertainers?" The
list goes on. In this Free Report, I am going to assume that you are
one of those moms.
As a Professional Children's
Entertainer who has performed at numerous birthday parties, I
understand how frustrating it can be for you in trying to get
everything organized for your child's big day. For this reason, I have
put together this list of 7 Secrets to Creating the Perfect Birthday Party.
This list will help you see the big picture, and will enable you to
plan a party that is both unforgettable for your child and stress-free
for you!
The ideal party schedule should include the following elements:
- A calm arrival activity or game
- Entertainment
- Refreshments
- Gift opening
- Several closing games and activities
Let's take a few moments to
look at each of these, along with several other key elements in
creating a successful birthday party.
1. Guests
How many young guests should
you invite? While there are no specific rules as to the number of
children you should invite to a party, you will want to invite enough
guests to make it a party atmosphere. Having just 5 or 6 children might
seem more like a small get-together than a party. Twelve kids is a nice
party number. With 12 to 17 kids it can seem like a much more special
event. If your child is inviting any classmates from daycare or school,
it is best it those invitations are mailed rather than hand-delivered.
This ensures that those children not being invited do not feel slighted
for not receiving an invitation.
2. Refreshments
For a children's party, the
best food items to serve are pizza and hot dogs. Most kids like cheese
pizza (and you won't spend your time picking toppings off the pizza for
the picky kids.) For younger, preschool-aged children, you might
consider having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Coke and Orange
cola would be good for the drinks. However, to help prevent unnecessary
spillage, don't pour the drinks before hand. Instead, delegate a fellow
parent or teen to pour the drinks as the kids are seated with their
food.
To make your party food even more fun for the kids, here a few suggestions:
- Pizza - The
easiest way to serve it is to cut it up in bite size pieces. That way
the smaller children can handle it and less gets wasted
- Hot Dog People - This is an easy way to make a hot dog even
more appealing. To shape the hot dog like a person, cut the wiener
along each side to form arms, and up from the bottom to form legs. When
you cook it, the dogs will grow arms and legs Decorate with ketchup
and/or mustard for eyes and mouth.
- Octopus Sea Food Luncheon - Carefully slice a wiener
lengthwise in half (to an inch from one end), then cut again in
quarters, then again in eighths (should now have 8 legs attached to a
one inch "head"). Poke two eyes into the "head" with a toothpick. Place
the cut wieners into boiling water. (Gather the kids around and let
them watch this part CAREFULLY!) The eyes will pop out and the legs
will curl up - and magically create an Octopus! Serve with fish
crackers, Seaweed & Jellyfish Salad (lettuce and cucumber).
- Cupcake Cones - Fill flat-bottomed ice cream cones 3/4 full
with cake batter. Bake (cone & all), then let them cool. Decorate
with icing and other colorful edibles. Easy to serve and eat, and there
are NO DISHES! (The batter rises to fill the cone).
If you choose to bring in a
children's entertainer for your child's party, all refreshments or
snacks should be served before or after but not during the
entertainment. To get maximum enjoyment from the entertainment, it is
best if the children are focused on the show, rather than on the food.
Birthday cake and ice cream should be served right after the
entertainment. 3. Location
Will this be a home party or
would you rather go out and let a restaurant or party place handle the
day? Many pizza and other places offer party rooms and there are a lot
of children's activity centres designed just for parties. Depending on
how many children you intend to invite to the party, you might want to
consider renting your local community hall as a place to host the
party. These halls usually have a nearby playground for the kids, and
there's less mess for your home (and less of a chance for anything at
your home getting damaged).
4. Activities and Games
Having several well-planned
activities and games are very important to ensuring the success of your
child's birthday party! As the party progresses, you will notice that
the guests become more and more loud, hyper, and rowdy! This is normal,
and is to be expected. However, when the guests first arrive, it is
best if the opening activity were something a little quieter and more
sedate. This gives the children a chance to get used to being in your
home, and gives them a chance to get to know each other (Remember,
although all the children will know the birthday child, they may not
necessarily know each other - nametags would also be a good idea in
this situation). Towards the end of the party, having another one or
two activities is a good idea (if it's a long activity, one would be
sufficient).
Here are a few ideas:
- Balloon Relay Race!
- Before the party, inflate about three balloons per child. Divide the
guests into two teams. Each child runs to a pre-determined point, sits
on a balloon, pops it, and runs back to tag the next runner. The first
team to pop one balloon per child wins the race! Hand out prizes to the
winners. The reason for the extra balloons is to allow a re-run if the
kids enjoy it a lot!
- Pin the Tail on the Dinosaur! - Why not update the old
classic game and pin a tail on a dinosaur. Just draw the parts
yourself... anyone can draw something close to a brontosaurus! Use tape
- you don't want pinholes in your wall!
- The Treasure Hunt! - This is a favourite game of many
children! Hide prizes all around a room or outside and tell the kids to
find them. Give them goodie bags to put their loot in and that will
save you time with filling them yourself! Make sure everyone gets their
fair share by making some things very easy to find, especially for the
smaller ones.
- Apple-Eating Contest! - Place a chair on each side of a
room, and tie a long string between them (one end to each chair). For
each child at the party, tie the end of a shorter string (about a foot
in length) to an apple (you may want to thread one end through the
apple, and then tie it around the apple). Now tie the other end of the
string to the longer string attached to the chairs. When done, you will
have a row of apples all dangling from the main string, which is tied
to the chairs. Have children try and eat the apple without using their
hands. Have a prize for the winner.
5. Loot Bags
Part of the fun for a child
being invited to a party is knowing that he/she is going to receive a
goodie bag, or loot bag. For the birthday mom planning the party,
preparing those can sometimes be a source of frustration. It doesn't
have to be. By going to the nearest Dollar Store, you will find many
age-appropriate items that will not stretch your budget beyond its
limit. If having a theme for the party (such as a Magic Birthday
Party), try and get items that are suitable to the theme (if hiring a
Magician, ask him/her if they have goodie bag items available - most
do).
- Ages 2-3 - Include items such as bath toys, balls, and books (the chubby kind - items they can get their small hands around).
- Ages 4-8: - These kids prefer quantity over quality. A
typical bag of trinkets might include things like stickers,
mini-puzzles, sidewalk chalk, whistles, water squirters, bracelets,
activity books, rings (for both boys and girls).
- Older Kids: - For this age group it's best to have one or
two bigger items, like a set of markers or a bigger activity book. At
this age, be sure to let the birthday child help choose favours for her
friends.
- Why a Bag? - Instead of bags, try colourful plastic beach
pails, small wooden boxes, or Chinese take-out cartons, any of which
can be lined with bright tissue paper and covered with stickers or
ribbons. This makes a great project for the birthday child. If hiring a
magician for the party, instead of loot bags use magic hats. Fill them
with magic tricks, magic activity books, and, of course, a magic wand!
As mentioned previously, be sure to talk to your magician about
supplying these items for your goodie bags/hats.
6. Lights, Camera, Action!
During your child's party,
many great memories will be created. It would be a shame to rely upon
our minds to retain those memories, as many of them would most
certainly be forgotten. So be sure to stock up on film, or to get a
digital camera. If you have a video camera, be sure to record those
important party moments! You will be very busy during this party, so it
would also be a good idea to designate an older child, or one of the
other parents, to be the official photographer for the party.
7. Entertainment
The final secret to creating
the Perfect Birthday Party is to hire a Children's Entertainer as part
of your event! Having live entertainment as part of your child's
birthday party will guarantee that you are creating an event that will
produce exciting lifelong memories for your child! It also takes the
pressure and stress off you, allowing you to actually take some time
during the party for yourself, or to visit with the parents of the
children, rather than running around trying the keep the children
occupied!
If you do decide to hire
entertainment for your party, do that as soon as you've decided to host
a party. The best entertainers are booked far in advance. So if you
send out the invitations and then call the entertainers, you may not be
able to get them on the date and time you need. As one of only two
fulltime Edmonton magicians, I am privileged to be performing 30-40
magic shows per month (birthday parties, daycares, private functions,
restaurants, etc.). Dates are limited, so please call as soon as you
can to determine scheduling availability.
Scheduling the entertainment
to begin 30 minutes after the party starts should allow plenty of time
for late arrivals and ensure that everyone will be there in time for
the show. There should also be adult supervision at all times with at
least one adult in the room while the show is in progress. Also, be
sure to keep any wandering pets (cats, dogs, etc.) safely in a room
away from the entertainment area. Some entertainers use live animals
such as bunnies (or even lizards!) as part of their show, and the last
thing you need is Fido chasing Fluffy around your house!
Suggestions for entertainers include magicians, clowns, puppeteers, face painters, jugglers, and musicians.
When choosing an entertainer,
make sure the show is appropriate for the age level of the children at
the party. As a Professional Children's Entertainer for over 25 years,
my magic shows are designed for children ages 3-12 years, with my magic
workshop being especially suitable for children ages 7-12 years. For more information on how Brian can make your child's next birthday party both UNFORGETTABLE (for your
child), and STRESS-FREE (for you), Click Here
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