We regularly take phone calls from customers needing advice and assistance in planning their party.

So we have decided to share our knowledge and expertise with all of our site visitors, to help ease the pressure of organising a truly fantastic party. We have combined all possible elements for anyone who is either already planning a party or starting to think about holding a party.

Here you will find everything from party games, recipes, a useful checklist to a list of supermarkets selling the most recent birthday cakes. Plus our most useful and popular feature – our party directory. A complete directory listing party services in your area.

Follow the link here for further details.

So here at Party Strings, we’ve made things super easy by listing everything for you, so you can just tick things off!

Pass the balloon is a fun, action packed, adrenaline pumping game, that will have your kids screaming with excitement!

Preparation:

• None

What you will need:

• Air inflated balloons – 1 for each team, and maybe a spare in case one pops
• Prizes for the winning team

How to play:

Divide the children into equal teams, its best to keep the teams to a maximum of 6 to prevent the kids getting bored.

Once you have your teams ready, ask all of the children to line up one behind the other, and all facing forward. Give each child at the front of the line a balloon, and ask them to hold it under their chin, without the use of hands they have to pass the balloon down the line to the next team member keeping the balloon under the chin. When the balloon has reached the last member of the team, they need to run to the start of the line, the winning team is the first to all be sitting down.

Alternatives:

• For young children, this game can be played by alternating an over and under manoeuvre. While facing the front, the first child will pass the balloon over their head to the next in the line. The second child then takes the balloon and passes it on by passing it through their legs. This is then repeated until the balloon has reached the end of the line. Again the winning team is the first to all be seated.

• For older children, and even adults, a fun alternative is to swap the balloon for a cup) of water (make sure the cup is unbreakable).  Follow the steps mentioned above for the over and under method. Points can be awarded for the first team to be seated, and for the team who finishes with the most water.

Questions For Entertainers

Different entertainers provide different services. So, before you book the entertainment for your child’s party, it’s worthwhile knowing exactly what you’re going to get.

You should always check the following:

• Is their show suitable for your child’s age group?
• How many children can they accommodate?
• What form of entertainment do they provide? And what will they do on the day?
• How long is the show?
• When will you be able to do food? At the end of the party or in the middle?
• Do they play games?
• Do they give prizes? If so do they provide them? Will every child get a prize?
• How much time do they need to prepare/clear up from the party?
• Do they have a helper?

It is always advisable to get a CRB check done, and make sure they carry full liability insurance

So here at Party Strings, we’ve made things super easy by listing everything for you, so you can just tick things off!

Treasure Hunt is a great game for slightly older children, bearing in mind they have to be able to read the clues!

Here’s how it works.

What you need:

• Several sheets of small pieces of paper
• Pen
• Prizes

Preparation:

Before the party starts write out the clues.  For example, where does the dog sleep?  Or, what can I put on my hands to keep them warm?

These clues can obviously be as easy or as difficult as you choose them to be and will need to depend on the age of your guests.

Write 6 – 10 clues (depending on the age of the players) making sure you number them and then set about hiding them.

Keep the first clue safe and hide the second clue in the location the first clue is directing you to and so on.

The last clue should lead the players to a prize, preferably something where every participant wins, e.g. some chocolate coins.

How to play:

Gather all of the children and explain that they are going on a Treasure Hunt and to find their treasure they will need to follow the clues on the sheets of paper hidden around the house/garden or both.

Give the children their first clue and sit back while they follow the clues to their prize!

A very popular theme (whether it’s a party at home or elsewhere) is a football party and to demonstrate the guidelines we are going to use this theme as an example, which can easily be altered to any other themes.

The following steps can be used as a guide when organising your party to really ‘kick off’ (sorry!) the whole experience to make it a party to remember.

• Decide on a location – Many places now offer football parties so check out your local football grounds and other facilities to see what they have available.  There are also many entertainers now that have incorporated football into their performances, so see what they have to offer.  Or, for a party at home, get some inflatable goals to put up in the garden.
• The invites – You can either make some football themed invitations or there are many varieties of football invitations available to buy.
• The party itself – Base as much as you can around football and incorporate it into the games.  Here are some ideas.  Play a game of ‘keepy uppy’, a dribbling race, have a football piñata, a ‘hunt the football’ – with the winner of each game being awarded a football themed prize.  There are many football prizes or sweets available to buy that would make excellent prizes and party bag fillers.
• The decorations – Again base it around football.  You can hang up a football birthday banner and blow up some football balloons to transform your venue.
• The cake – Make or buy a football cake.  If you plan on making a cake, for ease, you can purchase shaped cake tins, or if you prefer to buy your cake Party Strings provide a list of what cakes are available at the main supermarkets.
• Thank you gift – Lastly, send each of your guests home with football orientated gifts, such as mini footballs, cups, whistles etc. as a thank you for coming to the party.

It goes without saying that not everyone will want such a dominant theme.  You could just use elements from the guide above and tailor the party to your own requirements.  For example, you may have a number of younger guests that are unable to join in with many of the activities and, therefore, you will need to adjust your party to meet the needs of your guests.

A birthday party makes a special gift to your child and one that they will love on the day and cherish for a lifetime.  Although themed parties may not be to everyone’s taste it does help to provide some consistency to the event and help to make it more memorable for years to come.

So, here at Party Strings, we’ve made things super easy by listing everything for you, so you can just tick things off!

Musical Chairs is always a firm favourite at children’s parties, so here’s what you need to do to create a really fun and safe game.

• Participating children
• Space
• Chairs or cushions (one for each player)
• Music
• Optional prize for the winner

Preparation:

Before the event ensure you have plenty of space to lay out enough chairs or cushions in a circle.  You will need one chair, or cushion, per player and to prepare some music.

How to play:

Using your chairs or cushions make a circle.  While the music is playing the children dance, skip or walk around the circle of chairs.

At random, pause the music.

Whilst the music is paused the children must sit on a chair.  Restart the music and while the children are dancing round the circle of chairs or cushions remove one chair.

Pause the music again, and again the children must sit on a chair.  The child left standing without a chair is out.

Repeat these steps, every time removing a chair, until you have a winner.

Often they are given a small prize (maybe packet of sweets) for winning.

Here are a few points you may like to consider:

1) To invite whole class or not?

This can be a tricky one. If you’re fortunate to have a younger child in the class you can see what precedent the older children’s parents have set.

Inviting the whole class tends to be the general rule for the first party and then it seems to be more ‘acceptable’ to invite specially selected friends for subsequent birthday parties.

However, you do need to be quite sensitive and mindful of children’s feelings. As I say, it’s always a tricky one and children can be the best of friends one moment and yet 2 weeks later when it comes to the party they’ve fallen out!

2) Buddy up with another parent?

Get a list of birth dates of all the children in your child’s class and look at the birthdays that are around the time of your child’s. It’s a good idea to speak to the parents to find out what birthday party plans they have for their child. The last thing you want is to double book a party for the same day and time!

You may also want to consider hosting a joint party. This helps to reduce the cost and you get to share the organising!

3) Where are you going to hold the party?

Older children’s parties are often held outside of the home, particularly if you want to invite a large number of kids. The thought of having 20 children running around your house may fill you with complete horror!

You may want to consider local halls where you’ll have more space. You may also want to think about other venues like swimming pools, leisure centres or even a restaurant.

4) What’s the theme going to be?

Older children still love themed parties and, of course, there still has to be a cake! Their tastes obviously change though so it’s a great idea to really involve your child in the planning of the party. They love the responsibility of choosing the theme themselves and helping you to buy the party goods online; It all adds to the excitement of the event!

5) Presents?

It’s an interesting one. When children are younger it’s lovely receiving toys, books and clothing for babies and toddlers. However, as the children get older, you and your child might not appreciate 20 Ben 10 or Barbie dolls!

So it may be appropriate to think outside the box about presents. Some parents get together and pitch in to buy a bigger present for the birthday child; something that the child really wants. Other parents are happy for their child to receive money so the birthday child can save it up and buy something of their choice later.

At the end of the day it’s down to what you consider is appropriate.

To kick off though, I thought I’d cover some of the basic questions you may want to consider when you start to plan food for your child’s birthday party. For this article I’m going to assume you’re holding the party in your own home or at a private venue where you are doing the food.

1) The time of the party

Parties don’t always have to be planned around lunchtime or tea time. For example, for younger children you may want to consider a morning party and then you’ll just need to provide snacks.

2) The age of the children attending

This is a major factor. When children are younger there’s more expectation from parents to really put out lots of healthy party food like fruit, carrot sticks, finger sandwiches etc.

However, as children get older, they actually seem to eat less at parties and what tends to go down best is, I’m afraid, the junk food!

So, whilst you may be thinking about putting together a wonderful varied menu for a younger child’s party, for older ones you may just want to keep it simple.

3) How many people are you going to invite?

This does have an impact as to your choice of food. For example, if you only have to cater for 5 friends then fish fingers and chips are easy. However, if you have the whole class coming then sandwiches and sausages etc would be easier.

4) Where are you going to serve the food?

Will children sit at a table or will you want to get everyone seated on the floor? Getting children to sit on big party-themed tablecloths can really help the clean up process!

Putting food into boxes is also a nice idea, so each child just grabs a box and their food and drink is in there.

5) Party food choices

Now this is where it gets interesting and I’d love to hear all your suggestions!

Firstly, make sure you know if any of the guests have food preferences or allergies. You don’t want to provide all meat filled sandwiches only to find that half of your guests are vegetarian!

Secondly, take our advice, less is definitely more when it comes to party food. Don’t waste time and money on food by making too much or giving too much choice. Chances are the savoury food is left and kids will want to jump into the bowls of crisps and then start to demand fairy cakes and biscuits!

Some parents address this by having lots of healthy snacks dotted around at the party so children can graze on them if they get hungry. The chances are that the bowls of cucumber sticks and pita bread are more likely to get eaten this way than if you wait to ‘unveil’ them at food time. And at least this way you know the children are going to have slightly fuller tummies and they won’t just fill themselves up on sugar filled foods!

So, here at Party Strings, we’ve made things super easy by listing everything for you, so you can just tick things off!

Another favourite at kids’ parties is Pin The Tail On The Donkey.

What you need:

• Pin The Tail On The Donkey game kit (available at Party Strings!)

Or

• Large sheet of card with a drawing of a donkey on – remember NOT to draw a tail!
• Readymade tails – preferably with the name of a child on each one
• Blu Tac
• Blindfold
• Small prize (optional)

Preparation:

If you are making the game yourself draw or print a Donkey onto a large piece of card.  The birthday child may enjoy colouring this in.  Remember NOT to draw a tail but instead a large dot at the point of the tail; this leaves a clear indication of the winning spot.  Draw and cut out enough tails for each guest and write a child’s name on each tail.
Before the party decide on a location for the game and stick the card to the wall.  When doing so ensure that the card will be at eye level for the children playing.  Ensure you have enough pre cut tails for each guest attending the party.  To save time on the day write the names of the children on the tails in advance, so that each child has their own tail, and stick a small amount of Blu Tac on the back of each tail.

How to play:

The children line up in front of the donkey.  The child at the front of the queue goes first.  Blindfold the player and gently spin them round three times, ensuring you stop them in the direction of the card on the wall.  With their tail already in their hands they need to feel for the wall and stick the tail where they think it should go.  When the tail is firmly stuck they may remove the blindfold and the next player takes their turn.  When everyone has had their go the player with the tail closest to the spot is the winner.

Seriously, toddler’s parties are brilliant fun but they can cause mum and/or dad a few headaches on the day, so planning and setting expectations is the key for an enjoyable time for you!

Here are some tips to help you plan and host a stress free birthday party:

Running Around, Mess & Noise!

It’s a little different to the first birthday party and it come as a bit of a shock if it’s your first toddler party.

Now your toddler and his/her buddies will be fast crawling, toddling or running around and the noise levels will be seriously raised by a decibel or two!

You’ll want to really think out how you are going to host a really enjoyable party AND remain sane in the process!

Numbers & Location

For some, hosting it in your own home makes complete sense. It’s already ‘toddler friendly’ and many of the guests will be familiar with your home.

However, having a couple of toddlers (and their parents) over to your house to having six or more round is a completely different story!

You may want to consider hiring a room or venue so you can accommodate more guests and you’ll be confident in the knowledge that there will be plenty of space for everyone to run around.

Create A Timetable For The Party Itself

Yes, I know it sounds drastic, but I promise having a good idea as to when food is being served, the dancing competition starts and the cake is being cut will really help you and your helpers.

There’s nothing worse than running out of games within the first hour and you realise you still have another whole hour to entertain everyone!  Conversely, serving tea and trying to cut the cake whilst parents are wanting to rush off because little Tommy needs to have a sleep.

Party Games

This is what kids’ parties are all about – playing games!

Kids love playing games (almost as much as the grown-ups) so plan what you want to play.  The favourites like Pass The Parcel, Musical Statues and Pin The Tail On The Donkey always go down well.

Be flexible though, as children’s attention spans are quite short in the party atmosphere.  For example, if you’re playing Pass The Parcel make sure the rounds are fairly short and the laying unwrapping is done as quickly as it can be, otherwise the fidgeting starts to set in!

Food

It’s always an odd one this and my next blog post will be on party food in general, however, just a quick point here is to flag that toddlers don’t tend to eat much at parties so don’t waste hours of your time preparing lots of food that may go to waste.

It’s also a good idea to have plenty of healthy nibbles like carrot sticks dotted around so that they graze on the ‘good stuff’ before the party tea is unveiled. Once toddlers see crisps and sausages you won’t stand a chance of getting something healthy inside them!

Arrange Helpers

Whilst it’s a ‘general rule’ that parents stay with children under the age of 5, the parents who do stay won’t necessarily be ‘helpful’, so don’t expect too much!

I’ve seen and heard time and again whinges about how mums at parties will sit around enjoying a gossip with the other mums, while the host is tearing her hair out, running around trying to keep everything going!

So plan in advance!  Either get some extra help from grandparents, uncles or aunts or arrange for a couple of the mums to be on duty looking after food or party games with you, while the other mums look out for their children.

There’s so much more to go into on this topic and I will be publishing more blogs giving handy hints and tips in the near future.  However, it would be great to hear your thoughts, so please leave your top tips in the comments box below so we can all learn from each others experiences.