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Sit back and enjoy
Entertaining children at a party is hard work, especially if you’ve got a range of ages attending, they all want to play, and you’re trying to set up the food! So, why not let a professional children’s party entertainers delight, entertain and enthrall your children and their friends, while you relax and wonder how 20 kids could possibly eat all that food in one sitting. (Don’t worry, they will!)
Despite knowing how to work an XBox from birth and being more tech savvy than Bill Gates, kids actually really enjoy traditional style entertainment that engages, amuses and surprises. A professional kids’ party entertainer understands the need to provide party entertainment that keeps children involved for every second, never letting their attention wander, or their enthusiasm lapse.
Make sure professionals are from either performance or childcare backgrounds, who are CRB checked and have full insurance. They should be highly experienced and are able to provide quality entertainment for all types of parties and children, so you can sit back and enjoy the fun and games.
Once you have booked outside help for your child’s Birthday, you will find that you never really would like it any other way, you can sit back and relax, which makes for a memorable child’s party for years to come.
Budget saving Birthday Parties
Children’s birthday parties don’t have to break the bank. In fact, you can throw a successful and fun birthday party for your child, no matter what the age, in your very own home.
1. 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!
2. Venue
Obviously the cheapest venue will be in your own home. If your kids 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!
3. 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!
4. Entertainment
Children’s party 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.
Planning Children’s Parties
Children’s party entertainment is something that many parents lose sleep over. Where do you find something that will keep your kids busy and engaged for the whole duration of the party, and something that they haven’t already seen before? It’s a challenge most parents would gladly forgo, so Red Masque is here to help. We have access to an eclectic mix of party games, party entertainers and a fund of children’s birthday party ideas that are new and different.
It’s quite challenging thinking up every year of something ‘special’ and different for the right reasons for your child’s/teenagers birthday this is why Red Masque hold the key to taking the stress out of trying to think of something unique.
Why not look on an entertainment directory, where you can hire only the best children’s party entertainment, for any age group, which can thrill, enthral and astound the audience; from balloon modellers to magicians, street dancers to caricaturists and even green screen photography entertainments, plus a whole series of indoor and outdoor games which include:
Indoor –
Dance Machines,
Photo Booths,
Table Football,
Air Hockey and Skittles.
Bubble and Smoke machines
Karaoke
Balloon Modellers
Face Painters
Outdoor –
Funfair Stalls,
Giant outdoor games Connect 4, Kerplunk etc.
Giant Scalextrics.
Bouncy Castles
Fairground rides
Make sure you check out the entertainer’s policies so everything runs as smoothly as possible. Looking on an entertainment directory, you will be spoilt for choice and it will definitely give you ‘food for thought’ there will be something for everybody’s tastes!!
Entertaining the youngsters
So, the kids have stopped playing with their Christmas presents ages ago and they’re board. Would you like some ideas on how to entertain them? We’ve come up with some great places to take them and also some DIY at home children’s entertainment for hire.
A day at the museum
London museums open their doors on weekends, and at the Science Museum there’s a fab exhibition on the birth of the space age; great for any budding cosmonauts.
But if you don’t fancy going out albeit only in the garden, build yourself a bubble-powered rocket fuelled by indigestion tablets. We are sure you will be able to find a great children’s entertainer. The right entertainer will keep them amused for hours.
A Prima ballerina
Make a budding ballerina’s dream come true with a performance of The Nutcracker by the English National Ballet.
Our suggestion: You can book ballet dance shows, with a prima ballerina teaching your child and her friends a ballet class, hair and makeup techniques and even giving a private performance. Move over Angelina mouse!
Ski Sunday
Take the kids to an indoor snow centre like Snow-Dome in Tamworth – and of course other dry ski slopes are dotted about throughout the UK, where they can toboggan, snowboard and freestyle to their heart’s content.
Why not hold a ski party! For inside parties, hire an ice sculpture and watch on a big screen some snow-boarding. For outside events, hire an ice rink and even a snow machine if budget will allow. And, of course, you’ll need suitable music – a Snow Patrol tribute band perhaps?
Fun at the circus
Circus acts are definitely cool this year, and there are some excellent circus shows on offer this year. As the summer holidays are fastly approaching Circus tents will be popping up all over the country which will include trapeze artists, clowns, jugglers, aerialists and acrobats.
Hopefully we’ve given you a bit of inspiration and made you think that next time, instead of you going to the fun; the fun can come to you… Have a great weekend!
Movie star parties
This party are for girls (or boys) that would just love to be in the movies…
INVITATIONS:
For the invitation, buy some really good stationary, and cut it into a star shape. Then, punch holes in it about every inch or so and thread gold or silver ribbon through the holes. Then in calligraphy write “you are cordially invited to spend (date) at the Oscars. Please arrive at (address) at approximately (time). To make your final reservation, please reply to the home of (child’s name) at (number).
DECORATIONS:
On the front walkway, we laid out some red felt made to look like the red carpet, and stuck sticks of wood about 1 foot away from each other along the sides, where I tied gold, silver, and white balloons to. Inside, I let some more balloons float.
ACTIVITIES:
The main activity of the party was Making the movie, but before that, we got all the actresses ‘ready’ by sending them to the ‘spa’. Throughout the house, there was a different station, and one was in the birthday girl’s bedroom. The first station, the spare room, was home to the nail and hair salon. In here we had some friends dressing the girl’s hair with pins and clips and my other friend did the nails. The other station, in the downstairs office, was makeup.
The last station, in the birthday girl’s bedroom was the dressing station, here, there were all kinds of dress up clothes that the girls could choose from. After all the girls finished at the spa, we made the movie. Before the party, we had written a simple script based on the movie, “the Princess Diaries”, where a normal teenage girl finds out she is a princess. We handed out these 3 page scripts, and each girl was given a part and five minutes to look it over quickly. Then we filmed it. Afterwards, we showed it to the girls on video and they were very proud.
Then, last but not least, we handed out the actual Oscars. Before hand, we had cut trophies out of cardboard and painted them with each girl’s name on it. For the ceremony, we had 10 categories (there were ten girls). Some of the categories were best script remembered, funniest costume, etc. We called each girl up individually to receive her award. (since we didn’t know what category each girl was going to win, when the girls came up, we wrote it with a pen on the back). After this, we had dinner at our homemade restaurant and then, to make the girls sleepy after the excitement, we showed them a copy of the proper Oscars, which featured all their favourite actors and actresses.
In the dining room, we had table settings that made it look like a posh restaurant. For each girl’s plate, we had a typed name card, a folded cloth napkin with a napkin ring, and we even had real silverware instead of plastic. We served chicken, rice, soup, and a chocolate cake that looked like an Oscar award.
PARTY BAGS
When the girls were watching the movie, we made 10 copies of the video we made. We gave these out to the guests along with a bottle of nail polish.
Kitty Cat Party
Is your child ‘Cat crazy?’ It could be anything from Hello Kitty or the cute furry things themselves. Why not create your very own cat party for your child? Here are a few ideas that other people have done and we hope you are inspired to follow:
For the party invitations you can always find pretty stationary with cats on them, you can write invitations on these and will be a lovely keepsake for anyone loving cats.
When your guests arrive why not face paint the guests as cats? You could paint a nose and whiskers and also think about headband ears made of felt and glitter, or get your guests to make a pair?
Now, what about games? You could play ‘pin the tail on the cat?’ or as cat’s love string you could create a sting maze. Attach a toilet paper tube to both end of 7 pieces (for approx. 14 guests) of string or wool, on one end, the tube has a picture of a cat, the other tube has a picture of a mouse. Maze them around the room, underneath chairs, tables and benches and each child has to find who is on the other end of their string.
For crafty children’s party ideas you could buy a set of paper white plates with black card, pipe cleaners for whiskers and googly eyes, guess what these are going to be make into? Yes, you have guessed it, cat faces!!!
For food, make it fun with little sandwiches cut into goldfish shapes. If you are feeling adventurous food bowls could be decorated with cat ears and whiskers!! And don’t forget to serve milk!!
For the cake, you could obviously buy your own, but why not make a cake similar to your child’s favourite kitty? Hello Kitty is a favourite, but if he or she has her own special cat why not model the cake around this?
Party Bags can be filled with chocolate cats or mice and cute cat stickers and anything you like that involves cats. This is sure to be a success and at a reasonable price too.
A party for the 4th of July
Join in the fun and celebrate the United States’ Declaration of Independence with all the fireworks, stars and stripes that go with it for your 4th of July party this year! All you need is an assortment of traditional patriotic foods such as apple pie, hamburgers and ice cream, and a firework-worthy location to create the most magical commemoration of American freedom you and your family have ever experienced.
4th of July party besides the fireworks is fantastic food. You can start by pledging allegiance to your grill and making some of America’s favourite barbeque foods like hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, steak and chicken. Try adding an Independence Day twist to some of your favourite classics by incorporating an American flag or the colours red, white, and blue in each dish. For example, you can buy some toothpicks with an American flag attached from a party store and stick them in each of your hamburgers.
Your 4th of July party success depends largely on the location of your family gathering, whether it is a cosy barbeque or fun picnic for the kids and all the family.
Since this sunny holiday takes place in the summer, it is wise to select a party location where you and your patriots can enjoy the beautiful weather and even a firework show after the sun sets. If you aren’t willing to host your 4th of July bash in your garden, try staking out a spot at the beach or the park where you can best enjoy the sunny weather. Although many cities do not allow fireworks to be set off to avoid accidental fires, there is always the option of driving the family over to a park where fireworks are not prohibited. And don’t forget to be safe and bring a bucket and some water to ensure that all the fireworks are properly extinguished.
Throw a World Cup Football Party
With the World Cup just around the corner, we’ve all been given the excuse to don our England shirts once again, gather around the TV in the middle of the day and wait with baited breath to see if this could finally be our year?
However, what about the little ones in your life? The World Cup is a great opportunity to throw a fun, football-themed party for your kids and their friends. It’s also a handy opportunity to get them thinking about different cultures, as well as potentially getting them into a new sport.
Here are our tips for throwing a World Cup party this summer.
Setting the Date
It just wouldn’t be right to throw a football party without watching a football game. You can find all of the England team’s upcoming fixtures throughout the Cup on the Web.
Fancy Dress
Get all of the children to come as a famous footballer – past or present – from a different competing country. You can find out all the nation’s taking part and you can buy replica kits from most sports shops or online, or the kids can get crafty and put together their own.
Invitations
Making your own invitations is a great way to put in that little bit of extra effort. You can also use the invites as the big reveal, to let the kids know which nation’s kit they’ll be dressing up in.
Write the names of all of the competing nations onto bits of paper and place them in a hat. Get your child to help you randomly pull out a piece of paper for each guest who will be attending. You can then theme each invite based on which team they will need to be dressed up as – decorating them with the specific nation’s flag is a great idea.
Decorations
When it comes to decorations, flags are the obvious way to go. In the spirit of embracing different cultures, don’t just stick with the England flag. Cover the children’s party venue in flags from all of the competing nations, for a colourful display.
You can also get themed table-ware such as a goal table setting.
Food
The food is where you can really start to get adventurous – and get the kids to try something new as well! Get busy in the kitchen and make a variety of dishes from competing nations. Here are some great ideas:
England
Fish and chips is the go-to-dish and is guaranteed to go down well with any fussier kids. For an easy option you can try fish fingers.
France
Great French dishes to serve include a yummy Provencal omelette cake (great for vegetarians too!) and French Toast.
Spain
Try serving some tapas dishes to bring some Spanish flavour to your party. Simple dishes such as potato chunks and salsa tortillas are usually safe bets. Italy
If you’re looking for child-friendly party dishes from around the world, you’d be silly to leave Italy off the list. Make some large pasta dishes such as lasagne for everyone to tuck into and try your hand at some home-made pizza.
Five-a-Side Football
The most obvious activity – if it’s not chucking it down – is five-a-side football. Split the kids into teams, set up two goals and let them burn off some energy!
Football Relay Course
Buy some cones online and set up a relay course. Split the kids into teams – the first team to have every member dribble a ball around the cones and back wins.
Penalty Shoot Out
Split the kids into teams and put an adult in goal. Each child gets two attempts to score a goal – the team that achieves the most goals wins.
Guess the Flag
Turn the decorations into a fun learning activity and get the kids to guess which country each flag represents.
Hand out prizes to the winners.
Party Bags
Handing out themed party bags at the end of the event is a great way to thank everyone for coming and make sure they have a reminder of the day.
The World Cup is a great excuse to throw your kids and their friends a party they’ll love – plus you can use it as an opportunity to get them learning about different cultures and trying something new!
Teenage Party Ideas
Ask any parent what the trickiest age for kids is and they’ll often reply ‘teenager’. Not quite grown-up, not quite children, throwing a party for your early teens or tweenagers, (as 10-12 year olds are sometimes known), can be tricky.
The important thing is to get the balance right between a children’s party and something a little more grown-up. Here are our tips to help you get it right.
Themes
Rock Star Party
A rock star themed party is a great way to bridge the gap between child and teenager. Ask the kids to come dressed as their favourite diva or guitar hero, or alternatively, a glam rock theme can be a big hit.
Essential Activities
Air guitar competitions and karaoke, of course.
Party Bags
Any self-respecting rock star has an impressive array of tattoos.
Spa Party
For many (not all) girls, it’s their tweenage or early teenage years when they first develop an interest in fashion and beauty. If this is something your child is interested in, a spa party could be the ideal theme.
Create a calm, clean and relaxing environment, with plenty of towels, seating, easy access to a bathroom and different ‘stations’ for activities. You could also play relaxing music and provide healthy snacks, such as fruit smoothies.
Essential Activities
Facemasks with cucumber slices for the eyes, foot spas, manicures and makeovers.
Party Bags
Fill your spa party pack with lots of girly pampering products, face masks, lip balm or bath bombes.
Cinema Party
What could be better than a party including all of your favourite films? Get all of the children invited to suggest an age-appropriate film, and then vote on the ones they want to watch. All you need to do is provide a comfy seating area and plenty of cinema-themed snacks, such as popcorn, hot dogs, nachos and mixed sweets.
Activities
Film watching! You could also play a movie trivia quiz and movie-themed Pictionary.
Pizza Party
The great thing about teenagers and tweens is that they’ve reached an age where they can do more complex activities – still under supervision, of course. Throwing a pizza party is great fun and it results in lots of yummy home-made snacks.
Get the guests to form teams and design their fantasy pizza, using any toppings they like. Once all the pizzas are cooked, get everyone to try each other’s – whichever team’s pizza is voted the most delicious, wins.
Activities
A pizza making competition! You could also put together a quiz on Italy – the homeland of the pizza, or try blindfold pizza tasting to see who can guess the toppings.
General Tips
– Give them some space – early teens and tweens are at an age where they’re going to want some privacy when they spend time with their friends. Make sure you’re nearby and available if there’s a problem, and pop in every now and again to make sure things are OK.
– Don’t treat them like children – OK, so they’re not grown-ups and still require a certain level of supervision, but suggesting children’s games such as musical statues probably isn’t going to go down well.
– Get an extra pair of eyes – monitoring a teen/tween party without making them feel babied is a balancing act. Make sure you have someone to help you – if you know a trustworthy older teen, they could be a great asset.
With the right theme and some tactful supervision, you can get the balance right at your teen/tween party.