5 Great Tips for Partying with Young Children!

Happy children running amidst balloons and confetti come to mind at the mention of a child's birthday party. Getting to that happy scene takes the coordination of several party planning elements. However you go about planning the party, keep the goal in mind. The birthday party is meant to honor the young birthday child and ensure he has a memorable birthday.

TIP NO.1 Plan early

With so many details to coordinate, starting early is a must for a successful party. Start preparations at least a month before the date. This gives you ample time to make all of the decisions, purchase supplies and send out invitations. This will also allow you to research and book entertainment if need be with plenty of warning. Many entertainers are book well in advance, something to consider.

TIP NO.2 Scheduling 

From an after school or kindy party, to one on the weekend the options are endless. There is no rule, and certainly does not have to be held on the day of your child’s actual birthday. Be aware of Public Holidays and school holidays when preparing. It would be upsetting if most of your children's friends are away and could not attend your child's party. Also, consider a weekday party for something different. Perhaps a party afterschool from 4pm until 6pm would be suitable, if you don't want a massive weekend extravaganza. Many birthday entertainers and companies may also offer a discount to encourage more parties during the week. Always good for the budget!

TIP NO.3 Choosing a Time

There are two things to consider here: the time of day and the age of the birthday child.

Top tips:

• Make sure if your child is a toddler or preschooler that you consider morning and afternoon sessions and potential time clashes. Preschool sessions, lessons, school pick ups are all things to consider!

• Consider parents with younger siblings – early afternoons often mean nap time.Parties for younger children should be conducted in the morning where possible while the kids are awake and refreshed for the day. Often, we have found that younger children of around 4-6 years fade in enthusiasm very quickly later in the afternoon!

• Consider extra-curricular activity times for school aged children. These are often between 3.30 and 5 pm. (at least)so check with as many guests.

The age of the child is important, and shorter is often better. The maximum time frame for children up to intermediate years is three hours – unless you are particularly game and are hosting a sleep-over.

As a general guide for how long children's birthday parties should last:

• Age one: One hour. This party is usually for the parents to celebrate surviving that first year.

• Age two: these lovely treasures love a party but have no concept of shared play and will have no memory of it in later years. Favourite adults and perhaps one or two friends will be ample. Again, a one-hour party is usually long enough.

• Age three: By this age, birthdays are becoming special, so a little effort will be well rewarded. They are still young, so 1 ½ - 2 hours will be ample.

• Age four: This is where it starts getting fun! Most children are used to social situations by this age so you can be more structured in your planning. Short and sweet will still work best, with a maximum of two hours

• Age five: There’s nothing quite like turning five. It is an important milestone for our kids. Theme parties really come into play now and planning the party can be as exciting as the party itself. Party times should be around two hours, with some of that time being unstructured play/fun.

• Six and up: Party on!! Everyone loves a great party at this age. A maximum of three hours should be enough for all . . . especially you! 

TIP NO.4 Guest List

Choose the guests carefully. A good rule of thumb is to add one to the child's age to determine how many other kids to invite. So if your child is turning 5 years old, she would invite up to 6 other children. Consider the location of your party, whether it's indoors or outdoors and also your ability to handle large groups of children. Many party companies have a minimum of 10 children to be paid for at one party. This may be to cover costs associated with equipment and wages. Even though this may be more children, having a hosted and structured activity during the party will help 'control' the enthusiasm of so many children. So don't panic with having as many as ten children. A professional and experienced entertainer will work their magic.

TIP NO.4 Enlist Help

Birthday parties for young kids require a lot of work. Expect to be exhausted at the end of the day. Enlisting the help of your friends and family members makes the day run more smoothly. Don't forget to enjoy the party yourself after all of your efforts to plan and coordinate the event.

Happy Crafting

Sarah

Owner- Arty Parties Children's Craft Parties

Preteens and Arty Parties......

Are you planning a birthday party for your preteen?

Planning a birthday party for older children can be as much fun as planning a party for toddlers or preschoolers. It just requires a little more thought. After all, preteens are a bit harder to impress than the little ones, and they're looking for activities that are a tad more grown up.

If you're headed towards your preteen's birthday, don't panic, we have some fantiastic ideas to help get you started! 

This is an active, exciting age for kids, who try to emulate their older siblings in some ways but are still childlike in others. Pre-teens have a variety of interests and hobbies and enjoy doing activities that help them to attain a sense of mastery.

This is where Arty Parties can help you! Consider having a Tween Craft Party as part of your celebrations! Arty Parties has come up with a range of more challenging crafts that will relate to their personal style and interests! 

 Word Art Party

 Add some individual and unique decor to your bedroom or lounge with our beautiful wooden script words party!

With our Word Art party you can design and decorate with a unique colour scheme to match your room, your mood or maybe to give to your best friend! Put your favourite word on display - one that describes you! 

 Scrapbooking Album Parties

Our Best Friends Album Party is great for guests who want a stylish and special place to record their thoughts and secrets! Tweens will enjoy the challenge of assembling the album from scratch and then let their creativity shine as they decorate and embellish in theri own style. Complete with glitter pens to start sharing their secrets and you have a winner!

 Funky Frames Parties

Put your favourite picture on display with a funky frame you made yourself. With our funky frames party you can design and decorate a unique photo frame perfect for that best friend photo. Maybe you'd like to match your room decor or maybe you'd like to use your favourite colours?

 Wooden Crafts Parties
Our Wooden Crafts Party is very popular and comes with a variety of wooden projects to embellish and style to fit their room or their mood! Projects such as name plaques, wall hangings, desk tidys, pencil boxes and door hangers all allow the girls (or boys!) to use their creativity and learn new skills by using new crafting products. All while creating a gorgeous keepsake that they made themselves!

 Accordion Album Parties

Perhaps you could try our accordion album.

Turn your favourite pictures into an 8 page Accordion album that you can display on your favourite shelf.
Why not put together an album with you and your best friends, you and your dog, your cat, horse or maybe you want an album with you and your mum! Tweens will love the challenge of setting out their design, colour palette and then choosing embellishments to suit their tastes.

 Let Arty Parties help you come up with a fantastic party for your 'tween'. For more infomation on our packages and prices, visit us at www.artyparties.com.au. 

For the lastest info and updates from our most recent parties, pop over and check out our facebook page at www.facebook.com/ArtyPartiesandEvents 

Happy Crafting,

Sarah

It's Summertime!!

10 TIPS FOR PLANNING A PERFECT SUMMER PARTY

It’s summer—and that means it’s time for some fun in the sun. Summer serves as a perfect (and easy) backdrop for your child's next party. Good weather means you can
take the fun outdoors and summer school holidays means there is less pressure to invite absolutely everyone.
Keep the following tips in mind when planning your summer parties:

1. Feel free to limit your guest list. Invite the number of guests that works best for your time and budget and then send the invitations
2. Expect an extra guest or two. As people may be returning from holidays and receiving your invitation late expect that some guests you haven’t heard from may just show up.
3. Parties may fall on weekdays during this time of year. Given that people often have more flexible schedules during the summer, you may find that parties fall on weekdays or even weeknights. If your child and your schedule can accommodate this, that’s great, but don’t feel pressure if only a weekend day or night works for you.
4. Make a list of the parks you are interested in using for the party, and call the local council to find out if you need to rent or reserve the space. Do this far enough in advance to be able to change your plan if you are unable to meet the park's requirements.
5. Make a plan B in case of rain. If you are throwing your party outside, make an alternative plan in case of rain. Make sure that at least some of the activities you have planned can be done indoors or that you have a general idea of other inside activities to fill the time.
6. If you are planning a party at an outdoor venue, prepare the food beforehand. The easiest way to serve lunch or snacks at an outdoor venue is to have the food prepackaged and prepared for easy handout during the party. Whether you serve it in lunch boxes, shoe boxes or beach pails, writing each child’s name on the container will make for easy distribution as well.
7. Make sure your area has enough tables for everyone. Blankets spread on the ground can make festive seating for children.
8.  Make sure to plan time for free play. Given the nice weather and the chance to simply be together with friends, do not fill the entire party with activities. Make some time for fun free play.
9.  Have plenty of hydrating liquids available like water or sports drinks during the party. Kids will need to stay well hydrated, especially if they are running around and the weather is warm.
10. If it’s a particularly sunny day, make sure the kids are wearing sunscreen. When the guests arrive at your party, have sunscreen available for them to slather on before they head out into the sun. It’s a smart precaution to take if the kids will be outside for the entire party.

Happy summer party season! Enjoy!

Sarah McDonald is the Director and founder of Arty Parties - Childrens Craft Parties and Events, running birthday parties and events for children and their families all around Melbourne. Visit our facebook page at www.facebook.com/ArtyPartiesandEvents