10 helpful hints to help you survive the party!
1. Invite other Mothers to come to the party.If you are having 25, 5 year olds at your home, you need some help! The Magician will be there to help but cannot help as much as a Mother. Invite the Mothers of the kids to come and enjoy some XYZ with you while the party is going on. They will not only help you, but will be your eyes and ears in every room of the house. Having the party with only one adult in the house is insane and insanity is not the goal! During the Magic Show seat the kids on the floor and have the Mothers sit around the kids in chairs so they can see all and help maintain control. Mothers are awesome and will help in all aspects of the birthday party when needed. It's a fact ... most Mothers are awesome!
2. No one ever shows up on time. If you plan the party for 2pm everyone will be there by 2:30pm .... it's a fact of life. Start the main activities at 2:30pm. For the first half hour invite everyone to the snack table to snack and get acquainted.
3. The food portion of the event takes 5 to 7 minutes. Kids want to play with the other kids, if you have pizza, snacks, candy, chips and more for the kids, they will spend about 5 to 7 minutes eating and will be begging to play with the others. Many Moms plan 20 to 30 minutes for eating and run out of things to do.
4. I know this is basic but make sure your phone is charged. Make sure your phone has enough memory to video and take photos at the party. This info is so basic but all the time at parties I see parents that have to re-boot their phone for this reason or that. This event is important and you'll want photos and video, make sure your phone is ready.
5. Remember the sibling rule. A lot of people believe that if you invite their child, it's ok to also bring the siblings. If a mother is planning on staying at your party, some mother's bring all their kids. Be ready for the siblings. Prepare for the extra kids. Make sure you have enough of everything for them.
6. Anything that makes noise is BAD! Don't buy a noisemaker, or two or three..... You'll be sorry. Anything that makes noise is bad, please, just trust me on this...... don't do it. You've been warned.
7. Don't serve food during the show. If you're having entertainment you want the kids to watch, it's pretty simple. If you serve food the kids will need more ketchup, more to drink, another napkin etc, etc, .... it's hard to hold their attention .... food makes it even harder.
I remember making a dove appear while a group of kids were eating ..... the kids were so excited, they stood and started walking towards the bird, stepping on plates of pizza, spilling drinks etc ... Focus exactly on the one thing you want the kids to do and they will follow.
8. More than 25, fight to stay alive! If you are having more than 25 kids at your party, you may need a bigger venue. It's hard to maintain order at your home and save all your valuables with more than 25 kids. The perfect place to have it is in the church basement where the kids cannot hurt anything and everything that they spill is easily cleaned up. Consider donating to the church to use their basement, it will be worth it in the end! If you're in Nashville or surrounding areas I have a list of venue ideas that may help youin your search for a venue. (That list will probably help no matter what city you live in)
9. Book early and confirm early. If you want entertainment, book early, especially during June, July, October and December.
10. If you want 50% of the hassle taken out of the party, hire an entertainer that does 3 to 5 birthday parties a week - they will make your job so much easier. It's a fact.....
This article brought to you by Magician Rodney Kelley who does 3 to 5 birthday parties per week :)
Hope your party goes great!!
