Creative Kids Company, LLC
(732) 536-0404
10 Tips for Great Kids’ Birthday Parties
By “Miss Dylan” Glanzer of Parties by Dylan & Company
I have been doing kids’ birthday parties in NJ (for ages 1 – 8) for over 19 years. As a musician and teacher, I really believe that I have found the key to what works to make a great kid’s birthday party. Do you want your children totally engaged, energized, playful, curious, surprised, successful, and happy for a whole hour at your party? As entertainers and teachers, our company can hold your childrens’ attention, keep their focus, and encourage positive behavior. The key is in the music and the short, perfect choices of what to do and when. Each party is unique because every group is unique, so though we work from a basic format, we can gear the party especially for your child and their friends. That is why “Our Biggest Fans Are Under Five!”
Here are my 10 tips (and an extra bonus!) to help you plan a perfect party for children ages 1 – 6:
1. When a party is planned around a meal time, the party should be called an hour before the entertainment start time. This will give guests half an hour to arrive and half an hour for the children to finish eating. Children will need to have some kind of guided entertainment right after they eat. Young children are also known to eat very quickly, if at all. Another reason to feed them first is that hungry children do not have as much fun during entertainment. If the party is not at a meal time, then I recommend hosts give people half an hour to get there before any scheduled entertainment.
2. Entertainment should typically last about an hour for children in this age group. Too much time will overwhelm or tire them and they will not be able to maintain focus.
3. I recommend limiting your activities to one at a time. Younger children do not handle too many choices well. For example, if a host has an entertainer, it should be suggested that they not have a bouncy house or face painter at the same time.
4. Parties for young children do not need to involve prizes, in my opinion. When I do games like limbo and freeze dance, everyone plays for the fun of it! No one needs to get “out” or feel sad because they are unsuccessful. Prizes are not a great idea, even if everyone gets one, because it becomes about the color, the size, or the type of prize, rather than how much fun the game is. It is better to just make the game creative. For example, play “Animal Limbo” and have the children act like a tall animal when the stick is high and a small animal as it gets lower. Then, you can jump over the stick when it is too low and then raise it slightly for bigger jumps. For freeze dance, have the children do different dances and freeze, make silly faces when they freeze, or jump into a hoop and freeze. Another way to play with hoops is to eliminate a hoop in each pause, and then the children have to jump in together!
5. If a party is in a playroom, push the toys to the wall, into a closet, or onto toy shelves before entertainment begins. Toys are obviously very distracting for young children. Again, the choices need to be limited so the children know what they should be focusing on.
6. Use nametags. We always bring them to the party. Children feel less shy of a new person when that person can use their name to encourage participation in the activities.
7. Hands on props are so much fun because young children like to be as active and hands-on as possible at a party. You can use things like puppets, rhythm instruments, and scarves along with a variety of familiar music. Bubbles are also fantastic at parties.
8. Doing a sing-a-long is great, but don’t expect children to sit too long! 10 minutes at most is my recommendation. After that, it is good to get them up and moving with music or on to an activity that involves props. Use familiar music so children can sing along right away. Also include familiar songs that involve lots of movement like “Shake Your Sillies Out” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.”
9. Do activities that children can do at the same time. Waiting for turns or taking turns is a very difficult concept for children at this age. Save games like “Pin the tail on the donkey” for children over five. Play the Hokey Pokey instead or even Simon Says (without getting them “out.”) Face Painting is great, but only during arrival and meal times so there is something for the children to do while they wait for their turn.
10. Keep all activities SHORT!!! Pay attention to their attention, and change to the next activity as soon as you notice children getting distracted. Misbehavior is a sure sign of boredom! Also, do activities in a group and avoid ones that require children to wait their turn.
BONUS: The following for me is company policy. A few days before your party, confirm ALL the details with your entertainer. Make sure they have the correct day, time and location of your party. Also make sure they have a correct phone number. If your party is not at your home, make sure they have your cell number and that you keep it ON you so if there are any problems, they can get in touch with you. This has happened to me where the customer thought she told me where the party was, and she hadn’t. Also, I have tried to call if I am lost or running late due to traffic, and my client didn’t pick up. That is why I usually get both parents’ cell phones hoping I can speak to someone so they are prepared and know that I am on my way. My party policy is to confirm with my clients the Wednesday before the party so no one has to worry about these details. This is an important day for me too!
If you have any questions about kids’ birthday parties in NJ, feel free to call me at (732) 617-7747 or email me at Dylan@Partiesdydylan.com. Good luck with your party planning! We are here to help you!
Umm, are you really just giving this info out for nothing?
Actually, yes!