Four Weeks Before the Party

Pick a theme for your party

Pick a theme for your party When choosing a party theme, you may wish to consider the age of your party guests and whether they will be predominantly boys or girls or a mixture of the two.

Good party themes for girls only parties include Bratz, Disney Princess, My Little Pony and Sparkle Princess
Boys may prefer themes such as Spiderman Ultimate or Championship Football
Both girls and boys should love Jolly Pirates, Jungle Party, Scooby Doo and the Incredibles

Choose the party location

You may want to hold your party at home (indoors or outdoors) or perhaps, especially for older children, at an external venue such as a local leisure centre or village hall. Here are some things to consider under each category:

Indoors, at home

How much space do you have available (this could impact on the number of people invited, or the games that you play)?
Will you be able to remove breakable items from the party rooms?
Would you want to make 'private' rooms such as yours or siblings bedrooms our of bounds?
Will you have helpers available to supervise and ideally help to clean up?

Outdoors, at home

Is the surface hard or soft?
Is the area childproof? E.g., is there an uncovered garden pond, or does the garden lead out directly onto a road
Will you be able to keep an eye on the children at all times?
Will there be sufficient toilet facilities? (Are all the guests able to use them?)
Do you have a contingency plan in case of bad weather?
Will you have sufficient helpers available to supervise the children?

External Venue

What will the costs be?
What will the costs include e.g., catering?
Will you be required to organise the adult supervision?
What activities would be most suitable for your age range e.g., bowling, rollerblading, etc.?

Decide on the start time and finish time

For children under 2, it is often sensible to keep the party fairly short, probably not more than an hour and a half. This means that it is easier to schedule around likely nap/feed times, and reduces the likelihood of the children becoming too restless or overtired.

For older children, a party duration of two to two and a half hours usually works well.

You may want to vary the duration according to the number of guests or even how well you know the children.

You may want to vary the duration according to the number of guests or even how well you know the children.
Settle on the number of guests that you want to invite, including helpers! As mentioned above, the number of guests may be constrained by your chosen location.

Don't forget to ask friends or other parents to act as helpers on the day to give you a hand with toilet duty, organising games or setting the table. If your child has responsible older siblings, these can often be utilised to help organise any well known party games, which in turn will help to keep them occupied.

Order party supplies from Party Ark

Order your party supplies well ahead of time. You will need:

Invitations and Thank Yous
Table Decorations and Table Accessories
Balloons and Banners
Prizes for Games
Party Bags and Party Bag Contents
Dressing Up items

Book external caterers/entertainers as required

You may not want to use external caterers or entertainers, but should you wish to, it is wise to book early.