Planning a birthday party for your beloved child is a lovely idea! No matter their age, every child would love having a party specially dedicated to them.
But visualizing the perfect birthday party and making it happen are two very different things. Even if you may be hoping for a blast for your child, the end result of the party may not guarantee it.
Not even all the amount of effort and time that you put into the planning phase will promise it! So, just like how there are things to look out for your child’s birthday party – there are also things you must absolutely avoid – no matter what.
Leaving out details in the invitation
The more detailed, the better!
Including heaps of information in the invitation will give a much clearer outline of how the party will be like. After all, you don’t want your guests to show up in the wrong attire if there’s already a fixed theme – it’s going to look bad on your guests and you.
But revealing every bit of the party is no fun at all! Remember to keep some of the entertainment deets to yourself for an element of surprise.
Not getting RSVPs
Without RSVPs, your child’s birthday party will be in shambles. Some of your guests will be left standing around awkwardly – figuring out where to sit. Or another case scenario is too many empty chairs left all over the scene – making the party seem as silent as a graveyard.
You have to absolutely get every one of your guests’ RSVP to determine the total number coming! In turn, everything else will be easily settled – food catering, venue or number of seats, size of your birthday cake, activities and so on.
Don’t forget to fix an age range too, especially if your child’s classmates are planning to bring along their siblings. This will help you get a sense on the kind of party entertainment that would work best, which brings us to the next point.
Misjudging the children’s attention span
This is the ultimate mood killer for every guest at the party. Make this wrong move and you’re going to have to deal with lots of restless and rowdy kids.
Naturally, children of different ages will have different attention spans – certain activities might not be able to cater to everyone. But does that make the party impossible to plan? Of course not! You just have to let the creativity spark and bring together all kinds of fringe activities.
The little ones tend to have a shorter attention span, so bring in face painters and let the kids name their favourite superhero, prince or princess! They’ll get the job done and make you into a work of art. Or, you could also bring in a magician to put on a fantastic show.
Meanwhile, the older ones might enjoy the taste of a classic carnival. Brings back memories of the good old times for them and even the adults!
Forgetting to ask about allergies
A definite no-go.
Leave this out and the entire party will be a complete mess – one kid will be bursting red while another might have some trouble breathing normally.
Usually, its best for the parent to request under a column in the RSVP that the guest shares any information regarding sensitivities or allergies that the child might have.
However, it doesn’t mean that you should simply prepare a different set of meal just for that kid alone – it will make them feel left out. Instead, put together different options on one table that the child can eat – while making sure that the rest of the kids will enjoy them as well!
Putting together an unbalanced menu
Sweet little treats here and there and the main highlight of the menu – birthday cake – are absolutely necessary in your kid’s birthday party! But should every dish be branded as sweets and oily finger food? Not really.
Instilling healthy eating habits in kids start from young so even if it’s your child’s special day – you shouldn’t forgo this important practice.
You can obviously still throw in a couple of treats like cotton candy floss, popcorn and the mouth-watering potong ice cream – just make sure you add in other food to keep the menu well-balanced for both adults and young ones. Adorable mini salads in cones will serve as lovely add-ons and even shoot up the appeal of the party.
Having too many/few activities
Either one of the two is not desirable as no one wants to deal with a chaotic mess. Too many activities can make your venue overly cluttered while too little – will leave the kids bored.
That’s why this part is extremely important for the birthday party to be successful. And here’s where a party planner comes in to make the dream birthday party for your child possible.
If you have a larger venue, you could consider getting sensory props or carnival stalls and spread them all over the place. That’s right, go crazy! This way, all the children will get to take turns and play in each different section.
However, if you’re afraid that the kids might take too much time or complete the station too quickly – have someone to guide them at the very start or throughout the fringe activities session at each respective station.
Too few people to look after the kids
Although the kids deserve to have some fun every now and then – let them go wild – and you will meet with a disaster.
So, now’s the time to decide if you want it to be a dropoff party or have the parents around to mingle. But hold on, the age of the kids is a huge deciding factor in regards to this aspect.
If they’re younger than 6 years old, you will need adult supervision at all times. On the other hand, the older ones should do just fine on their own. Discuss this with your trusted party planner, they should help you get a rough idea of how many adults should be around to look after the kids during party.
Not checking the weather forecast for outdoor parties
Forget this and your party is over.
We might sound like we’re overexaggerating but it’s true. Bad weather can completely destroy an outdoor party.
All the pretty party decorations, tables and chairs arrangement or game stations you and your party planner has set up? Wet and ruined.
So, the first rule is to check for the weather. In Singapore, you might want to watch out for the haze or mosquito season as well. But the next thing you must not forget to do is to brainstorm for other alternatives. Or better yet, sit down and discuss with your party planner.
Conclusion
Following a concise checklist to help you set up the party? That’s fantastic! But it won’t tell you of the mistakes which you may overlook whilst you are planning.
Best thing you can do is get all these drilled into your head because make one teeny weeny mistake? And your party will go kaboom!
Maybe it’s time you consider getting a party planner to work with you – after all, their birthday party packages are pretty irresistible. Not to mention, their help will surely put a stop to any mistakes arising.
