Lee Curtis the Magical Wizard's Party Planning Tips!

Having worked as a full time children’s entertainer, Lee Curtis has performed at thousands of birthday parties in people's homes. In his 36 years of experience, he has seen it all. From intimate events to extravagant affairs, birthday parties can be fun for everyone.

If you have never arranged one, however, it can be frightening. So, where does one start?

Funny you should ask. Planning your child’s birthday party can be enjoyable. Listed below are some ideas that will help make your party special without breaking the bank.

A birthday party is a BIG event in a child's life: especially for 3-to-9-year-olds. Their excitement level will be on high, before and during the party. It is best to avert pre-party hype. While masterminding your event, try to avoid overwhelming your child with too many guests and/or too many activities.

Hot Tips To A Successful Party. Follow these guidelines and it will be a piece of cake.

1. Keep the party short! Two hours is plenty for children 4-years old and up. An even shorter party is suggested for the 2nd. and 3rd. year toddlers. The typical birthday party lasts two hours. The beginning fifteen to thirty minutes of the party is used up on greetings and waiting for late arrivals. Then count on 40-45 minutes for birthday cake and opening presents. That leaves a full hour for entertainment and/or game activities. If your party is three hours long, you will need to fill two hours.

2. Keep the guest list short as well. A dozen or so of your child's best friends and playmates are plenty (even fewer for the very little ones). You do not need to invite your child's entire class from school. (The school may tell you that you must. Remember it is your party). It is also best if all the children are in roughly the same age group. This makes it easier to plan entertainment and activities that will appeal to all of the children. Note: What entertains a 3-year-old will not entertain a 9-year-old.

3. The first thing you need to decide on is a date and time. Most people want to have their birthday party on a weekend afternoon. This is a good time for a party, but many times, it interferes with other events such as soccer games, family outings, other birthday parties, etc. In addition, the best entertainers usually fill their weekend schedules first. If you wish to have the party on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, plan as far in advance as you can. Saturday mornings are becoming more popular because that time interferes with fewer excursions, and when the party is over, the rest of the day is free. Weekdays are also becoming more popular party days. Weekday parties are not only a great way to break up the week, but also leave your weekends free for other recreation. Plan a few dates that you would like to have the party. Check your child's activity schedule to be sure it does not interfere with the party. Also make sure most of your child's friends can make it to the party. Call the entertainer you want at the party, check their schedule, and decide on a date and time.

4. You don't need a theme, but it will often help make planning easier. If your daughter's favorite things at the moment are Dalmatians, theme the party around them. If your son's passion is Star Wars, you have your theme. Others use baseball, soccer, football, ballet, dinosaurs, Cinderella, etc. Many people will theme their parties around the entertainment they have planned. For example, a magician will be performing so the theme is MAGIC, a clown is coming to the party so a CLOWN theme is planned, etc. As far as themes go, do not worry that absolutely everything at the party must fit the theme. A few decorations are fine, a cake is great, but there is no need to stress-out because you can't find an entertainer that does a Star Wars show to fit your theme. Remember that a party should be fun for everyone, including the planner.

5. When it comes to decorating, all you need to find are Dalmatian party items. You don't need to have everything "Dalmatian" either. A few major items are fine; the rest of the decorations can be black and white to match the Dalmatian's colors. There are several party stores around that carry many different themes, call and ask if they have items that will fit your theme. You can also call a company like Boxed Birthdays that will supply everything you need for your party theme delivered to your door. Moreover, remember you don't need to go overboard. A few strategically placed decorations are often better than every square foot covered in color.

6. Invitations, This is a place where your theme should begin. Dalmatian invitations will let everyone know the theme before they even get to the party. It is also a subtle suggestion of gift ideas for those who do not have any idea what to get. Make sure you get the invitations out a minimum of two weeks before the party to give parents time to plan.

7. Food; If the party is scheduled during or close to lunch or dinner, serving food is essential. During a party the children are usually having so much fun with each other that serving a "normal" meal is not only unnecessary, but also unneeded. The children want to get back to the party activities as soon as possible; so pizza, pigs in a blanket, or sandwiches and chips are usually perfect. If you plan to serve food, keep it simple! Kids have basic tastes. "Finger food" works best and hot dogs, chips or pretzels, chicken nuggets and pizza with juice drinks are perennial favorites. Remember, it doesn't take them long to eat - - 15 or 20 minutes are usually sufficient. Refreshments or snacks should be served before or after and NOT DURING the entertainment. To get maximum enjoyment out of a performance, the children need to focus their attention on the entertainment without distractions while it is in progress. (The birthday cake and ice cream are best served AFTER the entertainment. That way the entertainer does not have to contend with an audience on a "sugar high" and serves as the fitting "grand finale" of the party.)

8. Cake; Here is an area where you have many options. You can have a cake decorated and shaped to go with your theme, or a traditional cake just using the theme colors. You can have cake and ice cream or an ice cream cake. This is an area where your creativity can really come out. Lee Curtis has been to 1,000's birthday parties and he has seen some amazing cakes. He once saw a Star Wars cake with a sculpture of R2D2 made of white chocolate on top. There was the "Magic" cake shaped like a rabbit coming out of a top hat. Then there was the cake that looked like a construction site complete with dump trucks and bulldozers. There was even a cake with a photo of Lee Curtis printed on the frosting! Use your imagination and have fun. A great idea that is gaining popularity is to have the cake at the party, the child blows out the candles, then put the cake aside and serve the children cupcakes. Kids love them, they are easier to serve, and you will have a lovely cake for an intimate family celebration of the child's birthday later.

9. GOODIE BAGS, There used to be a day when the birthday child was the only one who received gifts, but those days are long gone. These days goodie bags are almost a must, and sometimes it can be the most difficult part of putting together the party. The bags may carry the theme, but they don't need to. Goodie bags are something the children take home to remind them how much fun they had at the party, so be sure the items inside are fun too! Sometimes folks use piņatas as an alternative, just have lots of bags for kids to put their goodies into, and have some extra goodies, to add to the bags of smaller children who did not get "fair" chance at picking things up after piņata breaking.  You do not need to overdo it either; a few inexpensive fun items are often better than a bag full of expensive gifts. Remember that the party is for the birthday child, not the guests.

10. GAMES & ACTIVITIES, You will usually need to plan at least one for the party, even if you have an entertainer coming. Activities can range from coloring with crayons to a Ferris Wheel in your backyard. Do not deluge the kids with activities, but make sure there is enough for them to do so they are not just running around the house.

11. Be sure to allow time for late arrivals (there will ALWAYS be late arrivals), so begin with games or activities that can be started when the first few arrive and the others can join in and take a turn as they get there (the old standby, pin the tail on the donkey or some variation thereof is a perfect example). Art Projects are great too, have children make name badges for themselves, this may be a lifesaver for you too, always good to know what the kids' names are.

12. Put away any toys other than those you intend to be used at the party. Minimizing distractions will help keep the children focused on the planned activities.

13. There should be adult supervision at all times and at least one adult should remain in the room while any entertainment is in progress. Professional birthday entertainers design their programs to include plenty of audience participation and interaction; however, they should not be placed in the position of having to step "out of character" and assume the role of disciplinarian to deal with the occasional disruptive child. It is best if a parent is on hand to handle such situations.

14. It is best if the opening of the presents is the last thing on the schedule. That keeps them from getting broken before the party is over and, again, minimizes distractions during the entertainment and other planned activities.

15. If you plan to hire professional entertainment, be sure that it is age appropriate (another good reason to invite guests in the same age range as the birthday child). A professional entertainer or agency will suggest programs that have proven effective for various age groups and will decline to provide programs they have found unsuitable for the ages attending your party. It is wise to take their advise as it has been gained the hard way - - through years of experience. You DO NOT need professional entertainment for babies and toddlers (the 1-2 year olds and most 3 year olds). Their attention span and ability to participate in a meaningful way are limited. A few very simple games, a Barney or short Disney or Winnie The Pooh video, ice cream and cake and the fun of opening the presents are really all you need.

16. Remember, if you decide to hire entertainment for your party, do that first!  The best entertainers are booked far in advance, so if you send out the invitations and then call the entertainers, you may not be able to get them on the date and time you need.  Entertainment seldom matches your party theme unless you theme the party around the entertainer or hire a costumed character.  Don't worry so much about the entertainment matching your theme, be more concerned with making sure the children are entertained.  There is a variety of birthday party entertainers out there with a wide range of prices. The best way to find a quality entertainer is to ask around. Talk to friends, other parents, your child's school or childcare center, etc. If your child comes home from a party raving about how funny the performer was, find out who it was. Ask your child if they want that performer to come to their birthday party. If you didn't have any luck finding entertainers through referrals, look in your local family-type publication in their "party" section. There are more choices there than you could ever call. Find a few ads that catch your attention and seem to be the kind of entertainment you need. Call them starting with the one that caught your eye first and work your way down the list. You should be able to find what you are looking for in two or three calls.

When calling, you need ask several things.

  1. What age group is their show most suited for?  

  2. What do they do in their show?  

  3. What does their package include?  

  4. Do they do balloon animals?  

  5. How long is their performance?  

  6. How much experience do they have?  

  7. Do they have references?  

  8. What do they charge?  

  9. Do they accept credit cards?  

  10. What are the payment arrangements?  

  11. Are they Full-Time performers, and do they specialize in any target audience?

The answers to these questions will help you decide which entertainer is right for you.  If professional entertainment has been arranged, schedule it to begin about 30 minutes after the party starts.  That should allow ample time for late arrivals and ensure that everyone is there in time for the show. (If there are still a few stragglers when it's ShowTime, have Mom or Dad keep an eye on the door so latecomers can be admitted before they ring the doorbell - - otherwise all the children will race to the door when they hear the bell- and disrupt the flow of any entertainment or activity in progress.)

FOUR TO SIX WEEKS BEFORE THE PARTY

1) Make a guest list

2) Make a tentative schedule of party activities

3) Decide which decorations and favors to make and which to buy

4) List all supplies needed

5) Plan the party menu

6) Contact the Lee Curtis the Magical Wizard (But you knew that.)

TWO TO THREE WEEKS BEFORE THE PARTY

1) Make/buy invitations.

2) Mail or drop off invitations.

3) Buy party supplies.

4) Start making party decorations and favors.

5) Order cake from bakery if you're not making your own.

6) Arrange for extra help.

ONE WEEK BEFORE THE PARTY

1) Finish decorations and favors.

2) Confirm any orders placed for cake and/or party supplies.

3) Bake cake and freeze it, if making your own cake.

4) Make any other foods that can be made ahead of time and store in the freezer.

5) Write out a final schedule of activities for the party.

TWO to THREE DAYS BEFORE THE PARTY

1) Buy remaining food for the party.

2) Buy film and/or videotape.

3) Check batteries for cameras, flash units and/or camcorders.

4) Get an exact guest count. Tally responses and call those who haven't responded.

ONE DAY BEFORE THE PARTY

1) Finish decorating cake or pick up that cake from bakery. (To keep cake fresh, insert toothpicks along perimeter and in middle section of the cake, 1/2" deep. Cover loosely with foil or plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator.)

2) Child-proof party area.

3) Decorate any indoor areas of party. (Do not decorate outside area until the day of the party. Overnight weather can damage decorations.)

4) Prepare all "Do-Ahead" food.

THE DAY OF THE PARTY

1) Prepare the rest of the food.

2) Decorate outside party area.

3) Mark the outside of the house or the party area with balloons or a sign.

4) Keep your schedule of party activities handy.

I hope these suggestions will help you in planning your next home birthday party. If you have any questions at all, please call Lee Curtis the Magical Wizard, 800-436-8749

 

last updated 01/04/2008

Back to Home Page

© Copyright 2001-2008 by Kurt Flickner webmaster