Planning a child's party can be overwhelming, especially if this your first party.
Hopefully this article will help you put it all into perspective: First of all set a suitable date for your party: If your child is in school then weekends work best, especially Saturdays.
For younger children that are not yet at school, you can be more flexible, however do consider parents that work during the week who then may not be able to bring their child to the party.
It really doesn't matter if the party is not on your child's actual birthday, you can always do something special with them on their actual day and having a party whether it's before or after their birthday will just prolong the excitement and make your child feel even more special.
If you are planning on having an entertainer, or booking a venue then you will probably have to work around some suitable dates.
It's probably a good idea to start planning your child's party about 4-6 weeks in advance to allow plenty of time for on-line shopping and any cake orders.
If you want to hire a bouncy castle, a party entertainer or book venue to hold your party in, you may have to book this at least 6 weeks in advance depending on who and where you choose and how busy they are at that particular time.
Once you have decided which day to have your party you will need to: Decide how many guests you would like to invite.
This really depends on how big you want your party to be and what your limits are.
It can be tricky not to invite all the children in your child's class at school, especially when all the parents know each other! This is fine if your child has a moderate class size but not so easy if the class size is 30+.
In this case, you shouldn't feel compelled to invite every child in the class if you feel you cannot cope with so many kids.
Quality of the party is more important than numbers! Your party will be more successful if you invited your child's closest friends, whether they are from school or outside of school or even close relatives.
This way you know they get on well and will have much more fun! A good number of kids to have at a party is between 8-16.
(Most party tableware come in packs of 8!).
And...
don't forget to include the birthday boy or girl! It's not mandatory that you invite the siblings of your child's friends, or even parents (unless children are very young).
Most parents enjoy the break from their kids and you won't feel so much pressure to entertain adults.
Decide on a time to have the party: Good times to have the party are...
11am to 1pm or 3.
30pm to 5.
30pm.
These times are ideal as parents then don't have to worry about giving their kids lunch or supper as they would hopefully have eaten enough at the party! For the little ones (under 3 years) 10am to 12pm works well or 3.
30pm to 5.
30pm as it's usually around nap times.
Two hours for the party is sufficient enough, otherwise kids tend to lose interest and parents get stressed out! Most party entertainers also charge for two hours.
Pick a theme for your party: It's always a good idea to involve your child in choosing a theme for the party as much as possible, especially if they are older.
Actually they will most likely tell you what type of party they want! Once you've decided upon your party theme, then the fun of shopping for yourkids party supplies can begin! Before you actually purchase the tableware supplies, it is useful to know how many children will be attending the party, as you don't want to order too much or too little.
Send out your party invitations: It is best to give out your party invitations as soon as possible so that you know many children will be coming and you can then buy the party products.
Giving out invitations 3 to 4 weeks in advance is recommended.
Any earlier than this, the guests may end up losing their invitations or may even forget to reply! Ensure that you request an RSVP and don't forget to include your name and contact number on the invitation.