Sean Callery - Childrens Parties

Planning is the key to a really successful childrens party, because if children dont understand what is happening and what is expected of them, theyll do their own thing, which is likely to cause you problems! This section helps you decide where and when your party will be, who to invite, and what to do at it, so that you can enjoy it as much as them!

You will need to decide early on where your party will take place. The obvious and by far the cheapest choice is: at home. However, for a variety of reasons, you may wish to consider other venues.

Here are some reasons for not holding a birthday party at home:

You dont want a large group of children running amok in your home. Any group of more than ten is likely to be too much for many houses, unless you have a large garden and are confident the weather will be good.

You cant face the hassle of preparing and cleaning up afterwards. Parties mean hard work, and however many helpers you have, it will be happening in your home and that can feel like an invasion.

You know you cannot handle the management of a group of children, and need someone to do the job for you. Managing children is not easy, and if it fills you with dread, it could spoil your life for weeks.

You intend to invite lots of guests and so need a big space. Assess roughly how much space your childs friends are likely to need, and start searching for a party location.

Youve chosen a theme and the venue is perfect. For example, a water theme demands a pool location.

You know of a good venue and trust it to as a place to hold a good party. Nothing beats personal experience or recommendation.

It is important that you consider the ages of the children involved. Most are likely to be the same age as your child, so if you blanch at the idea of ten clones of her rushing into your kitchen, consider other locations. However, the venue should be appropriate to the age and nature of the children involved: some find swimming pools big and frightening, for example. Similarly, a soft-play centre can be a noisy and scary environment for young or nervous children. Remember, too, that a party venue that can take your booking is quite likely to have other parties going on either at the same time (which can be confusing for guests and staff) or just before or after, so you could feel hurried or have to wait while the staff clear up.

Another consideration is the location of the venue and how you expect people to get there and back. Will parents have to deliver children there, and collect? This is not practical or polite if the journey is long. Maybe you could organize help with transport from friends, or use public transport (youll need lots of helpers) or even hire a minibus.

Check rooms before you hire them, and be very clear about whether there will be staff that are only there to deal with your group while youre there.

If you find a good venue in terms of activities, but are not sure about the quality or quantity of the food they offer (some seem to slice the cake into minute portions), you could start the party at one place, then come back home to eat or play. That would take some of the pressure of being the host away from you, but still leave you feeling that youve made a big contribution to the success of the party. It would also save money.

Another option is to have the party at your house, but with it all happening outside, provided there is space to play and eat. So if your garden can take it, you could still be the host and without having to get the vacuum cleaner out at all!

Outside is best for wet games and lively groups.

Here are some suggestions of the types of venue that could host your party:

Bowling alley: A popular location where it is fairly easy to keep a group together, but not cheap.

Community centre or village hall: Often has a room you can book for a reasonable fee, then you can decorate it yourself (dont forget youll need to take it all down again!) and serve your own food.

Craft shop: Some shops host parties where children make cards or other crafts. For the right children, this is a novel and stimulating choice.