Oklahoma Magician 10 Tips for Birthday Party Success

10 Incredible Tips to Make Your Child's

Birthday Party a Complete Success:

1. Length of Party

2. Order of Events

3. How do I get people to the party on time?

4. Location of Party

5. Name Badges

6. What to do with the adults who stay for the party

7. Games

8. Extra Activities (or just in case stuff)

9. Entertainment

10. Goodie Bags and Themes

1. Length of Party

The length of the party can vary on how many activities you want to include. I have noticed that 2 hours is a great time length. In 2 hours you can get everything done(open gifts, cake, entertainment...), and not have that down time when nothing is going on. The best way to keep children excited is to have a non-stop action party.

2. Order of Events

The order may depend on a lot of factors. Some of these could be if you are in a restaurant, park district, park, etc... If you are in a restaurant then you may have to work around the schedule of the food. If the party is in your house a good rule of thumb is: guests arrive, entertainment, cake, presents, and games if there are gaps in the schedule. Another good combo is: guest arrive, play games, cake, entertainment, and presents. Again games to fill in the gaps. The important point to remember is that the highlight of the party should center on the guest of honor.

3.How do I get people to the party on time

Well, this is a sticky subject. I have arrived at a lot of parties that said there were going to be 20 kids and there were only 5. Then during the show children keep coming in. Now, after years of doing this, I handled this by being flexible and making balloons for the children as they arrive and then performing the Magic Show. But, I think the best thing is to try and get everyone there on time. I have talked to several parents about this and they had the best advice. You just have to let the parents know that you are on a tight schedule and that their child might miss something if they are late. The best place to do this is in the invitations. An example would be:

Party starts at 3:00pm

Magic Show at 3:15pm

Cake at 4:15pm

Open presents at 4:30pm

Please take note of the times so your child doesn't miss anything!

4. Location of Party

A lot of people choose to have the party at their house. This is a great idea if you have the room. Remember a bunch of children running around can cause a big mess if they don't have their own area. Many times I have performed in basements, this is a great place to have the party. Sometimes people choose to have their party at a park district or building like that. That is when time becomes an issue. Most park districts will only let you have a room for 2 hours.

5. Name Badges

This is always a great idea. You are most likely going to have kids at your party that you don't know. So, name badges make a lot of sense. I would recommend having the kids make their own name badges as they arrive at the party. Just have some blank name badges out and some color markers and have them decorate the badge. Another great idea is to use stickers on the name badges.

6. What to do with the adults who stay for the party

I find that the adults who stay for the party are there to watch their child, who could be a little shy, or they are there to talk to their friends. When an adult stays to watch their child two things usually happen: first the child never leaves their side or the child starts to play and leaves the parent by themselves. In the first situation the parent should stay with the child, because if the parent tries to leave the child will start to cry and cause a scene. They are just a little shy and their security blanket is the parent. In the second situation, when the child starts to play with the other kids, the parent should stay close by in case the child gets scared. But, as for the adults who stay to talk to their friends. I would suggest one of two things: either have an area away from the party for them to talk or put them to work at the party. Have them run different games for the children.

I have run into a problem here with the parents talking while I am performing. This is really bad because then the children loss respect for the entertainer and they can't hear because of the parents talking.

Another thing you can do is have the parents sit with their children during the entertainment. This is a win-win idea because the children like having their parents there to share in an experience with them and the parents feel the same way.

7. Games

There are hundreds of games out there for you to choose from:

Piñata

This is a game that requires room and good supervision - the children are blindfolded (or not, if they are young and don't want to be) and they take a stick and try to break a hanging container that has candies and other small goodies in it. (Colorful Band-Aids were popular among the preschoolers here!). To make one, you can do something as simple as decorating a paper grocery bag with paints or crepe paper and then gluing and taping the top shut once the treats are inside. Run a string along the top edge before shutting the bag. You can also make a fancier one using a balloon and paper Mache. The fun thing is that these can be decorated to match any theme.

Pin the __________ on the ____________

Traditionally pin the tail on the donkey, this game can be changed to fit any theme. In this game, blindfolded guests try to stick a paper 'tail' onto a poster of a donkey. You can take a piece of poster board and draw anything with something missing - a nose on a clown or animal, the TY heart on a beanie baby, a spaceship in an outer space scene, and one year we gave Yoda (Star Wars) his staff. Just be sure to include an outline of where the object needs to land.

Drop the Clothespin Into a Bottle

This is another one that can be turned into a themed activity simply by using a coffee can with a plastic lid on it as the container to catch the clothespins. Cut a hole into the plastic lid appropriate for the age child. Then decorate the can.

Bean Bag Toss

You can make an easy Bean Bag Toss using a double layer of poster board glued together and a large box. Use the large box as a base, and attach the poster board to one side of it. Before attaching the poster board, paint a design on it, allowing for one or more holes. We never kept score, but the kids had a lot of fun throwing those bean bags. One year we even gave bean bags as party favors - they're easy to make from fabric scraps if you sew.

Go on a Treasure Hunt

These are some treasure hunt ideas: You can scatter coins in the lawn and let the kids hunt for them, much like an Easter egg hunt. You can hide each child's goodie bag and then give that child a piece of paper with a hint for finding it - it could be a simple map drawing for a young child, a word or two, or a riddle for older children. You can also let the children do a paper clue based hunt as a group - with the goodie bag for the youngest being the first found, along with the clue to the next goodie bag, and so on.

Make a Bracelet/Necklace

This activity can be an activity the children can go to between other activities, or the main focus. A big bag of pony beads, some elastic cord, scissors and an adult to help when needed, and they can make their own jewelry. Be sure to supervise this one, so that necklaces and bracelets are not made too tight.

Make their Own Place Cards or Placemats

This activity could be as complex or simple as you want - children can decorate 3x5 cards or construction paper with a variety of stickers, cut outs (use an old beanie baby magazine for a source of a hundred or more beanie pictures, a Pokemon magazine for Pokemon), crayons, and colored pencils. If you have enough help to cover the placemats after they're done with clear contact paper, they will last a long time.

Guess How Many

Fill a jar with candy. Have children write their name on a small piece of paper and their guess as to how many candies are in the jar. The child who guesses the right number, or comes closest, gets a sucker. The candy in the jar is then divided among the children. A variation would be that the winner takes the jar of candy home to share with their family.

Who Am I?

When the children come through the door tape a farm animal or item/object to their backs. Through the course of the party they may ask each other yes and no questions about what they are. Explain that the first question they may want to ask is "Am I an animal or an object?" At the end of the party each child takes a turn saying what they think they are. Suggestions: cow, pig, sheep...pitchfork, saddle, horseshoe, hay, milk, barn, tractor, etc..

Farm Buddies

Is similar to Who Am I?, but this time you whisper in each child's ear a name of a farm animal. Tell them that there is at least one other person that is the same animal as they are. Throughout the party they may ask each other yes and no questions to try to figure out who their "Farm Buddy" is. At the end of the party tell everyone to go sit by who they think their buddy is. Go over the clues with the kids until they figure it out and everyone is sitting next to the correct buddy.

Birthday Dinner

Players sit in a circle. The first player starts by saying, "At my birthday dinner I like to eat hamburgers". The next player must repeat "At my birthday dinner I like to eat hamburger..." and add another dish. This continues all the way around the circle with each player reciting the dishes in the exact order they have been given and then adding a new one. If a player makes a mistake they slide out of the circle and the game continues. The person left who can perfectly recite the birthday dinner menu wins.

Fruit Basket

Put chairs in a circle with one less chair than there are players. One person says, "I'm grateful for people with blue eyes". Everyone with blue eyes stands up and changes places. While everyone's scurrying for a chair a parent takes one away. The person left standing is out and the last person to sit down goes next..."I'm grateful for everyone who's wearing tennis shoes". Repeat.

Button, Button, Who's got the Button

A child is chosen to be "it" and hides her eyes as a button is given to a child to hide in his lap or behind his back. "It" then has three chances to guess which child has the item. (All children hide their hands in their laps/behind their backs like they have it.) For animal themes, select an item that goes with the animal. If you're doing a character theme like Cinderella it would be "Slipper, Slipper, Who's got the Slipper".

Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are a fun way to entertain kids at birthday parties. Rather than encouraging competitiveness between teams, have children work together to find all the items. Hide items in yard or designated rooms.

Duck, Duck, Goose

Whatever the theme, substitute words from the theme for "duck" and "goose." (like "Pika, Pika, CHU" or "Scooby Scooby Scooby DOOO")

Hot Potato

You can use virtually any item for the "potato" for this old favorite. For character parties use a stuffed toy of the character.

Simon Says

For character themes replace "Simon" with a character from the theme. Children should listen carefully and only do what "Simon" says.

Red Rover

Divide players into two teams. Each team forms a line by holding hands and stretching themselves out. The two teams face each other and should be about 25 feet apart or more. Each side takes turns calling, "Red Rover, Red Rover, send (name) right over." At that signal, the player called, runs from his line and tries to break through the line of his/her opponents. If he breaks through, he can take one opponent back with him to his team. If he does not break through, he joins the other team. The team to add the most players wins.

Charades

Have one child come up to the front of the group and whisper the name of an animal, or something to do with your theme, to them. They then act out what the animal does. The rest of the kids try to guess the name of the animal.

Water Balloon Volleyball

You'll need lots of water balloons stored in a bucket full of water and towels for each pair of children. Divide children into two groups. Pair them off and give each pair a beach towel. One side begins by placing a water balloon in the center of their towel. Each child holds onto one two corners of the towel in their hands. The object is to toss the water balloon over the net with the opposing side catching the balloon in their towel. The volley continues until one side misses and the balloon breaks giving the other team a point. First team to 15 wins.

Variation: If you do not own a volleyball put two sets of pairs a distance apart and have them volley back and forth.

Variation for young children: Instead of beach towels use two large blankets. Divide into teams, each team member holds a part of the blanket. Toss the balloon back and forth between teams. Not too tough with a bit of team work.

Make sure to carefully clean up the balloon remains, as they are choke hazards for young children.

Freeze

Begin by playing music, everyone moves and dances until the music stops then they must "freeze" in whatever position they happen to be in.

Musical Chairs

For character themes based on movies or TV. shows play music from the program and tape characters on each chair.

Pop-the-Balloon

All the children gather in a circle, holding hands. Everyone moves into the center and on the birthday child's mark begins blowing. The circle expands getting larger and larger until you can no longer hold hands and "POP" everyone falls down laughing. Toddlers and young children love it!!! child grab a balloon at the same time and try to pop it.

Make sure to carefully clean up the balloon remains, as they are choke hazards for young children.

Balloon Bust Relay

Purchase large balloons, stuff with a prize such as a whistle, then inflate and tie. You will need one balloon for each guest. Divide children into two teams and place each team behind the start line. At the other end of the room are the balloons. On your mark a child from each team runs to the other end of the room, grabs a balloon and sits on it, bounces on it, lays on it, anything they can do to make it pop.

When the balloon pops they collect their prize and run back to their teammates. The game continues until every child has retrieved their prize. If one team falls behind parents are allowed to helped Make sure you've got the movie camera rolling, you won't want to miss the action or the expressions. If you don't have time for a relay yell, "GO" and let every child grab a balloon at the same time and try to pop it.

Make sure to carefully clean up the balloon remains, as they are choke hazards for young children.

Wits and Consequences

Blow up balloons with questions, written on strips of paper, inside and place balloons in Bag "A". Let each guest reach in and pull out a balloon on their turn. If they answer correctly they stay in the game for another 'round, if they answer incorrectly they pull a balloon out of Bag "B", pop it and have to do what it says..."Rub your tummy and pat your head at the same time", "Strut and cluck like a chicken three times". If they complete their task they can return to the game. If not they can cheer on the remaining players. When all the questions have been answered the games over.

Make sure to carefully clean up the balloon remains, as they are choke hazards for young children.

8. Extra Activities (or just in case stuff)

These are some of the games that you didn't decide to use for the party but could use in a pinch. They are back-up games. I would recommend having around 3 back-up games ready to go just in case. The best way to do this is put all the back-up games stuff in a box ready for use if needed.

9. Entertainment

There are all kinds of entertainment for kids parties out there, so when I talk about entertainment I am just talking about live performers. I have been performing for children for over 25 years and have seen and heard all the parents concerns. Their biggest concern is that the entertainer is a pro. Ask for references. This shows you that they are working and what those people thought about the show. There are different skill levels out there, so here are a few questions to ask the entertainer:

Do you have references?
How long have you been an entertainer?
Do you have a money back guarantee?
Do you have a web page or brochure?

These questions should help you get an experienced performer. Another way is to ask around and see if anyone else has had an entertainer and if they liked them.

10. Goodie Bags and Themes

I love theme parties, and I think kids really like to have too. Goodie bags are great, because kids love to take things home with them. These days you can costume any goodie bag to a theme. Walmart can provide you with inexpensive items to make your own goodie bags. Make certain that you make a few extra, as you never know when extra kids will show up!