Holding a children’s party can instill fear in the most enthusiastic parent, but with our hints and tips, your child and their guests will have a party to remember!
Themes
Kids are generally always into the latest children’s TV programme, film or toy – and these often come with a full range of merchandise including partyware so that theming your party is easy. Or you can go for a general theme, such as Treasure Island, with buried ‘treasure’ for kids to find, or fancy dress – although these can involve a lot of work in decorating your house and thinking of themed games to play.
Think carefully about holding parties outdoors if the weather may be changeable – it helps to be able to move indoors if it starts to rain.
Invitations
If your child is at pre-school/school age it may be easier to invite the whole class rather than two thirds of it – it saves upset, especially at a time when children are still developing friendships.
Pick a time when young children will have had their naps, and put a time scale on the invite rather than leaving it open-ended – two hours is a good length for most parties. Young children can become tired and tetchy after all the excitement – which is just when they need to go back to Mum and Dad!
If they’re very young, you may need to make it clear to parents on the invitation that they may need to stay with their child, or arrange beforehand for some to stay and help you supervise all the children. If children are at the age where they need supervision visiting the toilet or eating, more helping hands will be required.
What's on the menu
Finger foods are really the only option, and be sure to keep it simple and small in size, with familiar foods including sandwiches with plain fillings, bowls of low-salt crisps, chopped carrots and cherry tomatoes, grapes, cocktail sausages, popcorn, small colourful biscuits and cakes arranged on plates so children can help themselves. It’s best to avoid using any ingredients containing nuts in case a child has an allergy. Alternatively, you can buy (often themed) cardboard party boxes you can fill with food – that way you can make sure no child eats too many cupcakes! Providing juice that comes ready-packaged with straws minimises spillages.
Children really need to be sat down when eating so make sure you have a large enough table and enough chairs to seat everyone. Children are notoriously messy at meal times so investing in a disposable party tablecloth is better than bringing out your best linen; paper plates and serviettes are vital too.
If parents are helping out with the party make sure you’ve got some more grown-up foods for them as well as the food you’ve prepared for the children, but you don’t need to go overboard – some nibbles and a range of drinks will be fine.
If you have children then chances are your home is already child-friendly, but make sure you have removed all potential hazards and breakable/valuable items, installed plastic corners on sharp-edged furniture and put in child safety sockets.
Presents
Have a table ready where children can deposit their presents when they come in. Decide beforehand what you want to do with presents – sometimes it can be easier to open all the presents and cards after the party, which avoids very young children becoming confused about who the present is for, and you not knowing who the present is from when your child opens his/her presents in a frenzy – making thank-you cards a challenge!
Games
Younger children can be entertained for free with the classic games like musical statues, wink murder, sleeping lions and pass the parcel or even by being let loose in the garden to play football or chase. Holding a mini Olympics with egg and spoon races and so on can be a good idea too – have some stickers ready for the winners. Otherwise, consider hiring a bouncy castle and trampoline, or if you have the cash, paying a children’s entertainer to keep them in thrall for an hour or so may be money well spent!
Older children
Once children get older and become harder to entertain holding activity-based parties are a better idea, such as parties at the local climbing wall, swimming pool, kids’ gym – activities also tire them out! Party food can be more sophisticated, with chicken nuggets, pizza, and so on.
Party bags
Party bags are a children’s party tradition, but the costs can really mount up if you’re not careful. As well as the essential piece of birthday cake, insert a few items such as sweets, balloons, chocolate coins, pens, rubbers and stickers which you can buy in bulk and divide up – discount retailers are great hunting grounds for these. For older children a small book each is a good idea.
Party trivia... In Victorian times, a favourite party game was 'Oranges and Lemons'. Two children (the Orange and Lemon leaders) made an arch for the others to run through while singing 'Oranges and Lemons'. Those caught at the end of the song became an 'orange' or a 'lemon', and when everyone had been caught, the two teams had a tug of war at the end.