How to Plan a Home Birthday Party

Having worked as a children’s entertainer for many years, I have developed some ideas that have worked well at children’s parties. These should help in planning your child’s special day.

Date and Time

The first thing you need to decide on is a date and time. Most people want to have their birthday party on a weekend afternoon. This is a good time for a party, but many times it interferes with other activities such as soccer games, family outings, other birthday parties, etc. Also, the best entertainers usually fill their weekend schedules first. If you want to have a party on a Saturday or Sunday, plan it as far in advance as you can. Saturday mornings are becoming more popular because that time interferes with fewer activities and when the party is over, the rest of the day is free. Weekdays, however, are becoming popular party days too. Weekday parties are not only a great day to break up the weekend, but they also leave your weekends free for other activities. Plan a few dates that you would like to have the party. Check your child’s activity schedules to make sure that it doesn’t interfere with the party. Also, make sure most of your child’s friends can make it to the party.

Party Length

The typical birthday party lasts two hours. If you plan on fifteen minutes at the beginning of the party for late arrivals, and 40-45 minutes for the birthday cake and opening presents, that leaves a full hour you must fill with other activities and entertainment. If your party is three hours long, you will need to fill two hours.

Deciding on a Theme

You don’t need a theme, but it helps make planning easier. If your daughter’s favorite things at the moment are Dalmatians, theme the party around them. If your son’s passion is Star Wars, you have your theme. Others use baseball, soccer, football, ballet, dinosaurs, Cinderella, etc. Many people theme the party around the entertainment they have planned.

Decorations

Fred Kirkland - Magical Entertainment offers a wide selection of unique decorations for your party in our Party Store. Or you can purchase what you need from a local party store. Remember, you don’t need to go overboard. A few strategically placed decorations is often better than every square foot covered in color.

Invitations

Make sure you get the invitations out a minimum of two weeks before the party to give parents time to plan.

Food

If the party is scheduled close to the lunch or dinner hour, serving food is essential. During the party, the children are usually having so much fun with each other that serving a normal meal is not only unnecessary, but unneeded. The children want to get back to the party activities as soon as possible so pizza, pigs in a blanket or sandwiches and chips are usually perfect.

Cake

Here is an area where you have lots of options. You can have a cake decorated and/or shaped to go with your theme or a traditional cake just using the theme colors. You can have cake and ice cream or an ice cream cake. This is an area where your creativity can really come out.

Goodie Bags

These are available with some of our party packages. Click here to purchase goodie bags from Fred Kirkland - Magical Entertainment.

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