Category: Birthday

Double up

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Admittedly, children’s party entertainers and children’s magicians can be quite pricy, and that’s only half the cost. With the credit crunch still looming, a great way to save money can be to have a joint children’s birthday party with another parent. That way you don’t lose out on the fun of having a children’s entertainer at half the cost. Aside from the cost benefits, you can also share the organisation and work load that goes with planning a children’s birthday party. That said, does sharing a children’s birthday party with another parent create a headache in itself?

Common problems can be found amongst parents trying to jointly organise kids birthday parties, like not being able to decide on what type of party to have. Children’s party entertainers alone can be a tricky thing to decide on. Do you have a themed children’s party or children’s magician, clown, etc.? Kids party entertainers can be one of the trickiest things to decide on when having to liaise with another parent. As your child might want something entirely different to what the other parent’s child wants.

Additionally, many parents can find that they have to compromise more than they bargained for, or workload is not shared out equally, and then after having spent a great deal of time and effort organising most of the children’s birthday party, the parent they’re sharing it with isn’t entirely happy with what has been arranged and in the end you’re left wondering if it would have been better to spend a bit extra and be left to organise your own children’s birthday party.

If you’re planning on sharing a children’s birthday party with another parent, it’s best to do it with someone who has the same ideas as you and who is in the same class as your child so the numbers of children don’t instantly double, otherwise your costs go up and you’re saving is far less.

When organising kid’s birthday parties together, the key thing is to have a clear idea of what you both want right from the start. Have a budget set and decide who is going to do what. Look at different types of children’s party entertainment packages that are on offer. 

You’ll also need to figure out who you’re inviting to the party, will it be at home or in a hall, who will organise the food, or if you’re sharing it who will do what. Once you’ve set a clear outline for what you’re going to have and who will do what, that should help prevent there being disagreements along the way.

It can be a great thing for kid’s birthday parties to be organised together. The initial liaising with another parent can definitely be worth the saving, as kid’s birthday parties are not always cheap. Kids party entertainers alone are usually a large part of the cost, so halving that cost can be very helpful. If the workload is shared equally that helps a great deal too. You might also find you can benefit from the expertise of another parent who has organised kid’s parties before. Just make sure you both know if you want similar things before you get too far down the planning stage.

Party Food

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An important part of any child’s birthday celebrations is the party food, and parents who are choosing to do the spread themselves will want to create a feast that is guaranteed to get eaten. Naturally, dishes you choose will be dependent on what kind of party your child is having but there are a few ways in which you can make sure that your party food goes down a treat.

Mix Staples with party food ‘Experiments’

It’s always fun to create your own fun dishes. You can get loads of ideas form the internet. No matter what you do it’s almost certain that some dishes will be more popular than others. You therefore should aim to create a spread that is a mix of good party food staples like cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks, sandwiches, etc.…with ‘experimental’ plates like party themed cupcakes, food shaped as characters from a theme, etc.… Whilst planning the menu, make sure that you consider what leftovers you may have, and how you would use them too as there can be a lot of food left over.

With classic children’s party food such as crisps and biscuits, buying multipacks and refilling will mean that any leftovers you have are fresh and easily used in lunch boxes and for snacks. With more ‘experimental’ dishes, make sure that you and your family will be willing to eat them if left untouched.

Check for Allergies

When sending out the invites, it might be suitable to request any dietary information from parents that will help you create a spread that can be enjoyed by all. Parents of children with severe allergies or special dietary requirements may already know they need to contact families prior to attending birthday parties to avoid issues on the day, but some will assume that they will be catered for or forget to mention it.

By asking families to provide details of special diets, you can include (or not include) certain dishes that means no one at the party goes hungry.

Presentation isn’t necessarily everything

Do try not to add unnecessary stress or pressure on yourself. Most parents are on the quest to create the perfect children’s birthday celebration and therefore may think that presentation of their party food is essential. Of course it’s fun to make things look nice and show some thought. Although presentation and display of party food may be important to adults, do remember it’s not necessarily noticed by the children and it is a kid’s party after all.

If you have the natural creative flare and want to put on a great spread of fantastic looking kids party food, then why not!! But if it’s going to stress you out then do remember that with all the excitement that is created from entertainers, party games, and celebrating with friends, when it comes to picking from a selection of party food, children won’t be too fussed about any delicate arrangement, but more about taste and variety and you could have gone to all that trouble only to find it not being appreciated afterwards.

Of course if you’re making party food together with your children, before the party, then your kids will love this as it gets them involved in their party even more and it’s a great activity to do with your kids.

Kids party menu

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Are you about to have a party for your little one? Are you busy, frantically planning for all eventualities? It has probably not escaped your attention, but the party menu can be a vital and often time consuming component in any children’s Birthday party.

Have no fear; we are here to give some helpful advice! Whether you are looking for crowd-pleasing results or something a little healthier, we have something for you below:

First check for possible food allergies

Planning the food for any party can often be a challenge, as one has to always think about the dietary requirements of other kids. It’s quite possible that you will have some children with allergies or intolerances. Often the parents will have told you if this is the case but it is worth checking yourself to be sure. (maybe ask parents to mention this on your party invites)
If you do have certain allergies or dietary requirements to cater for then you may want to ensure the food for that child is on a separate plate so it makes life easier for them and also doesn’t run the risk of contamination of their food with things they can’t have e.g. for nut allergies.

Planning the party ‘menu’

Children are the most honest of guests. – If they don’t like something they won’t eat it. Some children won’t like ham, others won’t like tuna – so put on an even spread of sandwiches with a variety of fillings, so you aren’t left with some kids that don’t want to eat anything grand then go home hungry.

Trying to trick your own children into eating fruit and vegetables may be a constant battle at the best of times, but in a party scenario it could prove even harder. And it is a party after all so perhaps now isn’t the best time to worry too much about healthy eating.

That said, learning to hide the greens is still possible – have you thought about cooking a delicious vegetable cake, for example a carrot cake?

Our suggestion though would be to have a good mix of sandwiches, fruit and veg that can be eaten by hand.e.g. cherry tomatoes, cucumber and carrot sticks, cheese cubes, then a nice range of crisps and sweets. A simple range of food like this makes life easier and also reduces allergy issues.

Keeping the kids sweet!

There seems to be a law of balances involved at every stage of the menu planning process. On the one hand, too much sugar can turn your party into mayhem, whereas on the other, too little could make your food too boring.

Aiming at the middle is the way forward. Cake, crisps and jelly are the traditional vouch-safes; but you could also consider throwing in some chocolate-dipped fruit or fruit juice for good measure.

What to drink?

If presented with a choice, children will almost always opt for the sugariest option. Preparing drinks on a tray before-hand and distributing them as a matter of course can help deal with this issue. You could even try distributing glasses of milk, should the sugar intake be reaching dizzying levels. But to make life easier we’d suggest juice boxes as they’re nice and easy to put on the table, reduce spillages and are easy to throw away.

What to Include in a Party Bag

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Party bags are a great way to say thanks to the young guests that have attended your child’s birthday party, and leave them with a little something that gives them a memory of a great day. Making a party bag for each guest that are based around the themes and entertainment doesn’t have to be costly or filled to the brim with items but can just include a small selection of child-friendly items that leave guests saying a happy farewell once the celebrations are over. To help parents decide on what to include in their kids party bags, we’ve created a list of great items that children will love!

• Birthday Cake- With children having already filled themselves up with the party food you provided, once the candles have been blown out and Happy Birthday sung, the cake is best divided and placed in the party bags to be eaten later.

• Toys- Some small plastic party toys give children items that will keep them entertained once the birthday celebrations are over, and can even match the party’s theme. Remember that you don’t need to go over the top with contents, and should aim to have no more than 10 items in their party bags.

• Sweets- A small packet of sweets or chocolate are easy to add to a party bag. Leftover mini packs of sweets from the party food spread can be dropped into the bags as the food table is cleared, or parents can buy multipacks to be purposely used.

• Balloons- A birthday party isn’t complete without some balloons. Our entertainers can create some brilliant balloon animals for kids to take home on the day, but why not include some bright, colourful balloons for them to blow up once at home.

• Thank You Notes- A party bag is already a great way to say thank you to the children that attended your little one’s birthday but parents may also want to consider including hand written thank you notes in their party bags.

• Certificates – Kids love certificates and they don’t have to cost the earth. It’s not a toy but let’s face it, toys get played with for a few minutes whereas a certificate is something they can keep and remember for a long time. They don’t have to cost anything either.

Outdoor Children’s Party

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Providing the weather holds, there is nothing more exciting for children than an outdoor party. Rather than being cooped up inside, the fresh air and additional space will do your guests good and give them new terrain to explore. Here are a few top tips if you’re thinking about hosting a children’s party in the garden or a hired outdoor space:

Plenty of food

An array of party foods will go down a treat. Try to ensure that you:

• Balance healthy and sugary snacks.

• Keep fluid levels up with regular drinks, particularly on hot days
• Provide shaded seating while children are eating

Games

No party is complete without games, and being outdoors will give you plenty of scope. Depending on the size of your garden and the age of the kids attending you could also arrange a:

• Treasure hunt
• Water balloon battle (best to advise for kids to have a change of clothes with them though)
• Messy flour and water game – where you have 2 tubs (one filled with water and the other with flour.) The kids have to use only their mouth to ‘fish’ out a sweet in a tub full of water and then they have to do the same in a tub of flour. Only once they do it with flour, they will end up with their faces covered in it- loads of fun!!! They must keep their hands behind their back at all times!
• Relay race
• Talent show – get the kids into groups and give them ideas of what they could do e.g. sing, do a funk dance they make up for themselves, a mini play, a mini x factor style competition, or whatever they like.
• Obstacle course – another fun idea is to set up some pegs either side of the garden with string either side and tell the kids that the string are laser beams that they have to crawl under, like a spy or just a cool obstacle course game. If you have garden toys, e.g. a slide (where they have to slide down the slide before coming back through the ‘laser beam maze’ or paddling pool (where they have to fish something out of the pool full of water and bring it back through.

With a bit of imagination – a lot of fun can be had!!!

Entertainment

Professional children’s entertainers can really take the pressure off you as a host as well as making the birthday boy or girl feel really special.

Have a look on our directory of children’s entertainers bring so much fun to any party and can include some great activities such as:

• Magic tricks
• Puppet shows
• Comedy
• Musical or dance-based activities
• Balloon modelling
• Exciting themes
• Science parties
• Clowns
• Discos and more

Themes

Introducing a theme can pull all of the above elements together. For example, if your children’s entertainers will be doing magic tricks, a magician or wizard theme goes down well. The children can dress up as their favourite character and the food and games could have a magical theme incorporated too. If you’re planning an outdoor treasure hunt, guests could come dressed as pirates and your children’s entertainers can include a cool pirate theme throughout.

Start a tradition

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Your baby may not remember being a part of these traditions, but the photographic evidence is something you coo over for decades to come. Nothing is more adorable than a baby’s first time doing just about anything, and what better occasion to start new traditions than their first birthday party? Unfortunately, with all of the charm and attention being poured into decorations, food, party favours and phone calls, we often forget to relax and enjoy a few firsts with our little ones. Here are a few traditions new and old to help you make this day special for years to come.

Sharing Stories

The first year of your child’s life has undoubtedly been filled with very sweet and not so sweet stories. One tradition you may consider starting would be to share a few of your favourite stories from the past year. In the beginning, this may just mean you reminiscing with fellow parents, but as your little boy or girl gets older you can share these stories with their friends.

Birthday Outfit

Parents dressing their little ones in the same (or similar) outfits every year for a single photograph has been going on longer than we may realize. Of course we take photos of our children nearly every day with our phones and personal cameras, but having an annual photo of your child wearing the same ensemble or pretty cotton dress is something special. It’s something they can look forward to each year (until their teens) and you can look forward to seeing how much they’ve grown and developed their personality. This may be the time to have a Photographer take over; they have a knack for capturing those adorable poses.

Memory Boxes

A memory box is a great way to collect the most sentimental pieces from your child’s birthdays and safely store them until you’re ready to share the memories. You could collect photos, cards, their first outfit, their special book and anything that brings back memories.

Remember, the most beautiful moments in your child’s life are the ones they spend with friends and family, and the experiences you share together. So take the time to relive old traditions or create new ones, they make for the best memories.

Micky Mouse Parties

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Does your little one love to sing and play along with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and the rest of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse? Well, make him or her feel like a real Mouseketeer by throwing a party with our Mickey & Minnie children’s Party Ideas!

Planning & Invitations

In addition to basic Mickey and Minnie children’s Party supplies, like plates, cups, napkins, and decorations, you may want to consider purchasing, borrowing or hiring the following items for your Mickey or Minnie party:

Mickey Mouse Ears
Several pairs of white gloves
Air walker Mickey Balloon
A Mickey Mouse
A piñata

Mickey & Minnie Party Invitations

If you have the time, it can be fun to make your own invitations, especially if you make it a family activity! You can be extra creative with homemade invitations as well, giving your guests a sneaky peak of the fun that will be had at your party. Here are some suggestions:

Cut the shape of Mickey Mouse’s head out of black construction paper (big circle face with two circular ears on top). In silver pen, write the birthday child’s name on the left ear and “is turning [age]!” on the right ear. Write the party details on the main part of the cut-out.
Print out a picture of Mickey, Minnie, and friends and paste it to the bottom of a section of cardstock. Write the party details above the picture. Run a glue stick around the outside of the paper and sprinkle with red glitter.

Mickey & Minnie Party Decorations

Decorations that match your theme makes a party even more fun and exciting, so for this party, transform your party space into a Disney funhouse!

As each guest enters the party area, give them mouse ears to wear! You may even want to hand out white gloves to the boys and big pink hair bows to the girls.
Cut large Mickey Mouse heads out of black construction paper and tape them to the walls. To add to this, write one guest’s name on each cut-out in big block letters. This will make all your guests feel special!
Set out Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and other stuffed animals that your child already owns. Group them together for a great centrepiece or stack them on one corner of a blanket that you set out for free play.
Set out large cardboard boxes with door flaps and windows cut out. Let the children decorate the boxes to look like their own clubhouses!

Mickey & Minnie Party Food Ideas

Serving food that fits your theme can be a fun way to keep the party exciting! If you have the time to make some Mickey-themed treats, consider these ideas:

Serve Mickey Mouse pancakes! If you don’t have an iron that makes them for you, just make three circular pancakes, one big for the face, two little for the ears.
Make a cheese and crackers tray using circular crackers and cheese cut into circles. Lay them out in a Mickey Mouse shape on a platter, with one stack of crackers in the middle and two stacks of cheese circles making ears.

Have fun and use your imagination and create a mousespecular party!!!

First Birthdays

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Let’s be honest, Baby’s first birthday is more for the family and friends and less for the guest of honour. However, when you look back on this milestone birthday celebration together, your little boy or girl will be able to relive the special day. Babies are a handful, but planning a party perfect for them doesn’t have to be. We’re here to help with first birthday party ideas!

Girls 1st Birthday Parties

They say girls are made of sugar, spice and everything nice so the best way to celebrate her first birthday is by throwing a bash sweet and frilly. Show everyone that’s she’s your little princess with pretty pastel colours, lace and flowers, and plenty of sparkles.

Boys 1st Birthday Parties

Your little guy is probably just starting to be mobile, so that means he’s getting his hands in everything. He’s probably got a favourite toy or favourite character and you can bring it to life for his 1st birthday bash. No matter what he’s into, from sports to playing outside, there’s no denying that your little one is bursting with energy. Capture his essence with vibrant colours, fun party games and don’t forget the cake.

Party Favours

No matter how young, or old, your guests are, everyone loves a goodie bag. But when you’re planning something as special as a first birthday party, it might be the last thing you think about. You can get crafty and DIY something special for your guests or you can purchase already put together kits. You can even go the extra mile and personalize them to make sure your bash is an event no one will forget.

Party Games & Crafts

We know the main event of any first birthday party is when you let the guest of honour get his or her hands on their very own cake. And maybe some of us are hoping that cake smashing was socially acceptable for all ages…However, don’t forget to keep your guests entertained for the rest of the time with some fun party activities. From DIY keepsakes or crafts to pass down to your baby as he or she gets older, to games that get your guests moving, the possibilities are endless.

The main thing is just celebrate that you’ve survived his or hers first birthday and crack open a bottle of champagne!!

Pony party

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Your children’s birthday could be just around the corner, or maybe you’re in charge of throwing an amazing school summer holiday party, but you’re not sure where to start. Why not have a Pony Party? Now, you’re probably thinking that this sounds complicated but be assured it isn’t. So we have put together 4 essentials for any Pony Party to be a great success:

1. Ponies

You can’t have a pony party without the ponies! There are many organisations who will provide the ponies, trainers, and all the other bits for you! All you have to do is contact them, set up a date, and let them do the rest. Now, how easy is that?

2. Crafts

Of course all children like to draw, colour, and make their own arts and crafts. Setting up a craft table is a great way to keep the children busy when it’s not their turn to ride! Plus, with the right crafts, it’s easy to tie in your Pony Party theme. How about getting some recycling bits of cardboard boxes and toilet rolls etc., as well as paint and googly eyes and get your guests to make a pony. Each child makes their own pony and at the end of the party the best one wins a prize. Don’t forget to give everybody a little token for taking part though!

3. Costumes

What would a Pony Party be without cowboy/cowgirl costumes? Get some fancy dress for the children while they ride! Hire a Photographer to capture the priceless sights!

4. Food

The children will have worked up an appetite after all that running around. Time to feed them! Here are a few simple treats. Keep with the pony theme by slicing up apples and carrots, and serve some mini shredded wheats (hay) set them out on a picnic table. But what would a birthday party or any party be without sweet things? Ask your cake decorator to help you keep the theme with a cake or cupcakes!

Follow those directions and your Pony Party should be fun, easy, and totally memorable!

Children’s parties for everyone

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Birthday parties don’t have to break the bank. In fact, you can throw a successful and fun children’s birthday party, no matter what the age, in your very own home.

Invitations

These are fairly cheap on their own, and you can usually find some fun options at your local newsagents. But if you’re more into customization, online printing services like Vista print are a great option, and usually have a fast turnaround time. If you’d rather get crafty, go to your local hobby craft store and pick out some fun paper and stamps to put your own personal touch on them. This may take a little more time and isn’t the most budget-friendly, but are definitely has a personal touch!

Venue

Obviously the cheapest venue will be in your own home. If your party is in the warmer months, definitely take advantage of any outdoor space so everyone can run around. If you’re stuck inside, try moving many of your bigger pieces of furniture out of the main area to make room for activities. Line the edges of the walls with chairs and tables with refreshments. Or set up a buffet in the kitchen or dining room and shuffle the guests into the main living area to enjoy them. Be creative with your space. If you’re willing to use a little more of your budget on the venue, have a look at your local bowling alley, soft play, or go-cart companies, that help you avoid the mess at home! 

Decorations

This is definitely the fun part, and where you can let your thrifty creativity shine through! You can save money by choosing solid colours for plates and cups, rather than spending a lot of money for 10 Frozen paper cups. Streamers and balloons are a great traditional choice for decorations, and won’t break the bank. You can even get creative with construction paper to make birthday banners, party hats, and more!

Entertainment

Entertainment is the best place to spend your budget, since you’ll be hiring professionals to make your party amazing. Balloon twisters or face painters are great additions to any party, while a visit from a princess, super hero, or favourite character can take it to the next level! There are other interactive options like children’s musicians, puppet shows or magicians, too. For kids with endless amounts of energy, try a bouncy castle hire.

Being creative with your budget can help your party go a long way! After all, what will the kids remember more…the Cinderella party plates or that Cinderella actually showed up at their party? It’s all about the memories and we’re here to help you make them.