Party Planner
THE MAGICAL BIRTHDAY PARTY PLANNER
How many birthday party guests should you invite?
One of the standard approaches in the realm of birthday party planning is to start with the age of your child plus 2. In other words, if your child is turning 5, invite 5 children plus 2 more for a total of 7.
1). SMALL SIZED BIRTHDAY PARTIES – Invite 3 –5 children 2). MEDIUM-SIZED BIRTHDAY PARTIES – Invite 5 – 12 children. 3). LARGE SIZED BIRTHDAY PARTIES – Invite 12 – 20 children.
Keep in mind that large-sized birthday parties can be very stressful to you so please make sure that you have at least one other adult to help you with the party. make sure that your child has priority in choosing their choice of friends.
What about themed birthday parties? How do you put one together?
1) You can customize the party by decorating the room with color-matching balloons and other theme ideas. For example, a ‘Barney The Purple Dinosaur ‘ themed party could have purple balloons, a Barney table cover, party hats and noise makers and of course a Barney birthday cake. You could plan your activities and party games around the theme.
2) Have the children arrive to the party in a costume that compliments the theme. Or better yet, they could make their own costumes when they arrive. For example, a fairy-themed party could have the children dress up in costumes that they construct out of arts and crafts. All you have to provide is the necessary add ons such as cardboard for the wings that the children could trace and cut out as well as coloring markers and glitter. You would need to provide glue, scissors, paper, markers and strings to attach the wings. Add some cut out stars which are also colored and taped onto a piece of doweling or straws and you have a fairy wand.
3) You want to make a show theme. I have no problem with incorporating the theme into my shows. I perform in many different themed characters such as a wizard for my Wizard/Harry Potter-themed shows, a jester for my Merry Enchanted show, or even various forms of clowns for my magic clown shows. Don’t be afraid to customize your child’s show if they ask you for it.
The Magic Show – How much space do our magic shows require?
Any living room, playroom, common room or basement will be perfectly suitable.
All of the magic shows are specifically designed to adapt to all environments indoors or out.
When summer comes, birthday parties can also take place outdoors in your backyard or a park. Decide that your child’s party is to be held outdoors then you should make sure that if it is in your backyard you have an alternate room indoors set up for the show in case it starts to rain. You must also make sure that you have proper shading for the children. A backyard canopy tent is very good for this purpose or a side of the house that is sheltered from the sun also works well. Children will enjoy the show much better if they are not sitting out in the sun for 45 – 60 minutes.
The party schedule. How to have a successful birthday party.
The day of the party is approaching. Do you have it all planned out? It is really easy to have a wonderful and successful birthday party for your child. Keep in mind that most parties should be around 2 – 21/2 hours. All parties have a defined beginning, middle and end. Break it down into 3 sections.
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF AN AVERAGE BIRTHDAY PARTY The Birthday Party is between 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
(Your times will vary but most birthday parties start between 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
THE BEGINNING
1). THE ARRIVAL – 2:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m. If you have stated on your birthday party invitations that the party is between 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. then you should anticipate your guests arriving between the hours of 2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
As they arrive, you should greet them with a warm smile as some kids can be very shy when arriving at a birthday party especially when they may not know all of the other children. It is highly recommended that your child greets them as well. It is a great icebreaker to have them greet you and the birthday girl or boy as soon as they arrive. Once the children start arriving good to have them stay in one designated room or area of the house until all the children have arrived. A video, quiet activity or a nice selection of toys will occupy their time here until the magician arrives.
If you are going to feed the children lunch, you may do that at this time also. Light snacks and light lunches are always best and you don’t want to make a big mess. Use lots of disposables such as paper plates, cups and cutlery as it is very easy to clean up and dispose of and is also economical.
You should also have a dedicated area or room for all of the lovely gifts. This also adds a great deal of excitement for your child as they witness the growing mountain of presents getting bigger with every guest’s arrival. Always remember that gifts should be opened at the end of the party. That event is of course the finale of the party. Unfortunately, this has happened to me on a few occasions and I can honestly say that it isn’t much fun doing a magic show when most of the kids and the birthday child only want to play with the new toys and have lost interest in any form of entertainment after that.
THE MIDDLE
2). THE MAGIC SHOW – 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. approx. I show up on your doorstep making a very merry and magical entrance and I greet and congratulate the birthday child on their special day as well as all of the guests. It takes me a few minutes to set up my show and I am ready to delight the children with a trip into my zany world of magic. I begin the magical adventure and sweep the children away to a world of magic and fun. *****THIS IS ALSO THE PERFECT TIME FOR YOU TO HAVE A BREATHER AND RELAX FOR A WHILE.*****
3). THE MAGIC ADVENTURE COMES TO AN END – 3:30 p.m. approx. THE EATING OF THE BIRTHDAY CAKE. This is also a good time to give them goody bags. Some parents prefer to give goody bags at the very end of the party as the children are leaving. There is no right or wrong here.
4). TIME FOR THE HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG, AND CAKE – 3:45p.m. – 4:00 p.m. This is when the children have just experienced a wonderful and enchanting magic show and have built up their appetites for the BIRTHDAY CAKE! All the children should be led into the room as the singing of ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’ begins and is followed by the yummy cake.
THE ENDING
5). TIME FOR PRESENTS 4:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. Have the children sit in an orderly fashion in the gift opening room or area and allow the birthday child to go wild with what will be an exciting part of their day as if you wish to keep track of which guest brought what present in case you want to send thank you cards a few days later, simply have the birthday child announce out loud who gave them that present as you jot down the name and gift on a note pad or a guest/gift list.
6). GAME OR ACTIVITY TIME 4:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. You are almost home free. Only a little more time to go and the birthday party has been a success. You have about fifteen minutes left before most of the parents are going to be arriving to pick up their kids, so why not have a quick party game or two or maybe a final activity? The time will pass very fast here so keep the games or activities short and simple.
7). PARENTS ARRIVE TO PICK UP THEIR KIDS 4:30 p.m. – HURRAY!!!!! You did it! You survived the birthday party experience and you have given your child something very special and will say.
“They gave me magic on that day in so many ways.”
GOOD LUCK AND BEST WISHES IN PLANNING YOUR BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!