Category: Party

Traditional Game for kids

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The ‘National Day of Play’ is on Wednesday 7 August 2019 and occurs once a year to celebrate the importance of play in children’s lives.

We want to bring these games back into fashion and tell our children how much fun we had with these classics games that are perfect for any children’s birthday party.

1. Mud pies, mud gardens, mud everything
It’s amazing how many mums and dads used the word “mud” to refer to a game they played when they were younger – it certainly was a key component of our childhoods.
Being outside in the summer meant mud pies, ladybird homes and simply playing in the soil… and didn’t involve a single smartphone.

2. Cat’s Cradle
The piece of string that made a brilliant stocking filler and with which you could waste hours simply making the same patterns with a friend? Cat’s cradle is a game where two people pass the “cradle” made from string back and forth between their fingers to make shapes and catch each other out.

3. Dens
Making dens in the field, and anywhere else you could find suitable materials
Den making involves gathering absolutely everything you can from around your house, including blankets, duvets, pillows and cushions to make a hideout in the living room.

4. Making perfumes in jam jars
Making perfume in jam jars was all about going outside to find rose petals and simply mixing them with water, as well as adding a drop of two of washing up liquid to make the colour even nicer.

5. Marbles
When was the last time you saw a marble? The tiny glass balls provided us with hours of fun coming up with endless games using them. The classic game you play with these balls involves shooting 11 marbles into a circle and knocking other ones out of the ring.

6. What’s the time Mr Wolf?
You simply take small steps towards a “wolf” who is stood with his back to you, – the number of steps you take depends on the time he shouts out, before he would turn around and chase you. The screams you made when the wolf ran towards you was the best part of the game. As you frantically ran away so as not to be caught.

7. The floor is lava!
It sounds a lot more daring than it is. The idea is that you can’t walk on the carpet or you will melt (obviously).You get around this by getting as many sofa cushions, blankets and anything else you can find, to put on the floor and walk over it to get to the other side of the room. Simple. Easy. Fun.

8. Sardines or hide-and-seek
Hide-and-seek is great fun, especially when you don’t get found within the first five seconds. But another similar game that proved popular with our parenting community is sardines.

It’s like hide-and-seek but only one person hides and all the others must find them, hiding with them when they do. The hiding place obviously becomes hugely cramped (like sardines) and the last person to find the group is a loser.

A crafty Birthday Party for girls

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Are you looking for an activity for a girls birthday party? How about some cool jewellery making, girls of all ages love designing and making their own fun bracelets, necklaces and keyrings. A great way to get all the family involved too.

Just pick the bead mixes that you fancy and mix and match together. You will be amazed at the results from the children.

You could put out a fun choice of beads in different bowls on your party table for the kids to see, e.g. large wooden multi-coloured beads, alphabet beads, stripy beads, heart beads and lovely heart, star and flower silver charms. The kids will mix and match to their heart’s content. Add some simple knots here and there for an extra funky look. Little tip, give the kids a wooden peg each to put on one end of the cord whilst they are threading on beads so that they don’t drop and lose any.

Elastic work well with kids, they are easy to tie knots in, not like some cords which can be stiff. Fitting bracelets on children’s wrists is also easier with elastic. Make sure they double knot at the end.

Beads are an idea for lots of craft activities, not just for jewellery making:
String up some alphabet beads on cord or ribbon and tie as a tassel on a book spine or as a bookmark.

Decorate a photo frame with mixed colourful beads using PVA glue
Dangle some beads on a split ring for a Key Ring idea
Personalise your PE Kit Bag or Pencil Case by stitching on some alphabet beads

We recommend the following quantities needed for children’s jewellery making:
Bracelet – 0.5m per child
Necklace – 1m per child
Key Rings – 0.5m per child

Most of all it will keep the children happy for hours and of course they will always have a keepsake to remind them of their crafty party.

Have a fun time!

Christmas children’s parties

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Christmas is by far one of the most magical experiences of childhood. From being too excited to sleep to peeking out of the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa’s sleigh, the memories of the holiday season become some of our most treasured.

If you have child that has a Birthday near Christmas, make it as exciting as can be, let all the other kids invited get all Christmassy excited!!!

Fancy Dress
When it comes to fancy dress, you’re spoilt for choice. Ask all of the kids to dress as something Christmassy – this can be anything from an Elf to a snowman or a reindeer. Provide them with a few ideas on the invitations to get them started.

Decorations
Aside from the essential Christmas tree, you can have lots of fun creating a festive wonderland in your home.

Santa’s Grotto
A great idea is to create a Santa’s grotto – choose a small room, which you don’t need to use and drape the walls and any furnishings with fabric in deep red and purple.
You can then decorate the room with fairy lights, Christmas lights and decorations to make it feel festive. Get one of the adults to dress as Santa Claus and send the children into the ‘grotto’ to collect their party bags and any other treats.

Crafts
There are lots of simple Christmas decorations that you can easily make with the kids and the whole family. Try making garlands from pine tree leaves, pine cones, tinsel and baubles. Other ideas include; painting the tips of pine cones white for a snow-effect, cutting snowflakes out of paper to string around the house.

Games
Gift Wrap Relay
Divide the children into two teams and provide each team with a gift-wrapped box – you should also prepare stations with pre-cut wrapping paper and cello tape. Each child has to run to a station, unwrap and then rewrap their box, before running back to their team and passing it on to the next person. The first team in which every child unwraps and rewraps the box, wins.

Mystery Stocking
Fill a stocking with a collection of ‘mystery’ party bag fillers, with a distinctive tactile feel. Each child has a chance to feel the fillers inside the stocking – if they can guess what they are without looking, they get to take them home.

Party games for toddlers

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Animals
This is game is fun for small kids who are naturally intrigued by animals and can’t cope with the intricacies of a more complicated game. Have a selection of animal masks or small wild animals– the same number as you have guests. Hold one up, one at a time. Ask all the children to imitate the animal. Continue, changing the animal just as soon as you feel the time is right! At the end of the game, give a mask or animal to each child. This could be a good ‘going’ home game if you’re brave enough not to hand our party bags!

Sleeping Lions
Surprisingly loved by a huge age range, this is a great ‘calming down’ game before handing your guests back to their parents. Ask the children to ‘sleep’ on the floor like a sleeping lion. The moment anybody moves they are ‘out’. In reality, you can ignore the odd twitch and your guests can stay ‘sleeping’ until somebody comes to collect them! You will look marvellously in control and the children will have calmed down into a contented and peaceful state.

Air Balloon
This is more of a time filler than a game with a winner and is enjoyed by everybody because it doesn’t matter how good or bad you are! It’s a good way to start a kids party whilst you are waiting for everybody to arrive. Before the party, insert a small, light-weight gift such as a Stretchy Smiley Men into the opening of a balloon before inflating it. Then, blow air into the balloon and repeat until you have a balloon for each guest. The children have to try keeping the balloon in the air for as long as they can just be using their head. Once given the go ahead they can enjoy bursting the balloon and retrieving their prize!

Pass the Parcel
Before the party wrap a gift into a layer of paper. Now wrap it in another layer and repeat until you have the same number of layers as you do guests. (If you have more than about 15 guests it’s more fun for your guests if you play the game with 2 parcels). Seat everyone in a circle and play some music for a short time. When the music stops, the person holding the parcel removes ONE layer of wrapping. (Have a bin bag ready so you can keep tidy from the start!) Repeat until the last layer of wrapping has been removed. The winner keeps the present.

Fun fairy spotting guide

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If you’d love to add even more sparkle to your day, we’ve listed some really magical locations below which are perfect for spotting a fairy or two…
Trentham Gardens, Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire

Keep your eyes peeled as you walk around the beautiful mile-long lake, through the woodland, maze and gardens where the Fairies at Trentham live. Each fairy is different, some are bold and will want to shake your hand, others are shy and are harder to spot high up in the trees. Can you find them all?

Acorn Bank, Temple Sowerby, Cumbria

Best known for its collection of herbs and traditional fruit orchards, if you explore a little further you might find something straight out of a fairytale! Hidden doors, a hollow tree and a wild play area, so kids can have a real adventure. Look out for pixie houses in the roots of the trees!
Furzey Gardens, Lyndhurst, Hampshire

These magical gardens are hiding over 30 fairy doors for you to hunt out as you make your way around. You will also find a variety of tree houses, lookout towers and an adventure playground.
The Forbidden Corner, Leyburn, North Yorkshire

Winner of the White Rose Awards 2015, Forbidden Corner four acres of labyrinths, grottos, walled gardens, statues and passages are great to explore. You’re not provided with a map so you have to find your own way around, which is all part of the fun.
The Alnwick Garden, Northumberland

Throughout the year the gardens are full of life and colour, there’s also a magical giant treehouse that the kids will love exploring which is one of the largest in the world! Cross the wobbly rope bridges (suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs) to find a treetops restaurant.
The Gnome Reserve & Wildflower Garden; Bradworthy, Devon

Walk around the beautiful woodlands that over 1,000 gnomes call home. Gnome hats are loaned free of charge together with fishing rods, so you don’t embarrass the gnomes when you visit.
Jupiter Artland; Wilkieston, Edinburgh

This is a piece of breathing art; the landscape is dotted with commissioned artwork and full of things to be discovered. The children will love exploring all of the installations and the views of the surrounding landscape are simply stunning.
Trebah Garden; Falmouth, Cornwall

Trebah Garden is a beautiful fun day out for visitors of all ages. This sub-tropical paradise provides a magical Cornish village garden with exotic blooms, vibrant tunnels and there is even a secluded beach on the Helford River. There are also adventure play areas and children’s trails for the little ones to enjoy

Don’t overthink a children’s party

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If you are organising a celebration for your child’s birthday here are some things you may want to avoid.

Inviting Too Many Guests
Whilst it’s often a good idea to invite everyone in your child’s class, to avoid anyone feeling like they have been left out, this will ultimately depend on the space you have available and the amount of other parents you have managed to rope into helping you out. If the party is going to be staged in a small room or you only have limited help available, it may be wise to restrict the number of little guests so that things are a bit more manageable on the day.

Trying to Do Everything Yourself
Although you will be proud of the party you have planned, there is a danger that doing everything yourself will make it a much more stressful process. This is especially true on the day. After you have put in all the effort prior to the occasion, why not take some time to relax during the actual event?

Eating too early
One of the most anticipated and important parts of any kid’s birthday party is the food, but if you offer this up too early then you could struggle to regain order. Instead, it is a good idea to build up to the food and have it near the end of the event. This way if anyone spills anything down them they haven’t got to sit through the rest of the party in dirty clothes, and you won’t have to try and get them settled again before they go home to their parents.

Ignoring The Wishes of Your Child
There is little point in wasting money on expensive decorations and gourmet food if all they would like is a few balloons and their favourite snacks. It’s always a good idea to ask them their preferences for the party – maybe give them 3 or 4 suggestions to choose from so it helps with the decision making process, and then you can guarantee they are going to love whatever you plan for them.

More importantly, it also means you’ve involved them in the process and it makes them feel much more like it’s their party. Try to avoid going to the other extreme though and allowing your child to have all the say.

School holiday ideas

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Knowing how to keep children amused through the school holidays can sometimes be daunting for parents, especially when things cost so much. Here are some top tips to help take some of the stress out of it, and keep everyone happy without needing to spend a fortune.

Going out and about
During the school holidays, there may be lots going on in your local area that your family can enjoy, often for free. Check the websites of your local council and tourist information centres for local days out, or scan the local papers and community centres to see what’s going on in your area. Visit your local library and look for adverts of events. Many libraries hold events such as story time, and arts and crafts days. Libraries are also a great source of activity in themselves, with plenty of books and computers to keep children busy, plus they often have storytime for toddlers and parents.

Check to see if your local council swimming pool offers free or reduced-fee entrance in the school holidays. Museums and galleries often have new exhibitions and events running in the summer. Many art galleries put on special events for children and families – this could be just the thing to stimulate your child’s artistic streak. Check out your local leisure centre – there are plenty of children’s sports and activities they can participate in.

Staying at home
Of course, on some days, you will find yourselves stuck at home, but that doesn’t mean anyone has to be bored. You could take the opportunity to spend some time sharing a favourite game or story with your children or, if you want some more inspiration, try some of these activities. Arrange a movie day – choose a couple of favourite films, get some popcorn and put your feet up with the kids.

Get cooking – pick a recipe with the kids, go shopping for ingredients and cook something together that you can enjoy eating afterwards. Depending on your child’s age and interest, this could be anything from a simple sponge cake to a mushroom stroganoff! Dig out the puzzles, games and books and give them a go. Some good old-fashioned children’s entertainment can be really fun.

Have a look in your cupboards and play dress up with your old clothes. Sort through your clothes together and recycle the ones that you never wear and the stuff your little one’s grown out of.

Encourage the kids to put on a play or a magic show. They could even use the dress up clothes and props from around the house. If you have a camera, you can even film it, for great memories. Build a den with the kids – if the weather is ok, you could even risk doing this outside! All you need is some boxes or sofa cushions, a few blankets, and a bit of imagination.

Create a scrapbook together using photos from your family album, or torn from magazines.
The great outdoors (and the garden!)

Sunny days are great for simple activities like picnics and ball games. This can be done as close to home as in the back garden!

Don’t try and fill every minute of every day. Encourage your children’s imagination and independence – let them play in their rooms or the garden.

Different Birthday Party ideas

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Looking for a children’s birthday party with a difference that won’t break the bank? Here’s our roundup of some amazing attractions and venues from across the UK that are sure to provide lots of lovely memories of their big day!

Farmer Palmers Farm Park, Poole, Dorset
£14.95 per family
This lovely farm offers so much fun for little (and big!) animal lovers alike. You’ll get to see live milking demos, pig races, have a go on a bouncy castle and more! Tickets include one child, two adults, food and drink, a tractor ride and full use of the park… which would normally retail at £35 each!

AMF Bowling, Various Locations
From £7.99 per child
What could beat a round of bowling for a fun, competitive and much loved classic kids birthday party? Fab food is all included in the price too!

Go Ape, Various Locations
From £17 per child
Swing, zip, balance and jump your way through the trees on the Tree Top Adventure courses, suspended high above the forest floor. Younger adventurers will love Tree Top Junior, a lower and easier version.

Adventure Wonderland, Christchurch, Dorset
Various Price Packages Available
With over 30 fab rides and attractions, Adventure Wonderland offers lots of fun for everyone! Battle it out on the Battle Boats (be prepared to get wet!), go on the Dragon’s Drop Megaslide or even go see some adorable animals in the Cuddle Corner Farm.

Mattel Play! Albert Dock, Liverpool
£15 per child
With over 13,000 square feet of themed exciting entertainment, including well known characters such as Thomas and Friends, Fireman Sam and Bob the Builder, kids will love exploring this amazing play centre! Yummy party food is included.

The Rainforest Cafe, Piccadilly Circus, London
£15.50 per child
Bringing together the fascinating sights and sounds of the jungle, this fab cafe is the perfect place for a wildlife mad partygoer! See the animals brought to life, experience thunderstorms and, of course, eat lots of super yummy food too!

Go Air Trampoline Park, Ty-glas Avenue, Cardiff
£16 per person
With 60 minutes of pure trampolining fun in their open space, 40 minutes in their dedicated special party room, socks, invites AND food (you’ll get either a choice of Papa John’s pizza or a delicious deli sandwich), Go Air is the place to take your active little ones looking to blow off some steam on their big day!

Funky Monkeys, Cityside, Belfast
From £8 per child
With jungle themed play rooms, an interactive kitchen area, car track with crazy coupe cars and more, Funky Monkeys will not disappoint and is sure to provide lots of fun on your little monkeys big day! There’s a range of party options available to suit all needs, so be sure to check out their website!

Waterworld, Newquay, Cornwall
From £17.99 per person
With a 6 lane 25m pool, tropical fun pool, 2 water flumes, cannons, tippers and a snake fountain, this is the perfect place to host your pool mad little ones party! Prices include unlimited pool use, small buffet package, free return for the birthday child, 50% off future visits for all guests and more!

Sea Life Centre, Great Yarmouth, Norwich
From £10.50 per child
Sea Life is fab for aquatic mad little ones! Price includes entrance to the centre, a dedicated VIP tour by one of the crew, hot meal, free local annual pass for the birthday child, free downloadable invites and more!

Sleepover parties for girls

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Before the party, the party girl and her parents should decide on the role the parents will play. Will they be close at hand, or just nearby in case you need them? Also, decide what siblings will do that evening.

You may want to decide, in advance, on a “code word” in case a situation comes up and the party girl wants her parents to step in and help. If there is a conflict going on or something gets out of hand, the parent can be the “bad guy,” but it also keeps the party girl from looking like they are running to mum & dad for help in front of their friends.

Have a collection of music to listen to, as well as magazines, board games, etc. That way if someone isn’t interested in an activity they don’t have to participate if they don’t want to.
And be flexible, a big part of the fun of this type of girls birthday party is just seeing what happens!

Party Games

Makeup Artist – You’ll need makeup: lipstick, loose powder and blusher. Stay away from things that could injure an eye, such as eye shadow (unless applying with a cotton ball) and no mascara. Divide players into teams. One player is the model, and their teammate is the make up artist. The makeup artist has 2 minutes to put makeup on their model. But must do it blindfolded! The other players who aren’t taking their turn can yell out directions on what to do – “higher, lower, over to the left,” etc.!

Photo Fun – Divide players into teams, with each team using a digital camera or phone camera. Give each team a list of photos to take. Some ideas are: the team pretending to sleep, of the team dancing, of the team doing yoga, etc. Whatever you can think of that will make a crazy photo! Make sure the different players take turns being the photographer so everyone gets a turn to be photographer and models!

Ticking Clock Game – Have players leave the room (or hide their eyes) while you hide an alarm clock in one sleeping bag. At some point in the evening, have the clock set to go off. Tell your guests that the alarm will go off, but don’t tell them when it will go off – that will be a surprise). When the alarm rings, whoever can find the clock first wins!

The best balloon modellers

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One of the most popular forms of children’s party entertainment, as balloons have always been a fascination to both young and old.

Suitable for kids of all ages: skilled balloon modellers will share a laugh with your guests while they whip up a creation from a wide range of designs. They will also happily harmonise their dress and balloon models to the theme of your event.

Balloon modellers have the ability to make any event a success, creating twisted masterpieces such as animals, motorbikes, superheroes, swords and much more. Children are always kept amused and entertained, as they guess what the next creation will be.

Balloon Modellers work everywhere and anywhere from kids private parties, teenagers graduations parties, and kids schools.

Balloon Modellers mingle with the guests, captivating them with bespoke balloon creations; each is a perfect photo-opportunity but also they get to take home a colourful memory of your special day or event.

BALLOON CARICATURES

Why not book a Balloon Caricature Modeller for your sit down dinner. The performer will roam your event or table between meals and make a comedy balloon caricature likenesses of your party guests! This highly unusual caricature act really gets guests chatting to each other, and leaves them amazed and delighted with a totally unusual take-home gift!

BALLOON MODELLING WORKSHOPS

For kids workshops or family fundays, schools and other events, learn how to make flower bracelets, monkeys up trees, penguins, hats and more. Suitable for older children (7+). Designs can be taught in school colours or themes which are great fun and they can supply all materials for the workshops.