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Party Tips
1) Don't equate the dollar amount you spend with guaranteed success. Better planning and doing your homework makes more of a difference than spending a certain amount of money.2) Most good parties for teens and adults have these elements: Sex appeal, show business, and food. Music enhances the first three.
3) Find a theme for the event. A theme helps unify all of the elements and inspires your creativity. Plus, your money will go farther in producing a total effect, mood, or ambiance.
Kids Party Tips:
1) Choose a party location that provides safety for activities, allows close monitoring of all children, and that you are not afraid to mess up. You can't be petrified of spills and a little cake icing on the floor. Few things are more self defeating than to invite rambunctious kids to "have fun" and then stand over them like Nervous Nellie issuing louder and louder warnings and threats. Keeping behavior in control is one thing, but don't host a kids' party if you can't handle it emotionally. Their idea of a "party" and your idea should be pretty much the same. Be loud, play games, eat food, be happy. These are the years you prayed to be a part of when your baby came into the world. ENJOY them! Be a kid yourself!2) Security is essential. Ask other adults to help watch and position them so that no kids can disappear from sight. Feed your adults.
3) Make sure you have cool party favors for all of the invited children. Unfortunately, there is a developing tradition that some extravagant parents are guilty of starting. They go beyond party favors and actually give fairly expensive gifts to all the invitees upon leaving. Hopefully, you will help stamp out this expectation with your own children. A birthday party is already expensive enough to host and treat each child. This is not a Christmas exchange party. It is to honor the birthday girl or boy, if it is a birthday party. Try to keep THIS tradition unmarred.
4) Decorations for kids parties are nice and expected, but don't go overboard. Once the party starts the kids don't really notice or appreciate every little detail that you fussed over endlessly. You may not expect to hear these tips from 101PartyTips.com but we always deal with REALITY.
5) Kids love stuff that moves. Bubble machines are a big hit. However, be careful about fog machines. Some kids may have asthmatic conditions that would be aggravated by these, no matter what the claims contrary. And, the power of suggestion is also a factor. A kid who has an asthma attack will blame it on something in the air at your party, and the fog machine is the most likely target. Look up some of our Party People in Rentals-Party and Equipment and ask for suggestions on cool stuff for kids.
6) Kids compare life to television and movies. Don't be tempted to try to design your party to compete with these visual effects.
7) Games and entertainment are important. You must not leave children idle. Stay ahead of them at all times with the next game or fun entertainment.
8) The kind of food you serve is not too important. Let the kids forage all the time for a variety of things they like off of a table of hand food. This is more convenient for you and them. It's better than setting them down for a plate of food and then finding out they don't like anything they've been served and would rather throw it.
9) Call the mothers to make sure kids don't have other commitments. You should also inquire whether their kids have special diet restrictions.
10) Get your invitations out there weeks ahead of time and define the exact hours so parents know when to pick up their kids. Include a detailed map with noticeable landmarks highlighted. Precisely say where the kids are to go if there are special instructions about assembling at a confusing location.
11) Send your invitation by audio cassette or videotape. It's more fun and gets more involvement from the kids. Use it to give your invitees a preview of the theme. Put the videotape together with theme music and costuming. If it is an audio cassette use music and sound effects that would be associated with your theme.
12) On the day of the party put up some helpful signs in the neighborhood at intersections or turns where it might be confusing. Put out balloons, streamers, flags, or a clown with a sign close to the street in front of your house. Make it recognizable immediately from halfway down the block.
13) Here's a harsh sounding dealing-with-reality tip: Don't invite kids that other kids don't want (for whatever reason) to be polite, or for "political" reasons. If it is your hope that they won't show up, you can count on them showing up. However, if the "undesirable" child is invited then the die is cast. Instruct your child to truly make them feel welcome to come. Prepare your child in heart and mind to make that child feel special and wanted on the day of the party. As the adult host keep that special child under your watchful eye and care. Guard their feelings as if they were your own child. It may be the best of all these tips.