Great Kids' Party Tips

Every parent wants to make their child’s party extra special, whatever the occasion. Whether that means doing it yourself or hiring an expert, there are some things you need to know before sending out the invitations. Here, four party professionals talk about what makes a great party. 2-5 Year Olds Sandy Deck’s Parties, a franchise business, has been around for 20 years. Ms. Deck highly recommends crafts for two- to five-year-olds. “Sand art is a great activity for this age group because it’s something the kids can do on their own, and when they’re done, they’re proud of what they’ve made. No matter where the sand ends up, in the end the kids are always smiling over their creations.” She also suggests planning a bagel breakfast party, since young children are at their best between 9:30 and 11:00 a.m. when nap schedules don’t interfere. Judy Reda (pronounced Redda) of Judy Reda Entertainment in Bronxville, NY stresses that age-appropriate activities will ensure that everyone is happy. For example, “don’t hire a magician to do a 45-minute show at a toddler’s party. Kids this young can’t sit still for that long.” Reda notes that though children in this age group have short attention spans, they do need to be entertained. Planning multiple activities like sing alongs, crafts and games works well. “The key is to have several short activities throughout the course of the party that will let the children move around and participate.” Ken Whelan of Starmite Puppets in Brooklyn, NY says it’s important to structure the party activities. For example, “doing a good puppet show means truly creating a reality for the kids, taking them into another world. Once you do this, you can keep them focused for a long time.” Doing the party yourself? With some craft items and creative parenting, you can make your own puppets and put on a show. Having a bunch of old socks, some Elmer’s glue, yarn and pom-poms on hand for example will allow party guests to make their own puppets. Then parents can put on a show with them when the glue is dry. 6-10 Year Olds After age five you may want to consider doing same-sex parties. “At about age six, the girls tend to want to do ‘girl’ things,” says Reda. Also, boys and girls become more aware of each other as being different, and it’s distracting for them. “If you are going to have a coed party for this age group however,” she suggests, “try magic, or DJ parties with games and props.” If you’re having a party with a wide age range in the guest list, Reda suggests a circus type show, with juggling, costumes and a unicycle rider. “Everyone loves the circus, and a multi-talented entertainer will keep all ages amused.” Sandy Deck agrees: for ages five and up, carnival themes work well, as does karaoke. “If you can do an outdoor party,” says Deck, “kids this age love things like relay and potato sack races, water balloon tosses and carrying eggs on a spoon.” If you are going to split the sexes, Deck’s franchises offer cheerleading and jewelry beading parties for girls, and plaster crafts parties for the boys, where they can create sports memorabilia and plaques that they can keep. Tips For Every Party Trisha Gray of Funtime Cabaret in New York offers some practical suggestions for planning a party, regardless of age group or number of guests. “Don’t do difficult food,” she suggests. Something easy to make as well as eat will make the party planning and cleanup easy on the parents, and more fun for the kids. And for larger parties, don’t be afraid to ask for help from other family members or parents. “I recommend a minimum of three adults to run a party,” says Gray. “One to oversee the food and goodie bags, one to handle the guests as they come and go, and one to supervise the games and entertainment.” “At large parties, avoid things like balloon animals and games that involve handing out and collecting things, like instruments for example,” says Judy Reda. Things like this take time, and if there are too many guests, they will have to wait their turn. And that time spent waiting is time when the kids aren’t having fun. Also, avoid scheduling activities or shows that are not age-appropriate. For example, don’t hire a costume character for an older child’s birthday. “The kids will know that it’s fake, and it ruins it for the birthday child.” Sandy Deck recommends a “get acquainted” game or activity as the guests first arrive, and then serving the food. This keeps kids from becoming distracted or unhappy from hunger. Then at the end of the party when they’re ready to wind down, bring on the cake and ice cream. Finally, if you are hiring an entertainer for the party guests, make sure they can enjoy the experience. “Don’t stand in the back of the room chatting,” says Ken Whelan. “This is distracting and breaks the spell for the kids.” Reda agrees. “If you paid to see a movie and had kids talking throughout the whole thing, you’d be upset,” she points out. Parents should keep conversations in another room, or just remain quiet and watch the show themselves. They might actually enjoy it! And it will ensure that the kids have fun, which is what really makes a party great.