10 Tips for Successful Kids' Parties

Parties are held all year round. There are birthday parties, Christenings, weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, Halloween, Christmas, and a host of others. If you have kids, they will very likely be invited to at least one a month, and at some stage you will feel that it is your turn.

A lot of people are put off having a birthday party for their child because they are worried things may go wrong and they could end up looking foolish in front of the other parents.

Following a few simple rules can make the difference between a complete disaster and a fun-filled party that kids and parents will enjoy.

It helps if people can find the party, so tip number one is

1 Attach a group of balloons to the entrance to let people know where the party is.

2 For children's parties held at home, the number of guests should be dictated by the age of the birthday child. If it is a seventh birthday, then invite seven guests. Parties held in a hired hall will be bigger. Kids usually want to invite the whole class; then there are young family members.

3 Send out invitations two to three weeks before the party to allow time for replies. But remember, some people won't reply, but they may still turn up.

4 Most children's parties are two hours long. Younger children should be kept occupied the whole time. So plan plenty of activities.

5 Book an entertainer. You can find them in Yellow Pages under, can you guess? Entertainers! Check under Children's Entertainers, too.

6 Let the birthday child's brothers and sisters invite a friend each, so they will feel they are part of things, too.

7 If you are planning on doing the games yourself, recruit adult friends to help.

8 When booking a village hall or community centre, make sure you have the full address so you can give it to the entertainer. He needs to know where it is, too.

9 Again, if you are booking a hall, you'll need time to decorate it with Happy Birthday banners and balloons; set up tables for food; and you'll need to clean up afterwards. If the party will last for two hours, book the hall for three.

10 Lots of little things to make the entertainer's life easier like, make sure he has somewhere to park, have someone to help carry his equipment in and, most important, a lot of parents will stay throughout the party and they will talk. And talk. So don't forget to have a big stick handy, preferably with a rusty nail sticking through it, to keep them quiet.

Other than that; enjoy yourself!