Archive for the ‘Children’s Party – General’ Category
Monday, February 18th, 2013
Having fun with your friends is what parties are all about.
Parties are all about fun right? Well of course but I am also constantly amazed at how much learning also goes on a party without the children even realising. Parties are a great way of enhancing a child’s social skills. For the birthday child there is learning how to greet people and how to cope with a lot of attention and for guests there is understanding that at times the world is not all about them, something that is not always easy when you are small, but that their friends can take centre stage and they can have just as much fun allowing this to happen.
At my parties I try to avoid elimination games as the children can get bored very quickly but parties are a good way to reinforce the concepts of taking turns, sharing and winning and losing – all important skills to carry our little ones forward in life.
Food is an area that parents worry about at parties. Will the children just choose all the unhealthy treats? In my experience I am always pleasantly surprised at how balanced children’s choices are, they will always choose some fruit and veg along with the treats so it is a lovely way to reinforce a balanced diet and get children used to making independent choices. It also provides an opportunity for children to get used to eating and enjoying food in a social environment.
It is often said that the best way to learn is through fun and you can’t have much more fun than at a party.
Tags:Active, Berkshire, Boy's Parties, children, Children's, Children's Party, family, Fun, Party, pre school, Surrey, Themed Party, toddlers, under 5's
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Thursday, February 14th, 2013
If your child is into a particular character there is always lots of party ware you can buy to complement your chosen theme, but it can work out expensive and can be a bit overwhelming to have all themed merchandise at a party. I am privileged to be able to see many clever ideas that parents come up with to theme their parties without breaking the bank. Here are some of my favourites.
Balloons and streamers can instantly brighten a room and if you pick them out in the colours of your chosen theme (i.e Pink and Purple for Princesses, red and black for pirates, red and blue for Spiderman …) you can instantly accent your theme cost effectively. I love this balloon bunting that I saw at an outdoor Princess party I did last year.
Fab balloon bunting
These baloons and streamers were themed in the colours used in the Ben & Holly logo for a party of the same theme. It turned a boring hatch into a focal point at this party and you could easily change the colours to match your theme. For example would look great in red and blue for a Spiderman or Superhero party.
Pretty baloons and streamers
I always love seeing some of the children’s toys used as decoration. This row of princess slippers was a lovely touch at a Princess party.
Cinderella shoes
And these lovely Princess Hats are great fro the children to wear at the party and then take home. They are made out of a simple party hat with 2 lengths of fabric stapled on – easy but very effective.
Princess Hats
At my son’s Cars party a couple of years ago we placed some of his Cars toys and road signs down the centre of the table and made a racetrack table runner out of black paper and white paint. Simple but effective.
Race track runner
All of these ideas can be achieved on a budget and easily mixed in with a few pieces of more expensive themed party ware. Would love to hear of any of your ideas.
Tags:Active, art and craft, balloons, Berkshire, Boy's Parties, children, Children's, Children's Party, craft, creative, decorations, family, Fun, Hampshire, money saving tips, Party, Surrey, Themed Party
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Monday, February 11th, 2013
Take a group of excited children, mix with lots of party food and what is the result? Even more excitable children! The energy that children have at parties is incredible and to be admired but it is easy for this energy, when mixed with party treats, to turn a birthday party out of control unless you are well prepared and know how to manage the energy effectively. Here are my top tips for using this energy so that everyone has a great time.
1)One of the main reasons that energy can turn into challenging behaviour is boredom. It is easy to assume that putting a few toys out and allowing the children just to play will be enough at a party. Although this may be fine for 15 mins or so children (particularly small children) will start to get bored and look for other things to do. Make sure you have a fair few activities planned, whether this be some craft activities and/or some party games.
2)Taking turns – although obviously learning to take turns is all part of growing up, think about the amount of children you have at the party and how long it will take for them all to have a turn at say Pin the tail on the Donkey or at hitting a Pinata. With these activities I would say they work best up to 15 children but if you have more you could have two on the go or just have another activity planned that the children can do whilst waiting for their turn.
3)Elimination Games – Games like Musical Statues are perennial favourites but for very small children the concept of being “out” is a hard one to comprehend and you may find that elimination games can quickly descend into chaos as children reappear into the game. And let’s face it being out is pretty boring anyway. You can easily adapt games like musical statues so that no-one has to be out. Maybe when they freeze you could give the children a task to complete like who can stand on one leg the longest or who can pull the funniest face, and give a little prize each round (even just a sticker) to the best one. Everyone can still join in and be having lots of fun.
4)Too many distractions – Small children find it hard to concentrate on games if there are lots of other things around so put toys and craft activities away before starting games so that you have the children’s full attention.
5)Hire a professional – If the thought of managing all that energy is giving you palpatations there are plenty of party entertainers who have lots of experience in keeping little ones engaged and having a good time. They will easily spot when activities need to be changed, when more active or more quiet games are required and generally keep the party moving so that no-one gets bored. If you do hire an entertainer then do listen to their advice about potential distractions etc.
I hope the above tips are useful and help you to create a magical party for your little one.
Tags:Active, Berkshire, Boy's Parties, children, Children's, Children's Party, family, Fun, Hampshire, Party, pre school, Surrey, Themed Party, toddlers, under 5's
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Thursday, February 7th, 2013
Themed Parties are all the rage and every week I am entertaining at many different themes. Here are a few simple tips to help you continue the theme with food, decorations etc that won’t break the bank and are simple to do.
Dressing up can all add to the theme
Costumes – If you want guests to dress up make sure you put this on the invitations. I have entertained at parties where guests weren’t sure and children can get very upset if they turn up in normal clothes when all their friends are dressed up. Equally some children won’t want to dress up – but they can still join in the fun of a themed party.
Food – Two words – cookie cutters! They are available in so many different shapes these days and can be used obviously to make delicious biscuits. However they are great for cutting out sandwiches too and can make the sandwiches more appealing for little ones to eat. Fruit and Veg can also be made more appetising by creating faces, making cars out of apples, grapes and cocktail sticks or pirate boats out of orange skins and jelly with a paper sail. Finally cakes – there are a wide variety of cake toppers, edible stickers and flags that can be added to cupcakes easily to enhance your theme.
Car Sandwiches - cookie cutters are great to add theming details
Decorations and Tableware – There are vast amounts of party decorations and tableware to buy in all sorts of themes. To save money try mixing a few themed items with plain coloured decorations that match a colour in your theme. If you are having party boxes for the food these can easily be decorated with stickers to match your theme, a great job that the birthday child can get involved with. The internet and in particular Pinterest can be a great resource for finding imaginative ideas. Take a look at
my Pinterest boards for some inspiration for many different themes
Party Bags – Again the choice can be overwhelming these days. Sometimes a well chosen item can be a better idea than lots of little things. Look out for books, stationery sets or craft sets in your chosen theme at discount stores and on-line and don’t be afraid to think out of the box – a small seed sowing kit at a nursery rhyme or hungry caterpillar party, a Christmas decoration for a December birthday, a cupcake baking kit for a Hello Kitty party etc will all be used long after the party has ended.
Have fun!
Tags:Active, Berkshire, Boy's Parties, Cakes, children, Children's, Children's Party, costumes, creative, decorations, family, fancy dress, Fun, Hampshire, money saving tips, Party, Surrey, Themed Party
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Friday, September 14th, 2012
As we leave the summer behind and the air starts to feel a touch autumnal, indoor parties fast become the norm (although with the summer we have had this could have been applied all year). Parties at home can be great fun, providing familiar and comforting surroundings for your child and their friends, you can choose exactly the time you want the party and you will instantly know where to lay your hands on all the essential utensils and items needed for a child’s birthday party. You can also take as much time as you like decorating your home which may not be possible at a hired venue. Here are my top tips for holding a child’s birthday party at home.
How many? – To begin with work out how many children you are likely to have attending the party. Most indoor house parties I have entertained at have no more than 15 children present (unless you have a very large house). Also consider the age of the children and whether their parents are likely to stay as this can quite easily double the amount of people in your house
Out of Bounds – First of all decide on which rooms you will be using for the party and then make sure any rooms you don’t want the children to go into are shut off. The same goes for toys – only have out the ones you are happy for all the children to play with and any that you are not make sure they are put away and out of reach.
Clear the decks – If you are planning any sort of party games or dancing then it is important that you allow enough space for this. Maybe allocate one room for this and move back any furniture and clear away any breakables or treasured items.
Food Glorious Food – The thing that stresses most parents out about a child’s party at home is the mess that can be potentially created from food and drink. To save on this worry I recommend having one set area for food, either round a table or picnic style with large picnic rugs or tablecloths covering the floor. Kids love indoor picnics! I also find that the party food boxes help reduce mess as there is no food to be passed around and children can put all their rubbish in the boxes as they go. I also recommend drinks in cartons to avoid the inevitable spillages that cup drinks provide.
I recommend leaving food as late as you can into the party, at least an hour in. Once the children have eaten, particularly if they are having lots of party treats, I find their concentration for games has lessened but their energy levels have increased. It is better then for them to have a short period of more unstructured or more familiar games like pass the parcel, musical statues or general dancing after food which will burn off that energy.
Too Much is Not Enough – When I plan a 2 hour party for children I always have at least 10 or 11 activities or games planned. That may sound like a lot but children, especially young children, can get bored very quickly and it is better to move on from an activity while they are still enjoying playing it then waiting for the children to tire of it and start to stray away. If the thought of planning that many activities fills you with horror then do consider hiring an entertainer as they will be very used to spotting when to change activities and most will be able to adapt their games to fit inside your front room.
Preparation is key – Get as much prepared before the party starts so that you can enjoy the party too. The party food boxes help a great deal with this, but also if you have parents staying maybe set up a table with drinks they can pour for themselves so that you are not stuck in the kitchen making drinks but instead able to enjoy the fun with your child on their big day.
Tags:Active, Berkshire, Boy's Parties, children, Children's, Children's Party, creative, family, Fun, indoor party, Party, party at home, pre school, Surrey, Themed Party, under 5's
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Friday, June 1st, 2012
I’m sure many of you are planning Jubilee parties this weekend. Here are some of Act One Adventures top ideas for keeping the children entertained at your celebrations.
Top Jubilee Games
Greetings Your Majesty – One child sits blindfolded in the middle while the others sit round in a circle. Choose one child who then says “Greetings Your Majesty” disguising their voice as much as possible and the blindfolded child has to guess who it is.
Keeper of The Keys – The Queen must have lots of keys for all her castles. Again one child sits in middle with a blindfold and a bunch of keys next to them. Choose one child from the circle who has to creep round the circle and into the middle to grab the keys without the blindfolded child detecting them.
Who is one?
– There are many royal family masks available to purchase at the moment or you could write the names of the Royal family on paper and stick to peoples foreheads. Each person has to ask questions to help reveal their identity. We have played with the masks and it is hilarious.
10 Second Object – Get the children in groups and then tell them they have 10 secs to change into a Royal Family related object e.g. a castle, a carriage, a crown. The kids love turning their bodies into strange shapes.
Queen may we cross the drawbridge? – The children ask this question to the “Queen” and the Queen answers yes only if you are …. wearing red, like bananas, had toast for breakfast etc. All those that have or are the Queen’s statement can cross the drawbridge (run to the other side of the room).
Queen for a Day – Have out an assortment of dressing up bits and things like sheets, old curtains etc and a couple of willing!?! adults and get the children to dress them up as Queen for the Day. The kids can then play with the dressing up stuff afterwards.
Craft Ideas
Paper Plate Decorating
A really easy and cheap craft to set up for all ages is paper plate decorating. Just put out a load of paper plates, stickers, pictures of the royal family cut out from newspapers/magazines, sequins, feathers – whatever crafty bits you have to hand and let the children create.
But of course the craft possibilities are endless – flags, bunting, crowns, diamonds, Queen and Prince Phillip Paper Plate masks. There are lots of quick and easy crafts that can be set up to keep the younger ones amused.
I hope the above ideas will help to keep your children entertained. Have a great Jubilee weekend!
Tags:Active, art, Berkshire, Boy's Parties, children, Children's, Children's Party, craft, creative, drama, family, Fun, Hampshire, Jubilee, Jubilee Kids activities, Jubilee party, Party, Surrey, Themed Party, under 5's
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Thursday, May 24th, 2012
Now that the good weather has finally arrived I expect to be taking quite a few of my party bookings outside into people gardens and outdoor spaces over the next few weeks. Outdoor parties are great fun and give a sense of freedom and freshness to any event. They can also make great settings for my adventure parties and also give lots of new opportunities for hiding clues for a treasure hunt. To make sure any outdoor children’s event goes with a swing here are my top tips.
Feeling hot hot hot – As is the way with our British weather it can go from freezing cold to scorching hot almost overnight. Extremes of heat can be quite difficult for young children to adjust to so make sure if your party is outside that you seek out some shady areas for them to play and sit down in as well as enjoying the sunshine. If your garden doesn’t have much natural shade then look at ways you can create some either by putting up a gazebo or parasol or for very small children, even some big golfing umbrellas clustered together can diffuse the heat a bit.
Water water everywhere – If it is a hot day then make sure there is plenty of water on offer for the children to drink so they don’t become dehydrated. If you are playing quite a few active games it may be necessary to stop regularly for water, but also try and alternate some more active games with a few quieter ones too – things like chinese whispers or keeper of the keys are good for just calming and cooling everything down whilst still being fun.
Boundaries – If you are having the party in a field or park or have a particularly large garden look at ways you can create natural boundaries for any games you are playing so that you can keep control of the game. Make sure if using a field or park area that you know where all the exits are and have parents stationed by these exits to ensure there are no “escapees”.
Music – If you are planning music outside you will either need a long extension lead or battery operated player. Bear in mind that a lot of battery powered players and not very powerful in output and it may be difficult to hear the music outside, so do a test first and make sure you have spare batteries as they tend to eat them up quite quickly.
Best laid plans – It is always a good idea in the UK to have a plan B for any outdoor occasion. I have entertained at events that have started off sunny and then turned to torrential rain. Fortunately the hosts had cleared a space indoors so we could move in and quickly carry on the party. Equally if your party is to be on grass and there has been a lot of rain in the lead up the ground could be very slippy. With lots of children running around the ground can soon get churned up and the children covered in mud. Some will love this but some may be upset to get their party clothes very dirty (not to mention their parents). If you are planning to be outside whatever the weather then do advise your guests of this so they can dress their children accordingly.
Checklist for Outdoor Parties
Shady areas (or ways to create this – gazebos, parasols, umbrellas etc)
Plenty of Water
Suncream and some spare hats
Extension lead or batteries for music player
Picnic blankets – in case ground is damp – the children can still sit down comfortably.
See our Ultimate Party Checklist for all other party essentials and most of all have fun in the sun!
Tags:Active, Berkshire, Boy's Parties, children, Children's, Children's Party, family, Fun, Garden party, Hampshire, Party, Surrey, Themed Party
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Thursday, February 23rd, 2012
Adele at the Brits (Image from Yahoo.co.uk)
OK I’m not quite at the 6 Grammy’s and 2 Brits standard but I have been nominated for an award. Yippee!
I was delighted to hear that I have been nominated for the What’s On 4 Kids awards as Best Children’s Entertainment. I think I have enough nominations to see me through to the voting stage but won’t know for definite until next week so if you’d like to make doubly sure here are the details for nominations.
You will need to click here and then you will need to enter the following details:-
Nominee Name – Act One Parties
Nominee location – Guildford, Surrey
Nominee Contact name – Joanne McGowan
Nominee email – joanne.mcgowan@hotmail.co.uk
Nominee contact tel – 07956182488
Nominee category – Best Children’s Party Entertainment
Nominations close on the 29th February and then if I get through to voting then that opens on the 7th March through to the 6th May and I will post details of how to vote then. Fingers crossed!
I could play it cool and say it is great just to be nominated but I would love to get through to the next round. I love what I do and I work really hard for it so to get recognition like this is great.
I promise if I get through to the voting and then manage to get enough votes to go to the Finals in June I won’t make too gushing a speech or sing like Adele (I might steal some of her style ideas though). Apart from how lovely it would be to win an award I may get to meet some Cbeebies icon (Mister Maker presented some of the awards last year!) and that would do my street cred with my target audience no end of good.
So please VOTE ACT ONE PARTIES
Tags:Active, Awards, Berkshire, Boy's Parties, children, Children's, Children's Party, family, Fun, Hampshire, Party, Pirate Party, Surrey, Themed Party, under 5's
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Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
In my job as a Party Entertainer and through teaching dance and drama I obviously come into contact with lots of different children. The one that quite often catches my attention is the child at the back of the room, often clinging to Mum or Dad’s leg, but looking eagerly at what we are doing willing themselves to join in but not quite being able to make the transition from leg to party.
Shyness can be a very hard thing to overcome but it doesn’t mean that the child will enjoy the activities any less or doesn’t want to join in, they quite often just need the reassurance that it will be OK. If I spot a shy child at a party I will do my best to come across and have a chat, maybe ask them how they think an activity is going. It doesn’t matter if I don’t get an answer, what matters is they feel they have been included and inclusion at any level is half way to making someone feel comfortable. I will keep doing this until hopefully the child is happy to join in and even if they don’t come and join us in the throng they will at least feel included.
I am often told by parents when booking that the birthday child is shy, but even the most confident of children can suddenly become overwhelmed with shyness when they realise that they are the centre of attention. Here are some of the things I have found to work when shyness takes over.
Consider the amount of children you are inviting – I once remember taking a booking from a parent who said her child was extremely shy and could I spend some individual time with her child at the party to put her at ease. Fine. She then said she was planning on inviting 40 children! Number size can work in 2 ways. A shy child can feel more comfortable if they just have a few friends that they know extremely well at their party. They may find it easier to relax and certainly your entertainer will be able to spend much more time with each child if the numbers are fewer. However saying that I do know of some shy children who feel more comfortable in a slightly larger group where they can disappear a bit and not feel they are the centre of attention. I would advise any parent to use their judgement and ask their child what they may prefer. In any case I would say that many more than 20 is likely to be too overwhelming for a child who finds it difficult in these situations.
Don’t be late! – If your child is a guest at a party and finds it hard to join in one of the worst things you can do, in my opinion, is turn up after the party has started. Even the most confident of children will find it hard to walk in to a party in full swing and just join in. It also makes it difficult for the entertainer to assess how a child is going to react. At my parties I am always there before the official party start time watching the children play and interact, having a chat with them etc. I can quickly ascertain any children who may have trouble joining in and consider how best to include them, with a late arrival it is difficult to do this. Getting there in time also means that the child has time to adjust to the surroundings therefore feeling more comfortable about joining in later on.
Friendly faces – I am always surprised when I have been told a child is particularly shy that all their trusted relatives disappear from the room to sort food etc. Obviously there is lots for the family to do on party day but quite often just having a friendly face in the room with a child, reassuring them and maybe even joining in with them can make all the difference. Quite often the first time the birthday child will have met me will be on the day and although I will do my best to chat and reassure them, there is nothing like a close family member around to make everything seem good.
Join in – Yes you may feel a bit silly to start with but sometimes if your child sees you joining in and having fun they will gradually follow your lead. After a short time you will usually find they are happy to join in on their own. And you never know you may even find that you enjoy it!
In Reverse – I have lost count of the amount of people who have told me they have a very outgoing child who then gets overcome with shyness on the day and for those that have told me their child is particularly shy and are then amazed to see them joining in everything at the party. One thing that you can say about children is that they are full of surprises!
Do let me know of any other techniques that you have found have worked well.
Tags:Active, children, Children's, Children's Party, family, Hampshire, Party, Surrey, Themed Party, under 5's
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Friday, January 6th, 2012
Another area that I know is stressful for parents planning parties is food. How much? Is that enough? How many sweet treats? Help themselves or in party boxes? Sound familiar? Having entertained at over 100 parties every year I have seen what works and what doesn’t and here are some of my top food tips.
Sandwiches – there are always loads left over! My advice would be to allow half a sandwich (1 slice of bread) per child. Keep fillings simple – cheese, ham, cream cheese, jam or marmite all seem to go down well. I saw a lovely plate of beautifully decorated salami sandwiches at a party once that weren’t even touched. Another way to get children to eat sandwiches is to cut them out with cookie cutters into interesting shapes, thus eliminating crusts. At my own son’s birthday parties I have in the past done teddy bears, trains, dinosaurs but I have also seen rockets and stars and other parties – anything goes and the children generally tend to eat more of them. Here are some ideas I have seen on the internet – first, ideal for a princess party from creativepartyblog.com
Beautiful Tiara sandwiches from creativepartyblog.com
Some car sandwiches from jackandizzy.blogspot.com
Car sandwiches - jackandizzy.blogspot.com
And finally if you are feeling adventurous how about these from hostessblog.com
Creative sandwiches from hostessblog.com
Naughty or Nice? – Firstly I think we need to give our kids a bit more credit. They are so savvy today about healthy eating that at all the parties I have attended the children always seem to choose a good balance. Of course they love the crisps and biscuits and cakes but they also choose fruit and vegetables too. Making fruit and vegetables look interesting is always a good idea – kebabs work really well and making something out of fruit and veg can be appealing too. These fruit veg and savoury kebabs look great from superhealthykids.com
Fab Kebabs from superhealthykids.com
And these fruit pops look delicious from innocentcatering.com.au
Fruit Pops from innocentcatering.com.au
For my son’s Cars party we made little cars out of apple quarters and grapes, held together by a cocktail stick which I saw on catchmyparty.com.
Inspiration for my sons Cars Party, image from catchmyparty.com
At a lovely Fairy party I entertained at recently they had Enchanted Toadstools (half a cherry tomato on top of a cube of cheese), Pixie Sticks (Various Crudites), Fairy Wands (Grapes on a skewer) and Forest Berries (Raisins and Dried Cranberries). The kids loved them.
Some lovely real life Fairy party food - Enchanted Toadstools, Fairy Wands and Pixie Sticks
Another party I once entertained at brought the crisps out 5 minutes after the tea had begun. I commended the mum on this idea as the children had tucked into the sandwiches and more healthy items quite happily. She admitted that she had just forgotten to bring them out!
Food boxes vs Plates – This is very much personal choice. In my opinion it is easier to guage accurate portions when you put individual items into food boxes. Below is a pirate one from boywondergifts.co.uk who are a great source for boys partyware and gifts. Food boxes are also easier to transport and to tidy up afterwards as they seem to create less mess. I have tended to put the savoury stuff in the food boxes and then bring out the sweet things on platters afterwards.
Pirate Boxes from boywondergifts.co.uk
Hot food – It is far easier to have all cold stuff particularly if the party is not at home as hall ovens can be unreliable and take far longer to cook . It also makes timing when to break trickier to organise. However I did a party at a clients home once where they served up a big pot of Bolognese with garlic bread and it went down a storm and didn’t take long to organise as they just reheated it at food time.
How long and when? – Many people ask me how long they should allow for food. In my experience children rarely take longer than 20 mins to eat and sometimes can be done in 10! Do be wary of party venues that give you an hours play and then an hour to eat! I know of many people who have been stuck in a small party room for 40 minutes with no activities planned and children literally climbing the walls. Once they have eaten they are full of energy again so do have an activity planned for afterwards, something energetic but that doesn’t require too much concentration. Dancing games are always good as are familiar games like Duck Duck Goose.
People also ask when best to have food. I feel that about half way in is always good as they will have worked up an appetite and you won’t have as much time to fill afterwards when concentration is likely to be low but energy levels high.
I hope these tips are helpful for those of you planning your next childrens party. Please do share any tips you have for children’s party food below and I would welcome any questions too.
Tags:Berkshire, children, Children's, Children's Party, family, food, Fun, Hampshire, Party, party food, Surrey, Themed Party
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