Crucial Checklist For Your Next Party
Planning is Key
So you are getting ready for your kids birthday party and every year is different with different expectations, which requires fresh ideas, energy and thought! To make life a little easier for all you parents, I have created a special checklist to take the pressure off, so you can sit back, relax and enjoy the special process of planning the fun stuff for your little ones next awesome birthday.
To make life a little easier for all you parents, I have created a special checklist to take the pressure off, so you can sit back, relax and enjoy the imaginative process of planning the fun stuff for your little ones next awesome birthday.
Here are a few pointers to get you started and remember, unless it’s a surprise party, always let your little one get involved as much as possible. This is a great way to connect, have fun and get the whole family engaged in the fun and creative side of planning a party!
Picking a Theme
Picking a theme is the fun part, this is the absolute starting point to any awesome kids birthday and it will help the rest of your birthday planning go smoothly too. The theme you choose with your kid (or maybe it’s a surprise?) will be the colour to your canvas and guide you along the way.
With so many themes to choose from and blogs to read, it’s easy to get carried away in all the glitter and glam! We are all humans here, remember to keep it simple and manageable. The most simple ideas are often the best and leave more room to have fun and focus on what really matters.
Image source: www.ofdesign.net
Invitations
Aha, now we get down to the really important part. Without guests, one can’t have a proper party! Once you have found your theme, you can now find an appropriate invite to match. It’s important that you get your invites in the mail as soon as possible, so you can secure as many friends as possible.
The time of the party is also important. Being a kids entertainer, I have noticed that the most successful parties are around late morning/midday and last for approximately 2 hours. Depending on the age group, some parties can last longer or end earlier, especially if the children are quite young.
Invitation Check List
- Make sure you find out who of your guests may have food allergies so you can prepare!
- Ask in your invitation if anyone is bringing siblings and to let your guests know to inform you if they do! I have met a few frustrated parents who only found out last minute that extra guests were arriving. This puts a lot of pressure on mums and dads out there!
Image source: www.modishspace.com
Booking your Entertainment
This is where I step in! Having been a performer for several years, one thing I have noticed is that sometimes booking entertainment becomes a last-minute hectic experience.
Looking at awesome cakes, decorations and games are often the things that catch our eye! Trust me on this one, you will want to secure you entertainer – FAST. As soon as you have booked your entertainment, you can frollick in the creative bliss of being a kid again!
The sooner you book your entertainment in advance, the better chance you have of:
- Securing the exact entertainment your child desires at the right time. I recommend that parents book the entertainment 20-30 mins after initial guest arrival time, which leads me to my second point:
- Having your performer start at your desired time of the day.
- Getting the best entertainer for your day, ideally someone who has excellent experience and loves kids! If you are booking your entertainer last minute, your chances for hiring an outstanding performer becomes a gamble. This could make or break your kids day!
Remember, have your entertainment start at least approximately 20-30 mins after the guest arrival time which you stated on your invitations. This will leave plenty of room for mums, dads and little ones who were late getting out of the door.
Your guests will LOVE you for your understanding and insight! It’s a kids party, late arrivals are bound to happen and you want this to go smoothly.
Cake and Catering
Ah.. you can breathe now.. sit back with your coffee and give yourself a pat on the back! well done mum and dad, you made it this far! Awesome.
So you have got your theme – check! Invites are sent well in advance – check! you have booked your entertainer – check!
Catering and food ideas
Catering can be daunting. Remember that you may have kids with intolerances which are more than likely to be the case with most parties these days.
- Birthday Cake: Go local as much as you can. I have met some extraordinarily creative women out there who make the most amazing themed cakes. Get talking in your local community and make some new fresh connections! For easy cake ideas, please see my other blog post here for inspiration.
- Share a Plate: This is such an excellent idea! I love the community spirit and it makes life so much easier. This is a great idea if you are having your party in a park as well! It also helps share the load between parents.
- Fruit Kebabs: Fruit on a stick! Easy to make – inexpensive and incredibly colourful.
- Delegate/Find a Caterer: If you are finding it hard to figure out the catering, I totally suggest exploring the talents of other mums in your network. Make a trade or ask if you can pay a friend or someone who’s food you love in your community, to help take care of the snacks and catering.
- Sugar/Gluten/Dairy Free Options: There is an abundance of recipes out there that are tasty, delicious and loved by kids! I found some excellent kids recipes by LiveLoveNourish, that are gluten/dairy and refined sugar free. See the image below for some very delicious looking Coconut Frosting!
Worth Thinking About
Here’s a few ideas you may want to consider for your next birthday:
- Photos: Find a photographer or have a delegated friend to take those awesome shots!
- Decorations: Find your decorations! Now, there are plenty of Party Hire Pro’s out there who bring the entire theme, set it up and pack it down. This could be an awesome option for you if you are short for time and have the spare cash. Check out my blog post about booking someone to do the work for you. If that’s not your path, Spotlight always has some awesome, easy ideas. Target, Kmart, Red Dot are all great as well!
Thanks to blogs and amazing creative souls out there, there are an abundance of choices and ideas to play with. Unless you hire someone to organise the whole party for you, which is totally possible, either way you will have to do a bit of research.
Remember, keep it simple, include the whole family as much as you can and don’t be scared to delegate work, such as getting the cake at the shop instead of baking one, or hiring entertainment instead of being the entertainer.
We often have high expectations of ourselves. Do what feels right and keep it real. You are doing the very best job you can and it won’t go unnoticed!
What are your experiences as a mum and what have you learnt? I would love to hear your ideas, thoughts and suggestions on how to make life a little easier and fun when planning a birthday party. Please cooment below!
Thanks everyone, I hope this post inspires and helps answer many questions regarding birthday planning and concerns which parents may have.
Have a terrific week!
