Planning a party can be overwhelming. There is so much to do and think about that it can literally make your brain hurt! It’s even worse if it’s your first party that you are planning. But you don't have to worry because Non-Stop Kids Entertainment are here to share some fantastic tips.
Guidelines for a Stress-Free Children's Party | Kid's Party Tips
As the largest children's entertainment within the country, it's no surprise we have performed at well over 9,000 parties a year and we know a thing or two about planning parties. We put our hearts together and made a list of the thirty biggest tips we could give you about planning a kids party. Whether you book us for your child’s party or not, we are willing to bet there is a tip or two in this blog that will help you plan the perfect child’s party.
Plan Early!
Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can wait till the week before to organise everything. It won’t happen and more importantly, most kids won’t come because it’s too short notice. At the least, have a month in preparation, but start ahead as early as possible.
Get the invites out early. Parents tend to plan ahead and the more time you give them to prepare the better. If you leave it too late, the guests might not come and you want as many kids as possible at your child’s party.
Consider having a joint party. These days this is very popular. It’s children will feel special and it’s a great way to split the costs with another parent and save money. Furthermore, this will ease the pressure of trying to plan a single party alone.
Book the entertainer before the venue. Venues are two a penny. Unless you have your heart set on one particular venue, the best thing to do is lock your entertainer in and then sort the venue. You wouldn't believe how important it is on why you should book your entertainer early.
On the subject of venues, don’t be afraid to hold the party at home. More and more people are doing this to save money on hall hire. Younger children are more comfortable at home and stops them from feeling overwhelmed by a new environment. We are very comfortable delivering parties in a house. No problem at all, we are more than happy to oblige.
Spend As Little As Possible!
A good idea would be to plan a joint party. It speeds the cost. A lot of clients worry that their child won’t be made to feel special. Having performed at thousands of joint parties, we can promise you that both children will feel very special.
In the summer, you might want to consider holding the party outside. This can be in a back garden or the outside area of a hall. We have even had clients hold parties in a local park! It’s just as easy to perform outside and the kids love it! No need to waste money on venues during a beautiful day outside.
Characters are very popular especially if your child loves a specific genre. However, don’t just book a character visit. Character companies typically supply a character who comes along, says hi and then leaves. You still require an entertainer to run and host the party.
Add your child’s friends on Facebook and create a Facebook event. This will allow parents to reply online and makes it easy for you to update parents with what’s happening at the party without having to frequently call others. If you aren’t doing a Facebook event, make sure there is an easy way for parents to RSVP you. Text messages work really well.
Have Contingency Plans & Be Consistent!
Plan for extra guests. When preparing food and other things remember that children have siblings. A lot of the time there will be more kids at the party than you imagined.
Remember less is more. It’s tempting to organise lots of activities. Bouncy castles, face painting, entertainers etc. As long as you hire a great entertainer, you won’t need anything else. It’s overkill and no need to spend money on activities that won't even be used.
Don’t make the party too long. Some parents plan a four hour party. Although these can work, it’s difficult to get parents to agree to come to a party that long and it can drag. Stick to two hours - it’s the perfect length. Everyone gets there on time, has fun and many more. Remember less is more.
Remind parents a few days before the party. Parents are busy and lead busy lives. Some might forget about the party. Best thing to do is drop them a text or put something in your Facebook event to remind them the party is coming up.
Pick a theme. Parties with a theme are super fun. Kids get to dress up, you can theme the decorations and everyone has a blast. Find out what your kid is into and theme the party to that thing. We provided over 10 different Themed Packages for your child's birthday party. We even have a full blog dedicated to the most popular kids party themes.
Waste Not, Want Not!
Don’t stress about the decorations. Our childrens party entertainment has seen clients that hire a room decoration company or spend a fortune on room decorations. Don’t bother! Spend £10 of Amazon and you will have loads of decorations that will make your venue look fabulous.
Don’t bother with a buffet. There is always loads of food left over and it becomes a free for all. Instead do snack boxes. There is less mess, the kids don’t have to line up and it’s easier to tidy away. Everyone's a winner!
If snack boxes aren’t your thing, another great idea is to order Pizza to be delivered to the venue. We’ve seen this at a few parties now. It’s quick, no fuss and most importantly, the kids absolutely love it. Who doesn't love pizza?
Make sure your guests know where the venue is. Make sure the postcode works with sat navs. We have been to loads of parties where people are late because they can’t find the venue. Whilst on the subject, make certain that the venue is the correct one for guests to find. Put balloons outside the venue or a big sign saying ‘party here’. Make it easy for people to find where you are.
Time Management
Stick to an 11:00AM till 13:00PM time slot or a 15:00 till 17:00 time slot. Outside of those times, parents are normally less likely to come. If the party is in the middle of the day it takes the whole day up whilst earlier and later time slots find parents with other things to do as a family. If you want more kids at your child’s party, stick to 11 till 1 or 3 till 5. We have a dedicated separate Blog on the importance of time slots for more insight.
Try to stick to the timings. Parents will probably have somewhere else to go afterwards. If they have been told the party is 11am till 1pm they will want to leave at 1pm not 2pm.
If you have younger children, go for an earlier time slot. This way you can make all afternoon about opening presents! If you have a later time slot, it might be too late to open presents which can upset younger children.
Have a separate snack table in preparation for the parents. Parents need to eat and having some food for them will always be appreciated. Since the social restrictions have concluded, we are also finding that midweek parties are becoming more popular.
Understand that you will be making a lot of tea and coffee. Never underestimate how much tea and coffee parents drink. Unless you want to miss everything and just be a tea making machine, you need a plan. The best option would be to have a self service area for the parents so that they can make their own drinks. It’s less stressful for you.
Take a team of people to the party with you. Even if you hire a great entertainer, there will still be a lot to do on your own. If you have some friends and family members with you, they can help you set up, pack away and basically be on hand to assist you. Don’t try to do everything on your own.
Keep Your Party Areas Tidy
Set up a table for presents. Your child will have a lot of presents given to them by their friends. You don’t want any to be lost, misplaced or possibly broken. If you have a table set up, you can keep them all in one piece.
Make a note of which present came from where. That way you and your child can do thank you notes for their friends, parents or school the next day.
When decorating the floor, we recommend not putting balloons loose all over the floor. It makes it difficult for the kids to focus on anything other than the balloons. It can make your entertainers job harder and affect the smooth running of the party.
Don’t bother with bubbles and snow machines. They sound like a good idea. However, they are messy, they distract the kids and they can make the floor slippy which can be dangerous.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading! We hope that helps! If you would like to find out more about how we can make your child’s party special, visit our website to fill in the form and we will get back to you with a no obligation quote. Alternatively give us a call on 0333 301 3002 and have a chat with one of our friendly team. We look forward to hearing from you.
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