Kids Party Planning

Children’s parties can be frustrating trying to keep all the kids occupied. There can be an unlimited number of problems that just can’t be avoided. Kids party etiquette can help if all the parents are familiar with some of the unspoken rules.

As with any party, you need to limit the number of children at the party. Generally the number of guests will increase as the children get older. One method is to invite approximately the same number of guests as the child’s age. Avoid trying to invite every child from your child’s class.

Listen to your child on who they would like to invite and keep your child involved in the planning. You don’t have to invite friends of friends. If the children play well together, the party will go more smoothly.

Children’s parties are normally two to four hours long. With pre-schoolers, schedule around nap time and keep the party short. As kids get older, the party usually lasts longer with more activities. At some point you will get a request for a slumber party which typically involves fewer kids.

To keep the children busy, there are many types of activities available for kids parties.If you do games, there will need to be two or three different games to keep the kids occupied. Other activities can include crafts. Boys tend to like competitive games while girls would prefer a craft project. Prioritize the activities with the food not being number one. Kids would prefer to be active over eating. What ever type of activity you decide, make sure everyone knows how to participate and there is not too much or too little time to complete the events. Remember the party is for the children to have fun.

Prepare as much as you can ahead of time. There is nothing worst then trying to understand some game rules while a dozen kids are waiting to play. Prepare the party favors, games and activities several days in advance. Make sure you are familiar with all the games and crafting activities before the party. Expect some things to go wrong or different from what was planned. Some activities will be too easy, too difficult or too slow.

Gift giving for children, especially young kids, can prove to be interesting at times.This is where some kids may not be as polite as they should be and feelings can get hurt. The host just needs to be ready to step in with a few kind words of support to keep this under control. It is fine to receive duplicate gifts, you can either exchange the gift where purchased or keep it as a gift for another party (just tag the gift as to it was from). The child receiving the gift should always be instructed to say “thank you” to the giver as the gift is opened, a lesson well learned.

It will not be unusual for one or more of the children to be misbehaving or acting spoiled. Kids will be kids and as host, you just need to keep the party moving. You may have to quietly speak to the misbehaving child but without embarrassment. Make sure all the children know the rules and that each has an equal opportunity to participate in each event. If all else fails, call the child’s parents and let them handle the problem.

For outdoor parties, always have an indoor plan just in case of bad weather. The backup plan may be to reschedule the party to a different day. If you have some entertainment scheduled, call the entertainer to ask their advice.

It is not unusual for some of the parents to offer to stay during the party, especially with the younger children. This should be very helpful and appreciated by the host. If you are one of the parents, just ask the host if you can be of any assistance during the party and if it is OK for you to stay.

Don’t forget the Thank You notes. Your child should be responsible with your help and guidance to see that each guest receives a Thank You. This is a good learning situation for all the children. One good idea is to have an inexpensive Thank You gift for each child as they leave the party.