10 Foolproof Steps to Hosting Your Child’s Birthday Party

Children’s parties are big business these days with everywhere from a famous burger chain to a bowling alley being happy to take your money and entertain your child and his/her friends for an hour or two.

The best parties that I ever remember were the ones at people’s houses and certainly the best birthday parties I ever had were in my own home. The current global economic climate seems to point to gloom and doom but hidden away amongst all the depressing news could be one of the most important lessons of all and that is the a call for us all to get back to basics by doing more things the old fashioned way and that includes planning and hosting your child’s birthday party!

So here are the basics for making sure your child has a birthday memory for life:

1. Involve your child in the planning. It is an excellent opportunity to have a quality discussion with your child, no matter how old they are, and encourage them to generate some ideas for their party theme. It could be witches and wizards, prince and princesses, monsters and aliens or just a single theme like pirates. Once you have decided together, get a large sheet of paper and a marker pen, and jot down your ideas as a mind map with any key words noted down through word association. This will give you plenty of scope to work on the details for the rest of the venture.
2. Let your child design the invitation. This is generally cheaper than buying the ready made variety and much more fun! It also adds a personal touch to the invitation process and allows your child to explore their creativity. If you are happy to support them using clip art on the computer to generate an invitation then do so because these are easy to print out. If you have a scanner, then it is possible for them to design a coloured picture related to their chosen theme – just scan it in and print it out.
3. Encourage your child to be selective. Okay, this may not be as necessary if you live in a large house with plenty of room but if your house is of modest size then let’s be realistic and restrict the numbers. It’s fine to have a conversation with your son or daughter about budgeting because it prepares them for the real world. You can discuss options over the catering arrangements, especially with older children, and come up with a price per head. Set a budget and use this as the motivation for your child to come up with a list of suitable guests. Don’t feel pressured or guilty to include more guests than you can afford – it doesn’t happen in an adult world so you should encourage children to realise the limitations as part of this process. Writing out a list helps children to reflect on who is important in their life and helps them to consider who they really want to attend against who they feel they should invite. Healthy discussion is the key to making this work. If you are worried that your child will feel pressure at school, then give them the skills they may need to explain to class mates that haven’t been invited. For example, encourage them to say that they were permitted to invite ten people and although this was hard it was a rule that they had to stick to but next time those ten people may not be the same.
4. Plan the entertainment. Make a schedule for the party and stick to it. Most parties happen to coincide with tea time but there will be a period before and after eating that will need to be planned. Have some key games planned such as pass the parcel or musical bumps, both of these are fun, easy to organise and get everyone involved. Be prepared to have a couple of prizes to give to the children who don’t “win” and reward them for taking part nicely. Tears and upsets often happen when children don’t win a game so having these up your sleeve will help to eliminate such tantrums!Plan some quieter games for after the birthday tea such as dead lions, miming games or hide and seek. Dead Lions encourages children to lay still without moving for as long as they can and if you lay down the gauntlet successfully then you will have at least a few minutes to gather your thoughts in the mayhem!
5. Make the Cake. No birthday party is complete without a cake. You could buy one if you don’t fancy yourself as a baker but it is fairly easy to decorate a sponge cake with ornaments related to a theme. It is how you present a cake that counts so for a pirate themed party you could make a jollyroger flag to stick in the top and surround it with chocolate gold coins. Icing is often wasted on children in any case, so a simple sponge cake with X marks the spot and a few trimmings will be just as good.
6. Safety First. Looking after other people’s children, even for a short time, is a huge responsibility so make sure you check if they have any food allergies and cater accordingly. Be sure to take a contact number of every child’s parents so that you can call them if a problem arises. Prepare the party space accordingly by removing any potentially hazardous or dangerous items. Check that sockets are sealed and turned off and check for trailing wires. Children are energetic, physical and full of curiosity so minimise the risk by assessing this carefully.
7. Enlist some help. Invite one or two of the parents to join in or have a friend to help you on the day. Running a party is enjoyable and rewarding but it is also hard work and you don’t have eyes in the back of your head or 8 arms so it really is important that you recruit a second and third in command!
8. Prepare a menu. You have set yourself a budget so this part should be easy. Children never eat as much as you think they will at a party because they are far too excited. Prepare some sandwiches, crisps and other cold savouries if you want an easy ride. Pizza and chicken bites are also popular but remember these will be harder to manage as they will need to be hot and require you to be in the kitchen for longer. Serve the savouries first so that children are not tempted to reach for the chocolate cookies as a first port of call. If you have a dishwasher then go ahead and use plates but if you want to use paper plates on this occasion then try and recycle wherever possible. Stick to fruit juice and make it go further by watering it down a little. It’s healthier than fizzy drinks and won’t contain the additives that you find in squash and some cordials. Be prepared for spillages – they will happen without a doubt, so have a cloth on hand!
9. Have a Clearing Up Plan! Include this as a party game by asking the children to find 10 pieces of rubbish each. Give them a bag and let them collect any bits of paper, burst balloon, party string etc. Print some stickers saying “I”m a superstar party guest!’ and dish them out to every child as a prize at the end of this game. This way, you will have a tidier room and it is a great way to focus the children at the end of the party. Have a DVD ready to pop on as the children get ready to go – parents will not necessarily arrive on time so it will keep the children occupied and divert their attentions from mum or dad being a little late to pick them up.
10. Old Fashioned Thanks. This often gets overlooked when the party has been and gone but remember to provide your child with the means to write a little thank you note for any presents they may have received. It doesn’t have to take a long time and can be printed on the computer but it is important that children understand the etiquette. Parents remember politeness and an invite is more likely to be returned if your child has expressed their gratitude in this way. Even if they haven’t received a gift, a little note to say “thanks for coming to my party, I really enjoyed you being there” is also a nice gesture.