Birthday Party Planning

Don't stress or panic - birthday party planning isn't as hard as you think!

How to plan the perfect party

Hosting the perfect party is hard work, but far more rewarding than hiring a play barn or an entertainer. Birthday party planning is crucial, it can take twice as much time to plan a good party as it will take to run the party itself.

So if you were planning a 1.5 hour party, you would need to spend around 3 hours planning it. This includes buying party essentials like tableware, prizes and planning the games.

However, Lello and Monkey have done a little birthday party planning preparation for you, so that you can give your child a unique party at home, and create some really special memories without all the hard work.

What time should I start the party?

Why not host the party in the morning, when kids are fresh and less likely to tire and fall out with each other. 10.30 am is a great time to start a party if you are able to host it at the weekend. You will have an hour to entertain the children, before they settle down for some craft activity followed by lunch.

How many games should we play?

Your birthday party planning should include lots of games, you will be amazed how quickly each game is over and they are looking to you for the next one. Make sure you have at least 2 or 3 games spare, just in case you finish a few quicker than planned.

What games should we play?

It is always a good idea to plan a mix of energetic and quiet party games. Kids will arrive excited and need to run off some energy, so some sort of outside activity is ideal, especially for boys.

Try to adapt the party games so that they fit in with your party theme. For a pirate themed party, for example, you could organise some 'walk the plank' style assault courses which can be done in teams or why not organise a treasure hunt? Kids are great explorers and naturally want to take part, whatever the weather, especially when they know there’s treasure to be found!

When doing your birthday party planning don’t forget the ‘prizes’, you will need one prize for the winner of each party game and some commiseration prizes (a few sweeties to ‘sweeten’ the blow of being knocked out of the game are now pretty much expected). When someone is knocked out when playing musical statues, musical bumps or 'Simon Says', get them to sit with you and be your helper to spot the next person to be out so they are less likely to be upset.

What party food should I serve?

Keep it simple, but don’t forget the classics. Kids tend to get a bit disappointed if the party food doesn’t include things like jelly and ice cream. Make as much as you can the night before so that it is all in the fridge and ready to bring out after the party games.

You could always call in the caterers or delegate this to friends or family. Don’t try to do too much, children won’t remember if they had hot food at your child’s party, but they will remember the party games they played.