How to Host a Traditional Kids Party
Let's face it the traditional children's birthday party, like we used
to have as kids, is hard work for the parents. There's sandwiches
to make, balloons to blow up and, worst of all, a bunch of hyper-active
children intent on wrecking your house.
I'm assuming here that you are doing it all yourself, if you're hiring an entertainer then that will save a lot of work.
The most important thing you're going to need is a good supply of party games, preferably ones you've tested on your kids. It's amazing how a game that sounds great on paper suddenly seem too complicated to explain to 20 six year olds
You probably want to plan for a party of about two hours; in my experience it breaks down into about 20 minutes of running screaming while people arrive, an hour of games, 20 minutes of eating and 20 minutes more games/handing out party bags.
The games are going to depend on the age of the kids; unless they are quite old I'd certainly plan on doing Pass the Parcel at some point as it's great for calming things down when it all gets too frenetic. I'd also suggest doing Musical Statues for the same reason.
For younger kids, Pin the Tail on the Donkey is always popular. Check out our Party Games page for more ideas.
As for the kids tea I'd suggest not deviating from the time-honoured selection of junk food:
- Sandwiches (jam, ham and cheese -- of course).
- Biscuits (Jammy Dodgers etc).
- Crisps (and you MUST have Quavers!).
- Carrot sticks, grapes, cut-up-apple etc
- The Cake
- Juice boxes make things a lot easier and are generally less accident prone than open cups.
A
neat idea, suggested by a reader, is to make individual,
named, lunch boxes.
On your invitation r.s.v.p. ask for the choice of sandwich/juice and
then just make-up exactly what's needed rather than having to guess.
PartyBox sell the aptly-named
party boxes
which are suitable for use a lunch boxes.
What you'll need
I've got here the ingredients for doing a party the easy way, this is not the most environmentally conscious way, obviously your conscience will dictate how disposable you can go.
For serving the party food (you can get these all in themed sets, try our party theme picker).
- Disposable table cloth
- Paper plates
- Napkins -- including extra to wrap the bits of cake in the party bag (that nobody eats)
- Food and drink (above)
Room decorations:
- Balloons
- Banners / bunting etc
Other stuff:
- Invitations
- Party bags & stuff to put in them
- Candles for the cake.
- Matches / lighter
- Knife for cutting the cake (if you don't hold the party at home).
- Prizes for any games that call for them
- Pass-the-parcel parcel(s)
- Any other props for the games
- Portable CD player / other music source
- Kids Party Music. For younger kids a CD of classics is a good idea; for 7/8 and above I'd suggest getting the latest 'Pop Party' CD, currently it's this one.
- Camera, video camera to catch the delighted expression on your child when you bring out the cake
- Possibly snacks/drinks for the adults if they are waiting around during the party
- Something to carry presents in, e.g. bin bag (if you're not having the party at home)
We've got a helpful printable version of the check list to help you keep track of everything.
Party Themes
For every child the most important things about their party are: how many of their friends they can invite, and, what theme it is.
The answer to the first question depends on your pain threshold and tolerance for noise!
As to the theme we've put together a handy-dandy theme picker to help you find that perfect party theme.
Got a party tip?
If you have a party tip please tell us, email us at tips (at) how-to-hold-a-party (dot) com.