We’ve had a few events recently at our Care for Kindies centres. Our recent Halloween disco, Xmas in July party and a few more events coming up this year! Here are a few things to consider when planning an event for children.
The children’s age
A lot of the party or event will be dependant of the children’s age. For example, we had age specific activities catered towards toddlers and pre-schoolers for our Xmas in July event at our Belfield (Margaret St)childcare service. It can be hard to engage younger children when there’s a larger crowd which is why we opted for an external kid’s entertainment company. It may also be helpful to involve the children themselves in planning of the party or event.
The event venue
There are a wide range of options for party venues, ranging from your own home through to community centres and similar venues through to soft play, swimming pools, bowling, gymnastics, etc. The main things to consider are your budget, the activities you want to offer at the party and number of adults that will be helping.\
Here are a few options for venues in the Belfield area:
- Bossley Park Community Centre
- Canterbury City Community Centre
- Australian Academy of Gymnastics
Here are a few options for venues in the Leppington area:
Numbers
When children are younger, normally their parents will often stay at the party with them. This means that you are only limited by the venue. The older the children, the less number of adults you would need to help out.
Theme
The party theme would normally be determined by the interests and ideas of the child. This can then be reflected in the activities and games that are held on the day. However, a lot of children’s party venue’s do already have themes for you to pick out. If you are hosting at a community centre or park, having a certain theme would make it more entertaining for the children.
Invitations
The invitations should be sent out about a month or so before the party and including an RSVP two weeks prior to the party to confirm numbers. However, if your party will be in school holidays, it’s probably a good idea to send the children and families more notice. Make sure that you include a mobile number or email for the RSVP, and include a dietary requirements/notice if you’re catering.
Timing
The timing really depends on the children’s age, however generally an hour and a half to two hours would be a good amount for a children’s party.
Party Favours or Bags
Party favours are a great way to say thank you to the children and families for coming along to the birthday or celebration. It would be good to have a variety of things in the party bags. You should also take into consideration the age, gender, interests of the children receiving the bag. Some popular items to include could be, chocolates, lollies, thank you cards and novelty toys.
Cake
The cake is normally towards the end of the party, the Costco cakes are a budget friendly option if you’re wanting to also feed the parents as well. They normally serve about 50-60 people for a slab of Costco cake. Making your own cake at home is also a good option. Having a few jelly cups as back up would also be ideal for those children with egg-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free diets/allergies.
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