Party
Planning
The
following tips have been put together to help make sure your
childs "Special Day" goes as well as expected.
Theme
Sit
down with your child and choose a party theme, include the
birthday child in the preparations as often as possible.
Guest
List
Create the guest list. Guests generally range from friends
at day-care, school or the neighbourhood. Let Brothers or
Sisters invite a special friend over for the day so they won't
feel left out.
Location
Plan
a safe, comfortable place for the party. Your home or a place
where the children can have fun and not hurt themselves if
planning an outdoor party be sure to have a backup plan in
case of bad weather.
Date and time
Parties
are generally 1 hour for children under four years of age
and 2 hours for older children. If planning to hire party
entertainment i.e. bouncy castle, face painter or a hired
party venue away from home book as early as possible. If a
party venue have more than one date option in mind.
Party
Invitations
Send
them out three weeks before the party date. Ask for RSVP's
by a specified date to get an estimate of how many children
to expect. APS will supply you with 20 free children's party
invitations when you book one of our bouncy castles or our
face painting service if required.
How
many are coming?
Get
an exact guest count, call those who haven't responded by
your specified date.
Supplies
Order
your party supplies, decorations, prizes for games. Be sure
to order enough tableware for the adults that will attend.
APS can supply you with party packages which contains, party
food boxes, filled party bags, balloons on sticks etc.
What
party games will we play?
Consider
the age of the children and plan accordingly. Plan more games
than you expect to use, activities and games often take less
time than planned and may run out before the party is over.
Have a look at our "Party Games" and our "Garden Games" sections
Think about having a quiet area with some crayons and paper
for small children who may feel overwhelmed by the party experience.
Plan
the party
-
Arrange
for extra help on the party day from friends or relatives.
-
Write
out a final party schedule of what activities you will be
doing and how long they will take.
-
Intersperse
noisy games with quiet games and/or food.
-
Check
batteries for the camera and/or camcorder.
-
Buy
the birthday cake, candles, matches, films or/and videotapes
and any remaining food etc.
-
Childproof
the party area, decorate any indoor areas and any outdoor
areas put up balloons on gatepost or front door.
-
Prepare
food and beverages that could not be made ahead of time.
Have plenty of juice made up, as children often get very
thirsty at parties. Still juice is better than fizzy pop.
-
Take
plenty of pictures and/or videos to commemorate this special
day. If possible nominate one adult as roving photographer.
APS can provide a Photographer for the event who will take
video footage as well as/ or photoghraphs.
-
Don't
try to entertain the adults at the same time as the children.
If someone wants a cup of tea point them in the direction
of the kettle!!.
-
Remember,
young guests will be excited and mishaps may occur.
-
Keep
your sense of humour, and even if not every aspect of the
party goes off as planned, the most inportant part is to
enjoy the day as you celebrate your child's birthday.
-
Make
sure help is available after the party to assist in the,
sometimes major, clean up operation. Plan a rest or/and
a glass of wine for yourself after the party!
