The very first childs party we held was extremely easy.

Our first born turned ONE ! and so we hosted a big bash in the back yard. We had a marquee and a barbeque. Guests brought the salads and sweets. My parents were there and the neighbours- and everyone we knew with and without children. There were about another dozen one year olds. It was great and very simple!

It wasnt until she turned 4 that we gave up on the family/friend get together type of party. DD was at kinder and she had lots of friends she wanted to invite- she wanted a REAL party.

I didn't really know what to expect but I let her invite half a dozen friends, sent out invites for the appropriate weekend for four hours or so and went and bought lots of party food.
I got a bit of a shock when ALL the mothers happily dropped their kids off and disappeared ( I thought they stayed to have a cuppa and a chat and HELP with the party games ;-)

Four hours was way too long- by that time the girls were divided into gangs, they had all had a turn at crying and no-one had eaten more than an anorexic mouse.

Since then we have hosted about 25 kids parties, so I thought id share what has worked for us ;-) Please share your own ideas and successes!

The KISS Principle.
Nothing works better than simplicity.

Our kids get very enthusiastic about parties. We tend to allow the kids to invite lots of friends! This is fine if you stick to some basics.

Keep it short
Unless you are at a park or the beach...... Two to Two-and-half hours is plenty- the longest I will stretch to with the younger set is 3 hours. A couple of hours after school or from 11am or 11.30 am  til 2pm on a Saturday works well for us.

Invitations-
Get them out a couple of weeks before hand and ask people to RSVP a few days before the event. Ive just come to assume people are coming if they dont reply- most people will let you know if they are NOT coming it seems! MAke sure you include your address and phone number and the party start and finish time. Its nice to include the parents names to so the other parents know who they are calling (instead of just Billy's Mum).

Decorations.
Balloons are great- they are cheap - easy to prepare - tie them in bunches around the room- tie some out the front and even scatter them on the floor. You can buy them in certain colours to suit a theme or just have multicoloured. They can be handy for all sorts of games as well (a race with a balloon between your knees.... balloon popping - careful some kids get upset! - keeping them up in the air etc) . When the kids leave give them a bunch to take home- makes your clean up easier and they think its a bonus!

Simple food- easily prepared  Dont fuss the food- they probably wont eat much. Have nibblies they can snack on when they arrive- then bring out the hot food after a couple of games. Personally I have sausage rolls and party pies in the oven on low from the start. Some mini frankfurt sausages in a pot or ready to pop in the microwave in a bowl of water.
Also some fairy bread (buttered bread with coloured cake sprinkles) and some cut up watermelon if its available. Thats about it. For the older ones we just have a barbeque with sausages or we get loads of hot chips or order in a few pizzas- or heat up some oven pizzas.

Drinks No- not alcohol for the grown ups haha - but make sure everyone has a disposable plastic cup with their name written on it in black marker pen- or put a sticky label on cheap washable plastic cups. Have LOTS of drink available. Personally I just make up a huge container with cordial (the kind with a tap at the bottom) and have the cups beside it. You may prefer to have fizzy drinks or a combination. we always have a big container of water too. Especially if its hot and they are running around or dancing- water can be surprisingly popular.

A few easy games  (Kids parties dont have to be non-stop action- they can have time to play with the new toys (if the party child wants to that is)- play outside and (of course)  eat - but do have a few organised games. Pass the parcel (gets them all sitting down,) Bobs and statues- (gets them involved and paying attention- each time the music stops it alternates whether they have to freeze (statues) or bob down)) and Musical chairs are favourites we use every time. We usually have  about 5 or 6 games- which tends to be plenty Ive found.

Lots of little prizes/surprises (for example - hide a sticker in each layer of the pass the parcel , give a small lolly to each child who is 'out' at bobs and statues or musical chairs)

Music (Lots of boppy music does wonders - have some on in the background and turn it up for the party games)

Room to move ( The excitement can reach fever pitch- send them out into the garden for a treasure hunt (try those gold foil wrapped chocolate coins scattered in the shrubbery or plastic tokens to bring back for a little treat). Send them out to do a congo line around the house ....or play a game of backyard cricket or footy.)

Cake  ( Ive found that Younger kids will eat VERY LITTLE cake at a party- they are already full of food and excitement. Cut them a tiny piece after the Happy Birthday song and candles - or wrap and put in the take home party bag) We always have the cake last.

Party bags to take home (Dont give this until the parent comes to collect the child - they will leave happy) Put in a little toy as well as a few lollies and a balloon or two.- we like to have theme parties so the party bag contains something to match the theme.

Separate area to open presents (Saves things getting lost or broken - a corner , table or even a room just for taking and keeping the presents in is great,)

Plan B (What if it rains?- think of alternative activities if you have planned to be outdoors etc)
Simple first aid supplies (Band aids, antiseptic, tweezers. Someone usually gets a graze or a bump or a splinter etc)

CLEAN UP
Have a big garbage bag available - fill it after pass the parcel and after the presents have been unwrapped (check carefully no small bits and pieces have been left IN the wrappers before throwing it away!. Use disposable cups plates and napkins- toss the lot after the kids have finished eating. (Label all the cups and plates with the kids names- saves arguments and germ sharing). We do practice recylcing and environmentally friendly practices by the way- but personally when it comes to kids parties I prefer to get it all cleared quickly and NOT have to worry about breakages. For small parties easily washed plastic items are a great alternative.


VENUE
Although we have had some huge parties- we tend to keep the BIG ones for outdoor areas or party venues. If the party is at home we more or less stick to the old "the age of your child plus one extra(themselves) " - or at least we have found those ones more enjoyable (for the grown ups). So a 5 year old would invite 5 guests.

We have found the beach to be fun. We had 37 people at the beach one year- we had 7 adults supervising though- and some older siblings as well. All we did was have music and big coolers full of icypoles and individual drink bottles. As well as individual packets of chips and the cake. We had sand castles building competitions and races as well as pass the parcel etc.

The local park _ We have used this one half a dozen times- its great- we use the barbeque and just cook loads of sausages. Fill up a few bowls with chips- have some loaves of bread, butter the slices as required and a squeeze bottle of tomato sauce. Take some music- tie some balloons on the table and organise a few games- very easy.

Mc Donalds and Hungry Jacks. Very easy- you just sit back and the party organiser does it for you! Very cost effective too. Only done it once but it is a good option!

Party Venues.
You may be lucky enough to have one near you. There are various - Fairy grottos and Indoor play parks for instance. We have used one about 10 times. Great way to have huge parties and NO mess- no fuss. Again you just sit back. The one that we used a lot (its now closed) provided a helium balloon, choice of party foods and drinks and a private seating area for three hours for  the party. The kids had unlimited use of the secure enclosed indoor playground. It was great no matter what the weather and there was no mess to clean up!

In Summary
Parties are no reason to stress- write a list of what you need to buy and keep decorations,food and entertainment very simple. Clean up as you go and vary the activities.

• Have snacks available as the kids arrive and music playing - they will relax then as the presents are unwrapped (in a separate area)
• Play a couple of games
• Send them out to run off some steam
• Serve the hot food
• Play another couple of games
• Allow some free time
• Maybe another game
• The cake
• Hand out the named party bags as the parents come to collect the children.

HAVE FUN!!!!!!