10 tips to arrange an awesome kids party

Kids parties are big business nowadays. We often fall into the trap of wanting to give our kids everything they desire and with very little boundaries the little one's party can run into thousands. Not only are parties heavy on your pocket but it can cause a huge amount of stress as well. The way to avoid this is to plan it way in advance. Continue to read this blog post to find out how to organise a do-it-yourself party that doesn't cost a fortune. I will also share some useful party tips and Cape Town-based party contacts.

1. Planning and preparation

One of the key ingredients in your preparation and planning stage should be to answer the 5 Ws and H... 

Why?

In most instances planning a party is in celebration of your child's birthday so it would take place on or around the actual birth date but sometimes it's a graduation party or just a reason to celebrate. 

What?

So once you've decided on the date, you can choose the theme. Sometimes a theme makes the party planning easier. Everything from the invites to the decorations, the cake and activities can be tied into the theme. 

When?

Depending on the time of year, you can look at whether it will be in- or outdoors. 

Where?

You will also need to decide on a venue and book it in advance. For little boys there is The Blue Train Park in Mouille Point. It is a great outdoor venue with lots of activities for the kids including a jumping castle, a water-slide, a mini-rock wall, a zip line, swings and the usual activities you'd find at most parks. The party package includes two laps around the train circuit for all the attendees.

There are also a number of nice parks you can host a party at including The Urban Park or if you'd prefer an indoor event you could hire one of the municipal halls. If you have space at home this might be an option. It is usually the least favorite because of the setting up beforehand and all the cleaning after but it has its advantages too. Remember to research the options as soon as you have a date and theme in mind so that you can book the venue and pay the deposit to secure it, to avoid disappointment.

Who?

Party planning prep - have the
guest list going

You should consider the children's ages and whether they still take afternoon naps as an example, which will help you avoid the cranky hour when they are tired and want to snooze. 

I recently opted to host a party from 11am to 1pm as the youngest guest was just under two and the kids ranged up to about 12 years old. 

A personal touch

It is important to decide who you are going to invite and have a guest list going. The numbers add up quickly  so you need to have a good idea of the size of the party you will be catering for before you book the venue. Another thing to consider is that most parents will stay and supervise their own kids, which is ideal. You don't want the responsibility of looking after all the kids at the party. So include the parents in your catering as well. 

I opted for paper invites according to the theme,  which were hand-written and dropped off in each person's letterbox. This adds a personal touch to the invitation which an electronic one doesn't have. But for convenience, you can email or even whats app the details of the invite to the attendees. 

How?

It is very easy to get carried away when you are busy planning and I had to rein myself in because at some point I was considering a full-on carnival theme. You should decide upfront what your budget is going to be and then stick within those parameters.   Now that the logistics are out of the way you can start with the fun stuff. The theme for the party I organised was pink, purple and ponies. 

2. Pinterest is your friend

In the planning stage of the party I scoured Pinterest for ideas. I'm not sure what we did before the advent of the Internet and social media because Google is the go-to place when looking for anything nowadays. I saw lots of do-it-yourself decorating ideas, activities to keep the party-goers entertained and even novelty cakes. These inspired many of the party tricks up my sleeve. I created a pony party board and pinned all the ideas I was likely to use for future reference.

A rainbow fruit platter

3. Parents' prerequisites take precedence 

The parents of the little girl I was arranging the party for wanted a no to low sugar party, not very common around here. But this was actually quite a good idea because the kids weren't high on sugar and there were no tantrums due to a crash. So instead of sodas I opted for some strawberry milk (I used full cream milk so the kids were getting their calcium) and some berry juice.

We also made some rainbow jelly, which was a hit. It takes a while to make as you have to wait until each layer sets but it was worth all the effort. Then I also had nature's sugar... Some fruit platters which also went down a treat. Since the party was in December, during summer in Cape Town, we were really spoilt for choice with the wide selection of fruit available.

Instead of chips we made some popcorn and scooped them into popcorn boxes which the kids had access to on the feature table. And a party isn't a party without cake... So I made my signature red velvet cupcakes with a pink cream cheese frosting and an array of macaroons. I also ordered a my little pony cake for the feature table. And since the party was around brunch, I also had some yoghurt and muesli cups available for the late risers. For a pop of color I covered some marshmallow in some white Lindt chocolate and decorated them with edible glitter, some candied hearts and coconut flakes. I stuck them on some pink and purple paper straws which complimented the theme.

4. Prepare as many things as possible beforehand...

Lindt chocolate covered marshmallows

To reduce my stress levels, I prepared many of the items beforehand. We made the rainbow jellies the day before, as well as the chocolate covered marshmallows, macaroons and the popcorn, which we sealed in ziploc bags.

5. Party boxes with a twist

Packing the boxes with the kids is
a great way to get them involved.

In keeping with the theme and the parents' wishes for low-sugar, I got some pink party boxes at The Baking Tin and my niece helped me put them together. We inserted some peanuts and raisins, fruit flakes, flings, a bite-size Twix and a small packet of jelly sweets. These were handed to the kids as they were leaving the party.

6. Pink, purple and ponies...

I hired some tables, chairs, tablecloths, chair covers and tie backs from Cyprus Catering. You can contact Ishmaeel from Cyprus Catering on 0782778550. I've used them a couple of times for events and they are competitively priced and offer a convenient drop-off and collection service. I ordered My Little Pony themed plates, cups, napkins and decorations from Amazon.com and bought some pink and purple lanterns, balloons and streamers from China Town, which all added to the ambiance. 

My niece wanted a pony at her party and it was quite a mission to find people who offer a pony party service. When I googled it most of the contact numbers were no longer working or there was no response from the out-dated websites. I also shopped around because the going rate for a pony is anything from R1000 or more for an hour or two. I friend referred me to Deanne from Pony Party Magic who has a number of ponies to choose from. They select the ponies for the party depending on your requirements (I needed a white one) and the ages of the children, so they brought along a smaller pony for the little kids and a bigger one for the older kids. Deanne and her daughter who assists her are patient and friendly.

Hamza holding on tight

Gia The Lioness

Farah feeding the pony

The kids tagging along with the ponies

From experience, not all the kids will want to ride on the pony or get close enough to pet it. So I ordered a jumping castle as an alternative activity from The Face Painting Fairy, Jasmine Arnold. She offers an array of party services and I requested the face painting and the balloon art. 

Iman The Butterfly

Haneen The Unicorn

Muzzafar The Dinosaur

Cade Spidernan

Jasmine The Face Painting Fairy

  

Anyone for balloon art?

7. Photograph the memories in the making

Remember to hire a photographer or ask a designated person to capture the magic as it happens.

8. Party snacks for the parents

You should also cater for the parents. There's nothing better than a nice cup of tea and a cupcake as a sweet treat.

Chocolate eclairs

Lemon Meringue Cupcakes

My signature Red Velvet Cupcakes with a Cream Cheese Frosting

9. Party helpers

If you are arranging the party, get as many people as possible to help you. You will need all the hands you can get to set up, decorate and even to ensure that everyone at the party is taken care of. If you can't manage the stress or just have better things to do you can outsource the party planning to a professional party planner.

10. Relax and have fun

On the day of the party when everything goes according to plan, there is nothing left for you to do but to relax, have fun and mingle with your guests.

Until next time,
Imtithaal