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Planning the perfect kids party
28 Jan 2014 BY A friend of KalliKids
Parties have come a long way since jelly and ice cream and a few rounds of dead lions.
It’s a competitive world and parents are often left feeling overwhelmed. High expectations from kids (and other guests) can send stress levels sky high resulting in the whole thing becoming unenjoyable for parents.
We asked party experts Froggle Parties to give us some top tips for planning the perfect party.
Parents all too often leave party planning to the last minute. Or they start two weeks before only to find all the venues and children’s entertainers are already booked.
Not planning far enough in advance is the biggest cause of stress for parents so we’d advise you start 6-8 weeks before the big day. This may seem too far in advance but venues, church halls, community centres and children’s entertainers get booked up pretty quickly (especially the popular ones). Avoid the stress - book in advance.
You can of course host the party at your house. The thought of this is not appealing to many parents due to the shear mess it can create or in case things get damaged. When you book a venue for a specific time though, just ensure you cater for setting up and packing away time before and after the event. We find an hour either side is comfortable.
There are a number of things to consider when hiring an entertainer:
Book early, make sure they are DBS checked (previously CRB); they have public liability (halls may ask to see this too).
Make sure they have excellent feedback, either from parents who have used them before or on impartial websites like KalliKids where parents have left comments (the entertainer’s own website doesn’t count).
Another thing to check for and to give you peace of mind is that the entertainer has a backup in place in case they fall sick.
Try to give parents their invite a good month before the party. That way you reduce the chance of another parent having a party on the same day (it happens a lot) and then you have to re-jiggle everything around all over again. Very stressful!
Once the invites are given out, if you haven’t had a reply by 2 weeks before the party, don’t be afraid to chase up the parents for a response.
The good news is you’ve done most of the organising. Now all that’s left is for you to sort out food and birthday cake, decorations and party bags. This is a great opportunity to be creative and have lots of fun. Or if you want to save time and hassle you can simply go to any supermarket and party shop to get all you need. Your party entertainer may also offer these services.
The big day is finally here and you may well be anxious about the thought of hosting a party for an army of 30 kids. Remember that is what the children’s entertainer is there for and they should take care of everything so relax and enjoy it. All you need to do is get to the hall, put up the decorations and prepare the food. Ask a friend to help you so you share the work load.
By having a couple of people there to help you should be able to relax and enjoy the party. Ask a friend to take photos for you. Parents often feel sad that they never got to see much of their child’s party or watch them having fun. Do try to pause and take in.
Enjoy!
Froggles Parties specialise in children's party entertainers. They offer a huge range of entertainment for kids of all ages. Sara Hirsch is one of their entertainers and has written this fantastic poems 'What a way to make a living'. We think it is brilliant.
A friend of KalliKids
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