How to Run An Awesome Kids Birthday Party!

The first thing after your child has said "I want this this and this" for a birthday party is where to hold it. There are plenty of places to hold kids birthday parties, but it's tricky getting the best place. Here are some examples on places to hold parties, and their pros and cons.

Your House - The cheapest way to hold a party is to use your own house as a base. Firstly it gives you freedom to do certain things a lot easier. Simply attach an xbox to your tv, play your child's favourite music, and put out some food and you're nearly there. However, depending on how popular your child is (or indeed how big your house is), some people may have to miss out on it. Plus you need to work hard both preparing your house (removing breakable items etc.), during the party (preparing food) and after the party (cleaning up), some things may break as well.

Village Hall - Most villages or towns have a hall or community centre which can be hired out for a small fee. These have a lot more space and - despite their size - are a lot easier to keep clean than your house. More people and more variety of things (discos & football games) can be done. However, you will still need to supply food (more people = more food!) and entertainment.

Fast Food Restaurant - A popular trend over the last 20 years is to go to a local fast food restaurant for a kids party. The first benefit is that you don't have to worry about food as the restaurant will provide you for them. Some also keep the entertainment sorted. However, there's usually very little decoration and freedom of what to do (and party quality does vary from restaurant to restaurant). Furthermore, the food you can serve doesn't really allow for dietary requirements such as vegetarian and vegan.

Tourist Attraction - The most expensive is to have a party at a local tourist attraction such as a zoo or funfair. The entertainment, and often the food is included in the price, and you are looked after for the duration of the party. Dietary requirements are usually catered for as well. However, the main problem is the expense, but it's the price you pay to be able to enjoy your kids birthday party as much as they do!

Ask your child if they would like a themed party? A themed party is a good idea because it is easy to create a party around a theme. The kids could dress up, and you could turn the venue into a themed place. You could have themed party invitations, themed party plates and cups, you can also have themed party games, and best of all the kids will love it.

Top three Party themes

1. Pirate Party

Pirate parties are very popular. You can turn your venue into a pirate ship with old sheets and pretend treasure chests. If you have a pirate themed party be sure to get the little ones to dress up as pirates. They can use old clothes, with rips and lots of dark face paints. On your part you can get pirate party invitations to send out to the guests, pirate balloons and pirate party bags to help create the pirate party theme. You could also have pirate party games including a treasure hunt.

2. Princess Party

All little girls want to be a princess when they grow up, so if your having a girly party why not have it princess themed. The little ones can dress up as princesses and this is sure to keep them happy throughout the party. You could decorate the venue with princess themed things like banners and everything pink and sparkly. You could also have princess cakes, and at the end of the party princess party bags with lots of pink girls toys.

3. Mickey Mouse Party

Mickey Mouse is extremely popular among all children both boys and girls. Why not have a Mickey Mouse themed party. You could have all things Mickey Mouse including Mickey clubhouse party plates, and cups, with table cover and napkins. You can also have Mickey Mouse balloons and banners. At the end of the party you can send your guests home with Mickey Mouse Party Bags with Mickey Mouse party bag fillers.

To pass the time, as well as dancing and eating cake, you can play party games to keep kids interested. Here are some of the more popular ones that are easy to play. Buy a couple of bags of sweets so the winners have something to win with, but don't make it too big (or make it shareable) so that the other children do not get jealous. Here's some of my favourites.

Pass The Parcel - In this game, music plays whilst a wrapped up parcel is passed around the children. Music stops and whoever has hold of the parcel at that time gets to unwrap a layer. You can put in a small prize in each layer, and make sure that every child wins one thing.

Musical Statues - A fun game involving music again (you'll see a theme here!). Music plays and stops at random times. When the music stops the children have to stand very still. Should one of them move then they are out of the game. The last one remaining wins.

Musical Bumps - Similar to musical statues, but instead of children having to stand still, they have to sit down as fast as they can. This can be fun and a bit of a giggle, but be sure not to have anything damageable on the floor, or even a soft carpet, as it can hurt!

Musical Chairs - You need a lot of space, and a lot of chairs! One for each person who is playing. Music plays and as it plays the children dance around the chairs. After the first round, a chair is removed, and the music continues. When the music next stops, the child that is not sitting at the end is eliminated, and a chair is removed. This continues until one chair is remaining. The last one standing....errr....sitting wins the game.

This game is fun, however it can get a little rough. If you've got the space for it though it can be fun!

Pin The Tail on the Donkey - A picture of a donkey is drawn on a piece of paper and attached to a wall. A child is blindfolded and spun around. They are then given a ribbon with a pin or stickytape to attach to the donkey. The closest to where a donkey's tail should go (usually marked with an X) wins the game and a prize!

Party bags are needed at the end of the party. It thanks the guests for coming to the party and sends them home happy. Whilst there was a long time a growing trend of producing expensive party bags, nowadays children expect things that are simple. As a result, here's what we recommend in perfect kids party bags.

Cake - A must! Kids must go home happy with a piece of the birthday cake from their special day! It's only polite, and serves a reminder of the great day!

Party Bag Gifts - No need to break the bank, but you can buy great gifts that are high quality for party bags. Things like action figures/dolls, marbles, silly putty and playing cards both let children's imaginations run wild, and yet not break the bank.

Party Bag Fillers - A great way to "pad out" the party bag is by putting in things such as bouncy balls, bubble mixture, pinball games and other small items. These can be bought in bulk and put into party bags quickly and easily, without breaking the bag.

Sweets / Chocolates - Small bags of sweets are great for party bags. Again, they can be bought in bulk.

All of the above (with the exception of the cakes) can be used as prizes for the party games talked about above.