Ask
your entertainer to arrive 15 – 20 minutes after the
“start” time for your party. This way most of
the kids will be in place, and you won’t have to suffer
interruptions for the entertainment.
Check with the entertainer to make sure you both understand
the timetable, so you can sequence eating, birthday cakes
and so forth efficiently.
HOW LONG ?
For pre-schoolers or younger children up to the age of about 4, 2 hours
is probably long enough . With this age range, the chances are that you
will have all the mothers at the party as well, and this can work very
much to your advantage as they can take on a lot of the work themselves
if you play your cards right. As long as this is the case, how long the party runs for is up to you, but it don’t let it drag on and tire them. For 5-7 year olds, about 2 1/2 hour party is going to be right. For 8-12 year olds, 2-3 hours should be enough.
Make sure all the parents know when to the birthday party will end, so
that they arrive on time to collect their children, and you are not
left looking after little Johnny into the early evening
THE
GUESTS
Don't invite more children
than you can handle, aim for a maximum of 25--30 children if
the parties in a hall, at home 12-15 is more than enough. Avoid
wide age ranges if possible. If you are doing something for
the younger children the older ones will get bored and vice-versa.
WHO'S
WHO?
It's
a good idea to put name stickers on the children so that both
you and the entertainer know who they are. The party is much
easier to handle if everyone's name is known.
THE
VENUE
Where?
Where to hold the birthday party? Indoors or
out. If you have the space, outdoors is easier as there is less
likelihood of anything getting broken, and there are more activities
that you can organize. Not only that, you can also leave the children
to play on their own if you need to. If you are planning to hold it
outdoors, make sure you have a fall back plan just in case the weather
turns nasty.
Outdoors
* Is it safe and secure? * How far is it, and will you be able to transport everything you need for your child's birthday party easily?
Indoors
* Is there enough room? * Are some rooms to be out of bounds? * Do you need to remove any fragile items?
Show
your guests where you are, secure colorful balloons outside
the venue to aid lost parents and the entertainer. Balloons
REALLY help entertainers find your location much easier.
THE
GAMES
We like to Keep
the games simple, and arrange
for any prizes won to be put safely to one side till home
time. Believe me it saves a lot of tears.
FOOD
AND DRINK
Keep
the food simple, and don't get carried away, I have has seen many
a table still topped up with leftover food at home time.
THE
ENTERTAINMENT
If face painting is part of the entertainment a little place kept aside from the main food area is helpful . maybe a little coffee table would be suitable,
Try to have a position kept free for the
entertainer that allows him/her to present to the children
comfortably. Preferably everyone sitting in front of the entertainer
Try not to place him/her with their backs
against a large window - as it can be harder for the kids
to see him .
most good entertainers spends
time at the end of his show creating balloon sculptures,
try to integrate this into party food time. This takes
pressure of everybody.
Typically, your entertainer will be appreciative of
any assistance you can give with child "taming"
should it be required.
And Don't forget the batteries for your camera to treasure the memories
