Planning parties for the kids

These days, children’s birthday parties are becoming one of the most important events to plan for – from the entertainment, to the food and games! As a party planner and caterer with four kids, I’ve actually always dreaded when it came to planning each of their parties! The (self inflicted!) pressure of coming up with something amazing due to the industry I’m in, and secondly the effort required, made it such a task for me.

A unique idea, the costs involved, guest lists (who do you in invite – the whole class, grandparents, adults?!?) They are all a challenge in themselves let alone tackling the day!

So, how do you make sure your kid’s birthday goes to plan? And what can you to do make it fun for all (and a little easier for you!).

Lock in a theme.

Whether it’s a colour theme or style. It gives you a good base and focus to work from for everything – the food, entertainment, decor, take home gifts for the kids, etc. If your child loves to cook, pair the invitations with a small whisk or wooden spoon. Then carry that through with all kids getting an apron on arrival. Make one of the games a cooking activity – and that becomes their take home gift. Colour themes are also a simple and effective way to theme a party – maybe it’s black and white with a pop of rainbow! Or if your daughter loves purple, make her birthday world purple tones for the day, and add a touch of silver in the decorations or on the cake for an extra special element. So as you can clearly see, a theme can make the whole party much more streamlined!

Have a solid running plan for the day.

This will give you an idea of how the day will run and help you get through it. Plan out everything from when the food will start to come out once all the kids arrive, to when the entertainment will begin, right through to when to serve the cake. It’ll give you a good idea of how the party will go and if you need to fill in any gaps or shuffle things around ahead of time.

Define your guest list and requirements.

Make sure you define the age group who will be at the party, and make sure what you plan is appropriate for everyone. Will you be inviting the parents to be there the whole time? And if so, how are you going to look after them as well as the kids? It might be worth having a waiter there to serve refreshments so you’re not stretching yourself too thin. And if it’s a later afternoon/early evening party, do you think about serving alcohol? Also think about grandparents; they love to be there to celebrate but if the venue or general scene isn’t ideal for them, then think about having a separate afternoon tea. They’ll feel more comfortable and the kids can have their day to be kids!

Make sure you find out about any food allergies ahead of time. 

With so many kids having dietary requirements, make sure you find out with enough time to plan ahead. Perhaps include it on the invitation so when they RSVP, it’s noted.

Plan enough entertainment. 

Actually, over prepare if you can! An entertainer, whether it’s a clown, balloon twister, a face painter or someone who will simply run the games and reign in the kid troop, is a great idea and will take a little pressure of you! If you’re organising it yourself, then make sure you have enough planned, plus a few more up your sleeve. Kids get bored easily, so make sure you have more prepared than you think you’ll need. Boys are harder to wear out – think about more physical games which involve them keeping on the move like a sack race, basketball hoop challenge or even a mini game of touch football where each try scored means they get a small reward!

Avoid the sugar rush! 

And that’s not to say you need to deprive the kids of cake or yummy treats, just balance it out. Mix in some healthy options – a platter of vege skewers with dip, or fruit when the cake’s passed around won’t go astray! It’ll also go down well for any kids with allergies.

Have any other tips and tricks! Let us know in the comments below.