STELLAR CELEBRATIONS - KIDS PARTIES AND ENTERTAINMENT FOR ALL AGES

Kids’ birthday parties may not rise to the level of gala events or a big wedding weekend when it comes to planning, but they deserve some attention too. Here are some quick tips to make your kids’ birthday party a smashing success.

In addition to the essential ice cream and cake, it’s always a good idea to serve other snack food and offer a healthy choice like fruit. Even veggies can be fun when cut and served in creative ways. If your party lasts longer than a couple hours, plan on offering heartier options like chicken fingers or sliders to keep the kids (and adults who accompany them!) from getting hungry and cranky. Easy to eat finger foods that won’t make a mess are your best bet. If the kids are older, it’s hard to go wrong with a taco bar.

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Party at Porch

Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo

Party at Porch

Porch on SSI is popular with adults and kids alike for their delicious chicken and grassy outdoor play area with cornhole boards and other games. It was the perfect party venue for Emilyn’s dragon themed birthday party with party décor and balloons by The Enchanted Frog. Outfits from Bailey Boys, like the clothes worn by Max and Chloe Harrison, ensure that your little party animals are cute and camera-ready for any occasion.

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Balloon Dragon by The Enchanted Frog

Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo

Balloon Dragon by The Enchanted Frog

When it comes to presents, decide whether your child will be opening gifts at the party or taking them home to open them. If you’re planning time to open gifts at the party, it’s a good idea to talk with your child about manners in advance. If sharing new toys with excited party guests might be too much to expect from your child on what can be an overwhelming day, it might be better to save the gifts until after the party. In any case, make sure your child acknowledges each gift with a thank you either in person, or, preferably, with personal thank you notes later. If you’re handing out goody bags at the end of the party, a nice touch is to add a special note that thanks your guest for attending the party.

Keeping the kids entertained is the most important thing. You may want to hire or recruit a friend to dress up as a favorite character to provide a special story time and pose for photos. You can set up a tattoo where someone helps kids choose and apply their own easy-on/easy-off designs for their hands, arms, or face. For more elaborate art and skin-safe paint and glitter designs, hire a pro like Letz Face It..This is Fun! Face Painting. Kids love seeing themselves being transformed into tigers, dinosaurs, butterflies, unicorns, and more, so have a camera ready to capture the magic!

Another party entertainment option that has become popular with kids is karaoke. Small karaoke machines and mics are easy to come by and can be had for well under $100. Some even have disco lights, sound effects, voice changers, and more! Cue up the kids’ favorite songs and let them be the entertainment!

For kids and adults alike, a photo booth with lots of props adds an element of fun to any party. What to use for props? Hats, sunglasses, wigs, boas, scarves, signs, flower leis, toy necklaces, goofy headbands, party masks, pirate eye patches, easy-on/easy-off costumes—your imagination is the limit! While this doesn’t need to be a professional set-up, and is an easy DIY entertainment option, you might consider hiring a pro. Photographers like Studio Pixel Pop who offer photo booths have everything you need all ready to go and can provide you with high quality snaps of the fun. These photos are terrific take-aways from the event and often treasured memories of time with friends. If possible, you want to be able to print photos on site and provide digital copies to guests instantly.

What’s a party without games? Include some in your festivities even if it’s simply a “guess how many” based on your party theme. You can use jelly beans, gumballs, M&Ms, gold coins, golf tees, golf balls, Legos, animal crackers, etc. Have your guests enter their guess with their name on a slip of paper & put it into a pail or box. The closest guess to the actual number of items in the jar or container wins a prize. Of course, if you’re looking for something less sedate, you can always turn up the music and grab a limbo stick!

Balloon games are fun and have plenty of variations. Who can pop a balloon fastest by sitting on it? Hot potato (using a balloon). If you want to take time to stuff paper in balloons before they’re inflated, you can make this game even trickier. Write challenges like “Tell your best dad joke.” or “Cluck like a chicken.” or “Touch your nose with your tongue.” on slips of paper and insert one in each balloon, then inflate. The game is for everyone to pass the balloon around by hitting it to keep it in the air while music plays. When the music stops, the last person to touch it must pop it and complete the challenge. If you want everyone at the party to be a prize winner, set aside balloons for each guest and put a slip of paper with a number in it in each balloon before inflating. Let each guest choose their own balloon as they arrive, then when they leave the party, have them pop the balloon to claim the prize that’s been assigned to that number.

Classic party hits like “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” modified to match your party theme and the ever-popular piñata are sure to get your guests laughing. These work for all ages too. Don’t forget the blindfold!

Piñatas don’t have to be filled with candy. Some non-candy prizes that work well are glow sticks, mini bubbles, toy animals, dinosaurs, and cars, little rubber ducks, temporary tattoos and stickers, erasers, bouncy balls, mini slinkies, snack bags of goldfish crackers or fruit snacks, stampers, mini pens, toy rings and necklaces, small containers of play doh, silly putty, or slime. If you’re filling the piñata for adults, plastic mini bottles of booze and hot sauce are good starters. Ring pops are still a big hit. Cheap bottle openers and key chains, glow bracelets, and gum can round out the mix. If you want to invest a little more, you can always throw in a few inexpensive gift cards, scratch-off lottery tickets, or movie tickets.

PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC

Music is important in creating atmosphere and ambiance at an event. It influences your guests’ moods and makes them feel comfortable in the space. The right music helps people relax and enjoy a memorable event experience. The wrong music may have them headed for the door. Set aside your personal music preferences and consider your guests and their age range when choosing entertainment. When in doubt, go with a playlist of classic hits from across the decades.

Music should be appropriate for the size, type, and tone of the event. If you’re encouraging conversation or creating a more intimate setting, music should be something light and calm playing in the background. For a company picnic or outdoor party, lively upbeat music is a better choice. Be aware that you may need to adjust your music over the course of the event based on what’s happening at the moment. The piano music suitable during cocktail hour won’t get people up on the dance floor after dinner.

Do you want to play pre-recorded music over a sound system, hire a DJ, or have live music? Live music adds a visual element and typically engages an audience with more energy. However, it’s also more expensive, requires more equipment, and songs are limited to the band’s repertoire. A DJ, depending on their experience and skill, can perform with as much or as little energy as you like. Many act as emcees for an event and actively interact with the crowd. We’re looking at you, Island Sound! It’s usually cheaper to hire a DJ than a band or musician, and they can play anything you and your guests want to hear. If you don’t want or need crowd interaction and simply want music to play, you may want to consider skipping the DJ and hooking up a pre-set playlist to a sound system. It’s important to check with your venue about whether they have a built-in sound system or one will need to be supplied, what room there is for equipment, load in/load out requirements for bands, and any rules about volume levels. The best rule of thumb, don’t consider music an afterthought, start planning it early!