Having worked as an entertainer for over 16 years and performed at over a thousand children's birthday parties in people's homes, I have seen just about everything. From small intimate events of just the family to large extravagant affairs, birthday parties can be lots of fun for all attending. However, if you have never planned one, where do you start?
Here are some party planning ideas that will help make your special day fun and entertaining without breaking the bank. It will be a piece of cake.
The first thing you need to plan is the date and time of your party. Most people want to have their birthday party on a weekend afternoon, but many times it interferes with other weekend activities such as sports, family outings and other entertainment events. Also, the best entertainers have weekends schedules filled first and early. If you want to have the party on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, plan it as far in advance as you can.
Saturday mornings are becoming very popular, because they interfere with fewer weekend activities; and when the party is over it leaves the rest of the day free for you and your guests. After-school parties are becoming more and more common. It is a great way to break up the week and leave weekends free for other events.
Pick a few dates that you would like to have your party on, then check your child's activity schedule. Be sure friends and other family members can attend and what may work for them. Before you cast the date in stone, call the entertainer you want at the party and check their schedule and decide on the best date and time.
The typical birthday party last two hours at most for children under six years and up to three hours is fine for older children.. Plan on 15 minutes at the start of the party for arrivals of guests and 40 to 60 minutes for birthday cake and presents, leaving a full hour for other entertainment.
When it comes to decorating, all you need to find are a few items that represent the theme. You don't need to have everything fit the theme of the party. A few major items are fine; the rest of the items can match in colors, such a s black and red for a Clifford party. There are several party stores around the area that carry many, many different themes for parties. Call or visit them to see if they have what you are looking for. Remember you don't need to go overboard. A few strategically placed decorations is often better than every square foot covered in color.
Invitations are the place where your theme should begin, They will let everyone know the theme of the party before they even arrive. It is also a subtle suggestion of gift ideas for folks that don't have any idea what to get for a gift. Make sure your invitations are delivered a minimum of two weeks before the party to give parents time to plan.
If the party is scheduled during or close to dinner or lunch, serving food is essential. During a party, the children are usually having so much fun, that serving a normal meal is not necessary or desired. The children want to get back to party activities as soon as possible. So pizza, pigs in a blanket or simple sandwiches and chips are perfect.
There are many options when it comes to cakes. You can have a cake decorated and even shaped to go with the theme, or a traditional cake with the colors of the theme. You can have an ice cream cake or cake and ice cream. This is an area where your imagination can rule. Have fun and be creative if you dare.
A popular idea is to have the main cake that the child blows out the candles on and then you put it aside for "just" the family to enjoy later. Serve small cupcakes to the guests; kids love them and everyone gets the same size piece so no one is upset that someone else got a bigger slice or a decoration on it.
These days goodie bags for each child is a must, but sometimes can be the most difficult part of putting the party together. The bags may carry the party theme, however, they don't need to. Goodie bags are something the children take home to remind them how much fun they had at your party. So be sure the bags are filled with fun things too! A few inexpensive and fun items are all you need. Plan on not spending more than $3per goodie bag. Remember the party is for the birthday child, not the guests.
Prepare more activities than you plan to use for the party,Activities often takes less time than planned and you may want to keep the children busy. Give them time to visit, but don't let them just run around the house.
The best entertainers are always booked far in advance and often do more than one party a day. So if you send out your invitations and then call the entertainer, you may not be able to get the one you really want on the day and time you need them.
The best way to find a quality entertainer is to ask around. Talk to friends, other parents, your child's school or daycare center. If your child comes home from a party raving about how funny and entertaining the performer was, then call the parent and ask about the performer. Ask your child if they want that entertainer to come to their party.
Ask several questions. "What age group is your show most suited for?" "What does the package include and how long will they be at the party?" "How long have they been doing this?" "How much is the package and are there any extra charges for travel?" "Do you have references?" "What are the payment arrangements?" The answers to these questions will vary greatly and will help you decide on the right entertainment package for your party needs.
Dress Up
Make this a costume party by inviting your guests to come dressed as magicians or fortune tellers! If you have extra clothes or accessories, offer them to those who come without costumes. Be sure to take photos for intriguing party favors!
Magic Box
This game takes advance preparation, but it’s lots of fun to play. Before the party, find a small gift for each child, as well as several boxes of varying sizes that will fit inside each other. Put the best gift inside the smallest box, and wrap it with special gift wrap. Put this gift in a slightly larger box with a new prize, and wrap again. Continue this process until you have wrapped enough boxes and gifts for each guest to unwrap one. At the party, seat your guests in a circle. Play some magical music and tell the children to pass the magic box around the circle as quickly as possible. When you stop the music, the lucky player holding the box must say "Abra Ca Dabra" before they are allowed to unwrap it. (Don’t tell the kids there are other boxes inside). Once a child has unwrapped a box, they must leave the circle with their gift. Start the music again and continue playing until each child has unwrapped a gift in the magic box. The child to open the last box is the winner of the magic prize!
Penny Magic
Pick 5 pennies with different dates and place them in a top hat. Ask one of your guests to pick a penny and look at the date, without telling what it is. Pass the penny around so everyone knows the chosen date. Quickly put the penny back into the hat and shake up the pennies. Let your "Penny Magician" (birthday child) reach into the hat and pull out the chosen penny. The Penny Magician will know which penny was chosen because copper absorbs heat, making the penny that everyone has handled warmer than the rest. Once everyone learns the secret penny magic, let each child take a turn being the Penny Magician.
Hat Trick
Set a top hat in the middle of a large room and tell the children to form a circle around it. Pass out an equal number of playing cards to each guest and take turns tossing the cards into the hat. (Adjust distance to match the skill and patience level of your guests.) Any player who gets a card in the hat gets to continue tossing until they miss. The player who tosses the most cards into the hat gets to start the next round.
Magic Jelly Beans
Before the party, fill a large jar with red, black and white jelly beans. (Remember to count the jelly beans before putting them in the jar.) During the party, write down each child’s guess of how many beans they think are in the jar. At the end of the party, gather everyone together and announce the actual number of jelly beans in the jar.
The child with the most accurate guess wins the jar of magic jelly beans!
Card Memory
Take a deck of cards and shuffle them well. Lay them face down on the floor or a large table. Each player takes a turn flipping two cards over. If they don’t match, the player turns them back over and another player takes a turn. If they do match, the player keeps them and continues flipping until they are unable to make a match. The object of this game is to find as many matches as you can.
Sneaky Magician
Only a sneaky magician can outwit a gang of thieves! Choose a child to be the Sneaky Magician, seat them in a chair, and blindfold them. Place a special magical item beneath the chair, (top hat, deck of cards, magic eight ball, etc.) which the Magician must protect from the thieves. Only one thief may try to steal from the Magician at any given time. Since the Magician is blindfolded he/she must listen closely for the thief and touch them with their hands or feet before they steal the magical item. A thief who is caught becomes the next Magician. If the Magician does not catch the thief, the magical item is replaced under the chair so another thief can try.
Queen of Tarts
Purchase frozen pastry dough at your grocery store. Roll onto a lightly floured surface, cut into 3" circles, and press into tart pans. Chill while preparing filling. To make the filling, beat 3 eggs and blend in 1 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup chopped scallions, 1/2 teaspoon onion salt, a dash of nutmeg, and 1 1/4 cups grated Swiss cheese.
Spoon filling into tart shells. Cut tiny heart shapes out of whole pimentos and place one on each tart. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until puffy and golden. Serve warm.
Magic Rainbow Punch
Create a drink that’s as much fun to make as it is to drink. Freeze several of your child’s favorite Kool-Aid® flavors (berry, orange, lemon, lime, blue raspberry, grape, etc.) in ice cube trays. Fill trays half-full so more colored cubes will fit in each glass. When it’s time to serve, place ice cubes in a large bowl and let each child fill their glass (tall clear cups work the best). Pour clear soda or juice over the colored cubes. Your guests will love watching as it turns into Magic Rainbow Punch.
Fantastic No-Bake Cake
Your guests are sure to be intrigued when you tell them this cake was "baked" in the freezer! You will need: 24 chocolate chip cookies, 3/4 cup quick oats, 1/2 cup melted butter or margarine, 1/2 gallon ice cream or frozen yogurt (one or two flavors), and your child's favorite candies for decoration.
First, place the ice cream in the refrigerator to soften. Meanwhile, put 16 cookies in a plastic bag and crush well with a rolling pin. Put crushed cookies in a bowl, add 1/2 cup quick oats, and stir in 1/4 melted butter. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9 1/2-inch springform pan. Scoop out half the softened ice cream and spread evenly over the crust. Crush the remaining cookies, and combine with the remaining quick oats and melted butter. Spread mixture over the first layer of ice cream. Then, add the second layer of ice cream and decorate as desired. Freeze until party time.
Adapt this cake to your party theme by making a magician's top hat out of black construction paper, leaving the top piece off. Make sure the hat’s diameter is larger than the cake, so it fits around it without touching. Before serving, place the hat over the cake, with the brim up, as if you will be pulling the cake out of the hat. (This also allows you to light the birthday candles.) Tap the hat with a magic wand, and say "Abra Ca Dabra!" before lifting the hat off the cake. For extra fun, place a magic rabbit ice cream ball (recipe below) on top!
Magic Rabbit Ice Cream Balls
Make a large ice cream ball for each of your guests. Roll each ball in coconut flakes and set it on a flattened cupcake wrapper. Use black jelly beans for the rabbit’s eyes, and a red jelly bean for its nose. Cut out "ears" from pink construction paper, or use halved sugar cookies instead. Store them in the freezer until ready to serve.
These treats are sure to disappear fast!