Must Have Tips For Throwing A Fabulous Children's Party

The other day I was thinking about the relationship a party planner has with the parents of a child who is having a milestone celebration. Although it might seem that all clients are alike, no matter the circumstances (budget conscious, sometimes scatter-brained, many times overwhelmed and over worked), there is a huge attitude adjustment that one must take into account when working with a client who I will call, Mikey, a ten year old birthday boy, and Sarah, his thirty-something mom.

There are a number of people you'll have to please in addition to Mikey and Sarah. Don't forget dear dad, both sets of grandparents and the other siblings, if there are any that cannot be left out of the picture. I have found that when it comes to a child's celebration, the adults have one thing in mind and the kids, another. I mean, vastly different orbits. Since Mikey's parents are paying your fees, they will win out, but... But, it is your job to listen to EVERYONE and try to facilitate a happy medium between Mikey and his mom and dad. If for no other reason than having a happy smiling Mikey on the day of the big event - that's when you know you've done your job. If Mikey is cranky and mad as hay (and ten year old can throw tantrums with a vocabulary to voice their unhappiness!), then it will be your fault as the event producer and not Mikey's parents' fault. What could have been an opportunity of a lifetime to mix, mingle, and sell your services to the other parents in attendance, could very easily turn into a nightmare for you. And that is something that wouldn't make my inner-child very happy! (Had to throw that in, I am in L.A. after all.)

-Approach a children's party as you would an adult celebration. By this I mean to go through the same checklists you normally would. Inspiration pictures and wish lists of desires will be different from, say a wedding where the bride will give you pictures of a Tuscan villa and rose petaled walkways. Rather, Mikey will probably lend you his favorite dinosaur, matchbox car, and video game cover. I would strongly suggest that you talk to Mikey and really understand the motivation behind the items he has given you. Be excited and commend him for doing a great job. It will absolutely get him more interested than he ever would be. No doubt your demeanor and language will be different when talking to Mikey than to his mom, but you will still have to be on your toes, do your research prior to the meeting, and then be ready to have a second conversation with Mikey's parents who will no doubt be surprised that their child knows what he wants and it is vastly different than what they are thinking. Obviously, this discrepancy will make you wear multiple hats and create a scenario where you will have to get all parties involved to compromise on what they were hoping for in order to throw a seamless event.

- Invitation design. I have found that when you ask a child such as Mikey to assist with the invitation design, it becomes a full fledged family affair, where everyone can be involved and sit down together. What a concept!!! I am a huge fan of bringing the family together in as many activities as possible, since let's face it, everyone is ordinarily so busy, including Mikey, that face time with members of the family is severely limited. Personalizing the invites is something that other parents can very much appreciate as well. There are so many stock, boring cards out there. So why not assist your client in making the party much more special? And depending on the paper you choose for the invitation and envelope, it can be a money saving line item for your clients as well.

-Creating an interactive experience. It is hard enough to get adults involved in party activities that you have labored over setting up. It is always a goal of mine to have guests, especially those who don't know each other, get up and mingle. It is no different at a kid's party. Kids, although less inhibited, will still feel nervous about meeting their peers, so it is your job to make sure you have games and events set up that can get the children to laugh and play together. Whether it is a great Wii game set up on a large screen, or various style carnival style games that they can play in teams, having fun planned activities will go a long way toward having a successful event.

-Food, drink and fun. Don't fall into the trap of thinking all kids want fast food and pizza. While that may be true in a majority of the time, this is not what you are there for. Come up with a great menu that is healthy but wrapped around food that kids will be psyched about. For example, if BBQ is on the menu, trick it out with beef, turkey, and veggie sliders (small burgers). Create the hot dogs in much the same manner and spread out great condiments in fun, thematic containers. If the party calls for a dinosaur theme, the hamburgers become "stegoburgers" and and the cole slaw becomes "brantosaurus slaw". Keeping with the dinosaur theme for a second longer, create drinks with cool names and serve them in dino-related paraphernalia. And when it comes to the theme, make sure you bring it through the entire party, right down to the punch bowl. Everyone will notice and the kids will be delighted. I haven't mentioned dessert yet for a reason that you will have to be mindful of.

-The cool goody bags! Okay girls and boys, what about the parting gifts that EVERYONE these days expects to receive, even Mikey's ten year old friends? Being that it is a kid's party, we are not going to be giving away Votivo candles and gift certificates to a spa, although that does sound yummy. I would suggest fun, yet educational toys that will teach our youngest members of our communities without them knowing they are learning anything... since learning stuff doesn't always make for fun, in kid's eyes, anyway. It's like serving broccoli at dinner. What kid eats broccoli since, as my kids tell me, it tastes "yucky". I suggest cool educational videos, books and magazines (yes, they are out there) for the simple reason that the parents of the guests will be psyched to see all the forethought that was put in to the party, including presents for their sons and daughters. Keep the theme of the party in mind when putting together the swag bag. Don't veer off of that, even here. Continually branding the theme is paramount. In addition to the educational products that everyone receives, add in some things that are just for the girls and just for the boys. Differentiate the bags by color or the image on front of the bag. Girls will feel special and the boys will be happy getting toys just for themselves.