Tag: kids

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.

In the run up to the big day, throwing a Christmas party for the kids is a great way to make this year even more memorable. Plus, it’s an opportunity for you to get your creative juices flowing and fill the house with festive fun.

Invitations

Snowman Invitations: To make, simply cut out a snowman shape from white card. You can then cut out and stick on a hat made from black card, and stick on a scarf made from felt. Add the face with coloured pens, or use googly eyes for extra impact.

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 a penguin to Santa Claus. 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.

Get Crafty

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.

Activities

Every party needs plenty of fun activities to keep everyone entertained. Why not try:

Pass the Parcel

This is a classic game, which can easily be adapted for the festive season. Hide gifts between layers of wrapping paper – the kids pass the parcel round the circle, and if they’re holding it when the music stops, they get to open a layer.

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, un-wrap and then re-wrap 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 little kids

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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 children’s birthday 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.  Three variations include:

1. Putting a forfeit in each layer e.g. name 2 animals beginning with p, count from 20 backwards, kiss somebody wearing blue….

2. Putting a gift in each layer. Have a look at our really special made up pass the parcels which save you a huge amount of time and inspiration. If you make up your own, choose fairly small gifts to stop the parcel becoming unmanageable and you might like to follow your party theme if you have one.

3. Cinderella Pass the Parcel – another special pass the parcel but more of an effort for you. You need a pair of Cinderella type dressing up slippers and as many girly gifts as you have guests. First, wrap one slipper with a girly gift. Repeat wrapping individual layers and tuck a girly gift in each layer. About halfway through the number of layers you choose to use, insert the other slipper and a girly gift, and keep wrapping. Play the game in the normal way. Continue until the first slipper is unwrapped. Then, reverse the passing order until the second slipper is uncovered. The 2 girls holding the slippers then ballroom dance around the circle, wearing one slipper each.

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.

 

Common worries for parents

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Any parent knows that children’s parties can be stressful. From who to invite to chasing RSVPs, planning an event can feel like a minefield of social conundrums.

However, the important thing to remember is that you’re not alone – visit any of the major parenting forums and you’ll find plenty of posts detailing exactly the same concerns. And, as the saying goes, there’s ‘wisdom in crowds’, so what better place to look for advice?

Here are some of the most common concerns;

Should I invite the whole class?

This is a common concern – how do you decide who to invite from your child’s class? Only invite a select few and you run the risk that someone’s feelings will be hurt, invite everyone and your budget can spiral out of control.

The consensus seems to be that only inviting half the class is fine, as long as you make sure you aren’t just leaving out a couple of children. It’s fairly common for parents not to invite the whole class, especially if their child isn’t close to all of its members.

When you consider that all of the children may bring parents or siblings, limiting the number of invites seems perfectly reasonably – as long as you’re not singling anyone out.

Should I invite boys and girls?

The gender divide is a frequent concern, with many parents noticing boys not turning up to their daughter’s parties and vice versa.

An explanation for this could be the party theme. For example, one parent notes that her son was happy to go to a ‘heroes party’ but not a ‘Frozen’ party. Having a unisex theme is a good way to make sure that all of the children feel comfortable attending.

Another explanation could be age. Younger kids tend to have friends of both genders, whilst older children will often have a group of friends who are the same gender as them. However, every child is different, so it’s important to discuss with them who they’d like to invite.

How much should I spend?

Children’s parties can become expensive, so money is always a pressing concern. Once children reach school age, they’re likely to be invited to their classmate’s parties, which can pile the pressure on to compete.

So, how do you ignore the pleas for all the latest bells and whistles, and make sure you don’t spend more than you can afford? As mentioned above, one of the easiest ways is to reduce the number of people you invite.

However, there are lots of other things you can do to cut down on costs. Hiring out a village hall can be a good bet, as they will generally charge an all-in-one fee for a two to three-hour party, unlike other venues, which will often have additional charges for food etc.

If you’ve got the time, making supplies such as the cake and decorations yourself is a great budgeting trick.

What to do if parents don’t RSVP?

Is there anything more annoying than people who don’t RSVP? Unfortunately, not knowing who’s going to turn up seems to be a common problem

This can be particularly problematic when ordering party bags or food – how do you know how much you’ll need, if you don’t know who’s coming? And the problem is exacerbated if they then turn up with siblings in tow.

A good tactic is to include a politely worded caution in the invitation.  Something along the lines of ‘food and party bags will be ordered on XXX, so could you please RSVP by then to let me know either way’.

If there are still non-responders, it might be worth handing out reminders just before the date stipulated in the invitations.

How much should I put in the party bags?

Handing out party bags has become a staple of children’s parties, but knowing what to put in them is causing some parents a headache. Whilst you don’t want to look like you’ve gone completely over the top (largely due to the impact on your budget!), you don’t want to look like you’ve been too stingy either.

The general consensus is that just a couple of quality items is more than enough, with many parents including a mixture of sweets and small toys, with one or two different items for boys and girls. The focus should be on quality not quantity, as these items will bring more fun for longer.

Throwing a children’s party doesn’t have to be stressful. By following our guide to party etiquette, you can ensure that you sail smoothly through any potential pitfalls. And, if in doubt, talk to other parents – two heads are always better than one.

 

A tea party for little girls

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All little ladies dream of having a tea party, dressing up and sitting down at a beautiful table with china cups and floral table accents. So get ready to put on your fancy dress and a tea party hat.

Here are some ideas you need to throw a beautiful Tea Party;

Transform your home or garden into a family fun pastel coloured tea party getaway. Serve tea, lemonade or punch along with dainty finger sandwiches and fruit. Your little Tea Party guests will be over the moon.

Invitations.

  • Tea party invitations can be a tea cup, a tea party hat or just a beautiful tea party designed card. Just be sure to make them really special by using a fancy font and graphics that support the theme. Be sure to give the start time, end time, date and location of the Tea Party.

 

Decorations.

  • Set the mood for your children’s party with great party decorations like a garland archway and play some beautiful music. Cover the party table with a flowery tablecloth and a beautiful centrepiece. Create a beautiful tea party setting for your guests to enjoy the finger sandwiches and tea.

 

Party Games.

  • Sometimes the memories are even more special when guests get to take home the artwork that they’ve created themselves at the party. Whether they decorate tea party hats, tiara, or a special decorative item, it will be something special that helps them remember and share their event with others.

 

Costumes.

  • A tea party for children just isn’t the same without all the guests dressed with some fancy tea party dresses. If you are throwing a tea party, be sure to include a hat or tiara!

 

Party Food

  • Don’t forget the snacks and drinks for all of your tea party guests.  Tiny finger food snacks and sweet flavoured tea drinks or lemonade are always top of the list. But it’s also fun to have some sweet pastries and fruit.

 

The cake.

  • A tea cup cake is always popular with those who like to bake. For those who prefer a simple and less complicated treat, individual cupcakes and ice cream in individual cupcake liners can reduce the mess of serving treats under pressure.

 

Places to take nature lovers

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Looking to make a splash with your next family day out? Head to one of these many beautiful waterfalls and take in some stunning sights and scenery, which is sure to please your little nature lovers!

Mottisfont Abbey & Garden, Romsey, Hampshire

Surrounded by picturesque riverside gardens, this historic house is full of beauty from paintings, photographs and interior design. The gardens provide seasonal delights throughout the year, with spring offering an amazing blue carpet of ‘Glory of the snow’. There’s also a lovely Wild Play area for kids and great trails to follow!

Pistyll Rhaeadr Waterfall, Wales

This enchanting waterfall in the Berwyn Mountains is the highest waterfall in the UK! With water plummeting 240 ft from top to bottom, it’s no wonder many visitors return again and again!

Aberdulais Tinworks and Waterfall, Neath, Wales

Come and discover two fascinating attractions in one place! Set in a steep gorge, see how the water-powered tin worked and how the now giant water wheel is used to generate electricity. The kids can pick up a tracker pack which is stuffed full of children’s activities for them to complete as they make their way around! The Old Schoolhouse is now a great little tea room where you can feed the brood with light bites and treats.

Waterfall Country, Brecon Beacons National Park

Nestled in the southern slopes of the Forest, west of Merthyr Tydfil, the Waterfall Country is one of the most beautiful spots in the Brecon Beacons National Park! You’ll see steep, tree-lined gorges and lots of splashing water! It also contains two Sites of Special Scientific Interest, which include oak and ash trees and over 200 species of mosses, liverworts and ferns!

Cotter Force, North Yorkshire

Explore this lovely secluded waterfall in its beautiful woodland setting! It is a series of about half a dozen waterfalls, with the largest single drop being about 1.5m. The perfect tranquil day out!

Janet’s Foss, North Yorkshire

Try your hand at this popular walk, starting at Malham Village and ending at the magical waterfall at Janet’s Foss. You’ll encounter flagged paths through fields before making your way through the woodland on rough and rocky tracks!

Hardraw Force, Hawdraw, Yorkshire

Hardraw Force is home to England’s largest single drop waterfall with a reputed 100 foot drop! Set within the grounds of the historic Green Dragon Inn, little explorers are sure to be amazed at what this fascinating site has to offer.

Lydford Gorge, Okehampton

The White Lady Waterfall offers breathtaking views… and is a great family photo opportunity! The water runs down the gorge’s face like a stream of silk, inspiring theories around its name. It’s also super beneficial to surrounding wildlife too, with the wind and spray providing a rainforest-like environment for lots of fascinating plant life to form!

Get some sneaky exercise in with the kids

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Now that spring has made an appearance, it is the perfect time to start making the most of the sunshine to enjoy a bit of fresh air, getting some exercise outdoors. If you’re looking for ways to get your little ones active, as well as cram in a little cardio yourself, have a go at some of the following ideas!

1. Make Household Chores Fun

Whilst it’s easy for the kids to dismiss chores as boring, why not try and turn them into a fun game to get them moving? Challenging them to see how many toys they can put away in a minute might be all it takes to get them running around the house!

2. Sneak in More Steps

This one is a super easy way to make sure you’re moving as much as possible. There’s lots of ways to sneak in some more steps, from parking the car a few roads away, taking the stairs instead of the lift and more.

3. Take a Daily Walk With Kids

Taking a walk everyday is a great way to get your little ones into an exercise routine, which can be both active and educational. See if you can get them naming what wildlife and flowers they can spot on their travels! It doesn’t have to be far, as there’s sure to be something interesting at every corner.

4. Music Motivation

If you’re looking for a way to get your little ones active and ready for school in record time, why not throw on an upbeat playlist that they love and see if they can get ready before the songs are over. Shameless dancing around the kitchen is optional.

5. Gardening with Kids

Prepping the garden for spring and summer is the perfect (yet deceiving) way to get your little ones eager to move. Get them weeding, plant potting and watering flowers to give them some TV free time.

6. Weekly Sports Night

This one is great for getting the family together and being active. Whether its football in the park, bike riding or going for a swim, there’s lots of options available to keep things interesting each week!

Castle culture

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Looking for the best place to grab a slice of culture and learn a thing or two? You can’t go wrong with a visit to a castle to entertain your mini knights and princesses! Here’s a list of some  family days out throughout the UK.

Corfe Castle, Wareham

Bring your budding little historian to these iconic ruins steeped in 100 years of fascinating history. Try and spot murder holes, count arrow loops and complete a quiz on your travels! Keep your eyes peeled for family events held throughout the year including spectacular battle re-enactments, an open-air theatre and cinema days.

Dunster Castle, Minehead

Located in the picturesque setting of Dunster, this beautiful castle was home to the Luttrell family who lived here for 600 years. It overlooks the village and features an amazing 17th century staircase, as well as a sub-tropical garden covering 28 acre and contains plants such as the giant lemon tree, yuccas, mimosa and palms.

Penrhyn Castle, Bangor

Come and bring your little knights and princesses to explore this amazing 19th century castle! You’ll find fascinating objects such as a one tonne slate bed made for Queen Victoria, as well as the castle kitchens and stables. Outdoors there are over 60 acres of grounds to be discovered with parkland, exotic trees and a Victorian walled garden.

Scotney Castle, Tunbridge Wells

Discover all that this wonderful castle, which was built by Edward Hussey III from the sandstone quarried from the grounds, has to offer! Covering 770 acres, this castle is the perfect spot for walks and picnics. There is plenty for the kids to enjoy including the Natural Play Trail, Discovery Room, building dens in the Wilderness Camp and looking out for wildlife including barn owls!

Lindisfarne Castle, Berwick upon Tweed

This dramatic castle, which was renovated by Arts and Crafts architect Edwin Lutyens, is an an amazing place to bring the kids! Explore its many rooms, staircases and see some fantastic views from the top. The Gertrude Jekyll Garden is a beautiful little garden by the castle and there are lime kilns that you can explore too!

Castle Ward, Downpatrick

Take a tour of this 18th century castle surrounded by dramatic rolling hills. There’s trails around the grounds to keep little explorers entertained, where they can spot wildlife such as butterflies, rabbits, ducks and swans. There’s also a super fun outdoor woodland playground and adventure playground too!

Family days out for £25

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Boscombe Coastal Activity Park – Bournemouth, Dorset

FREE ENTRY

Stroll down Boscombe Beach and you will be able to enjoy a whole host of coastal activities including free swing ball, table tennis, bouldering and don’t forget to check out the music trail on the pier!9. Wellsfield Farm Park, Falkirk

Family: £22, Adult: £5.5, Child (under 16): £6.5

This family run farm park has plenty to keep the little ones happy.  There’s acres of green space to explore, trails to follow, an adventure play area and so much more. Race around the go-kart track, have a ride on a pony, go pond dipping or try your luck at panning for gold! If you want something a bit more active there’s a climbing wall, agility poles, monkey bars, scramble net, balance beams and a zip wire.

Hoar Park Farm, Nuneaton

Family: £11, Adult: £3, Child: £2.50, Under 2: Free

At Hoar Park farm you can meet a whole bunch of different animals such as goats, chickens, geese, ponies, donkeys, pigs, deer, cows, guinea pigs, rabbits and even a tarantula called Rosie, who you can touch! There’s also a playground where your little ones can run around and keep themselves busy for an hour or two.

Ludlow Castle, Shropshire

Family: £13.50, Adult: £5, Child: £2.50, Under 6: Free

Explore this medieval ruin and your little ones can play at being princes and princesses for the day! They often have loads of special events on from kids workshops to food festivals and on Monday the 29th of August they’ve got a family entertainment spectacular taking place. Watch the knights battle for the Heritage Cup, listen to the Jester’s jokes and listen to exciting talks about medieval weaponry. Please note that prices are higher for this event – £20 for a family ticket.

Alice Holt Forest, Surrey

FREE ENTRY (Parking Charges Apply)

For a day of exploration and activity outdoors take the family to Alice Holt Forest where you can walk, cycle, play or have a picnic. The kids can discover the play area where there’s a pirate ship to climb and explore, a nest swing and even a 3D maze! Entrance is free for all the only cost is parking, which starts at £1.80 for 1 hour, up to £8 for 4+ hours.

Fancy’s Family Farm – Portland, Dorset

FREE ENTRY

Fancy’s Farm has loads of animals and critters that you won’t see at any regular farm! Including slow worms, lizards and even wallabies! Kids will love meeting all the different animals, especially Dinky the Miniature Horse!

The Teddy Bear Museum, Dorchester

Family: £19.99, Adult: £6.50, Children: £4.50, Under 3: Free

At the Teddy Bear Museum the kids will love meeting the whole family of human-sized teddy bears! You’ll also get the chance to see a whole collection of vintage, famous and iconic bears throughout the ages – an unmissable day out for kids and grown-ups alike. Afterwards, you can pop into the shop and pick up your very own teddy bear friend to take home.

The Clink Prison, London

Family £18, Adult: £7.50, Child: £5.50

This museum is built on the original site of a medieval prison. The kids will love the hands on educational experience where you are able to handle original artefacts including torture devices. You will also hear lots of amazing stories about the prison’s past, the inmates and the notorious South Bank.

Tropical World, Leeds

Adult: £6, Child (5-15): £3, Under 5: Free

For an exotic experience take the family day out to Tropical World in Leeds where there’s the largest collection of tropical plants in the UK outside of Kew Gardens. There are different areas ready for you to explore such as Tropical Island, Desert House, South American House, Butterfly House and Tropical World Tour. As you walk around try to spot the meerkats, terrapins, leaf cutter ants and tropical birds.

 

Save on your children’s party

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Gone are the days when a sandwich, bowl of jelly and a game of pass-the-parcel were enough for a fun children’s party. Social media bragging and peer pressure have upped the ante.

Some parents admit to spending £800 on their kids birthday bash, with £300 being the average cost, according to a poll by Mums Show Live!

Extravagant parties include an entertainer for three hours at £435 (£145 an hour); catered food and drink for 30 at £3.95 a child (£118.50); hire of a hall at around £100; birthday cake £64.90 and party bags for everyone at £3.25 each add up to £97.50. Grand total: £815.90.

Here are simple ways to stop your party parting you from your money.

Invites

Email invitations or download them for free from websites.

  • A fun idea from is to write the details on an inflated balloon, let the air out and ask the nursery or school to hand them out after class.

  • Share the party with one of your children’s friends with a birthday around the same time and keep it short, say two hours rather than three. Keep numbers down by making it clear that guests’ brothers and sisters aren’t invited.

  • If you can’t face having it at home, or don’t have enough space, summer parties can be held in a local park or free outdoor play area with a picnic and energetic party games.

  • If you don’t want to take a risk with the weather, get a quote from a soft play centre or local hall. Avoid peak times – weekends, school holidays and half terms – when admission charges are higher. Babies often get in for free. Ask if you can bring your own food.

Entertainment

Professional children’s party entertainers are expensive. There are horror stories of the family pet savaging the magician’s rabbit and little ones being left in tears by grumpy clowns. Keep the stress and cost down by doing it yourself.

You can always organise traditional games such as blind man’s bluff, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey and musical chairs.

Catering

Young ones typically don’t eat much, so don’t go overboard. Sandwiches, crisps and ice cream with a flake should be enough. Or ask family and friends to bring a dish and bake your own cake.

If you’re not a baker, and don’t know an enthusiastic amateur, buy plain fairy cakes and get the kids to decorate them.

Borrow a tablecloth and decorations from a friend. Or get a plain white paper cloth, scatter crayons and stickers on it and get the children to draw on it. Balloons are always popular, especially if you customise with glitter.

Party bags

These are a real bone of contention and thinking up what to put in them can be stressful. Even if you buy loads of plastic toys from a pound shop this can quickly add up.

One idea is to buy a set of books such as the Mr Men series and let the children choose one to take away. A book will last far longer than a tatty toy that will be broken by bedtime. Or do a lucky dip.

If you must have a going-home gift, decorate brown paper bags and buy seeds, multipacks of sweets and stickers to fill them and a slice of cake. Or fill a jar with sweets and tie a ribbon round it.

There are lots of ideas on the internet on how to throw a great party on the cheap. We are sure if you stretch your imagination it will be a real success!!

Mickey Mouse party ideas

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For you next Children’s party use Mickey children’s party supplies, like plates, cups, napkins, and decorations, you may want to consider purchasing, borrowing, or renting the following items for your Mickey or Minnie party:

 

  • Mickey Mouse Ears

  • Several pairs of white gloves

  • Airwalker Mickey Balloon

  • A Mickey Mouse Movie (i.e. Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers, Classic Cartoon favourites: Starring Mickey, or Classic Cartoon favourites: Best Pals Mickey & Pluto)

  • Apiata

Mickey 1st Birthday Party Ideas

A Mickey Mouse kids party theme is tons of fun for all ages. There are a few simple steps you can take to create a fun Mickey 1st Birthday Party appropriate for babies and toddlers.

 

  • Invite your Mickey party guests with Mickey 1st Birthday invitations.

  • Decorate the birthday child’s highchair with Mickey themed supplies.

  • Bake or buy a small Mickey cake or cupcake just for the birthday child to smash into! Decorate with Mickey candle and provide a separate cake for your adult family party guests.

    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 fun house using these tips:

 

  • As each guest enters the party area, give them mouse ears to wear! Consider handing out white gloves to the boys and big pink hair bows to the girls.

  • Cut large Mickey Mouse heads out of black card and tape them to the walls. Consider writing one guest’s name on each cutout in big block letters.

    Mickey & Minnie Party Food Ideas

Serving children’s party 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:

  • Put out larger black plates that are framed with smaller ones to serve your food on hidden mickeys.

  • Serve Mickey Mouse pancakes, just make three circular pancakes, one big for the face and two little for the ears.

  • Serve chocolate milk with silly straws.

  • Stick two Oreos or other chocolate cookies in the chocolate frosting of a cupcake so the ends are sticking up to make a dessert that looks like the character.

  • You can bake a Mickey Mouse cake using a Mickey cake pan.