Children’s parties can be quite stressful, especially the planning stages. There is so much to think about and nothing seems to ever be simple. With that in mind I wanted to share some important things to think about when planning a children’s party.
Venue
It’s all well and good planning a party but you have to think about whether you want a bunch of children running around your own home. The venue you end up choosing could depend on various things such as location, how many children it can cater for, if entertainment is included and if there’s space and facilities for food.
Guest numbers
Younger children might want to invite their whole class while older children might only want to do something with a select few for their birthday. You need to decide in advance how many guests your child will be allowed to invite. This could affect a few different things such as the venue you need, cost of food and the kind of party you have.
Be clear about siblings
At the time of sending out the invitations you need to be really clear about whether or not siblings can attend. In some cases, such as parties say at soft play or bowling, this could mean additional costs on the day. If parents know in advance they will be able to make suitable arrangements for the day of the party.
Should parents stay?
Another important thing to mention on the invitations is whether or not you expect parents to stay for the party. For younger children, it would be wise to ask the parents to stay in case they need anything or haven’t been in this kind of setting before. The last thing you want, on top of everything else you’ll be doing, is to have to stay with another child for the duration of the party.
Don’t overdo the food
If you’re catering for the birthday party yourself then you’ll be thinking about what the children might want to eat. From experience, it’s easy to do way too much food and be left with a lot to either throw or take home. Consider putting together lunch packs for the children and asking for sandwich choices in advance.
Party bags
Party bags can be a difficult thing to do. You can easily end up with bags full of plastic tat but there are other things you can do. Maybe do a small bag with a few sweet and birthday cake or maybe get a deal on books from somewhere and give these out instead.