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The Best Party Tips
You’ll Ever Get (From A Clown)!
 Being
in the party business for almost 10 years I have witnessed the many do’s and
don’ts for a child’s birthday party. Often people ask me if I love my job
because I am always making people happy and I always answer that I am sooooo
lucky to have found a job that I love so much. But, I have to be honest,
(you really have to trust a clown on this one) for as many birthday parties
that I attend that are rewarding there are some birthday parties that no
matter how hard I try I will leave wondering if the children really had a
great time. This may or may not have something to do with me or my act, but
overall I think that often times it has to do with the entire energy of the
party. Here’s the reason why - most of the time when I walk in, I have the
children’s attention and they are ready and raring to go. But, if I walk in
and the children don’t even notice me it usually goes down hill from there
because of the many factors that I have listed below. The way I look at it –
if the kid’s don’t notice a brightly colored and energetic clown approaching
their party and don’t even seem the least bit interested in me then all I
have to say is, “Dallas, I think we’ve got a problem”!
So, have no fear Share Bear is here to save your upcoming
party. Whether you are an experienced party animal or you are a new arrival
(or you have a new arrival) then here are a few of Share Bear’s very own,
original, hot off the press party tips that could help to make or break your
child’s party.
The following is Share Bear’s top 10 list for a successful
children’s party.
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HAVE A THEME AND STICK TO IT
– Mish, mosh – no way, Jose! Pick a theme and be creative. If you’re
not the Martha Stewart type, browse the internet with your child for great
theme ideas. Your other best bet is to go to the party store with your
child and have them pick out their favorite party plates. This may give
you an idea for what other games, activities and/or entertainers to hire.
If you already know your theme but have no idea what else to do then the
internet is the first place to get great ideas from. Just type your theme
name into your favorite search engine for ex:
Pirate Party ideas,
Strawberry Shortcake Party ideas, Luau ideas, etc. and read the plethora of
information that comes to you. Take only about 3 of your favorite ideas
and execute them at the party and you will be the talk of the town. But,
most important don’t wait to the last minute, be prepared ahead of time.
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- K.I.S.S.
– Keep it simple, sweetie! This is the #1 mistake that I‘ve seen parents
do and it drives me absolutely bonkers. In fact, there are times when I
have tried to talk the parent out of hiring me because I will tell them
that there is way too much stimulation going on and I will never be able
to keep the children’s attention for an hour. If you are having a clown,
don’t hire the ponies or the animal farm and have a bounce house too! I
don’t care what age a child is that is just way too much, especially when
you are trying to squeeze it all into the normal 2 – 3 hour birthday
party. If you are having a bounce house then honestly you really don’t
need anything else at all because the children will bounce till their
heads fall off. If you hire a really good entertainer (clown, magician,
etc.) they can keep a child’s attention for an hour to two hours. If you
hire a petting zoo or pony rides you get them for an hour the kids will be
psyched…get the point? Don’t forget the best thing of all you don’t even
have to pay for is real kids fun, which means with a little down time in
between the cake, presents and entertainment the kids can actually play
together - for free! Isn’t that what a true party is about, playing with
friends? Now, that’s a great idea.
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DON’T INVITE TO MANY CHILDREN
- Oh, now I see this one all too much! I know you think you have the best
kid in the world and everyone wants to be their friend. So, the truth of
the matter is how do you not invite everyone to his/her birthday party
without hurting feelings? Be discreet, be honest, and be firm and that’s
it. It’s so hard now a day to not invite the entire class. In fact; I know
that some school’s make it mandatory that you have no choice but to invite
the entire class, that’s just insane – talk about pressure!. Well, if
that’s the case don’t do it unless you want to make yourself a tried and
true nut case. Just invite a few good friends/family or neighbor kids. For
2 – 4 yr old parties invite 5 or less. For 6 yrs on up anything from 12
invites or less would make a great party (unless, of course, your having a
sleepover, then 1 or 2 is all you need, that should be a no brainer)!. As
for the one year old birthday parties, be honest with yourself – are you
really ready to entertain for 20+ kids? I guess if you have no choice in
the matter because of the pressure family may put on you then go back and
read #9 regarding K.I.S.S. this will help you to keep your insanity as if
you have nothing better to do when you have a one year old!
 INVITATIONS
- Send out a
special customized invitation 2 – 3 weeks ahead of time and
don't forget to put
an RSVP date and phone number on it. If no one calls you back, don’t take it
personal – it seems people just don't have the time to RSVP these days. To save your
stress, don’t hesitate to follow up with a phone call the week of the party to
make sure they got the invite, didn’t lose it or just plain forgot to call
you back.
HOT TIP! As an added surprise, use your child's photograph on the
stamp! Click the banner to the right to learn more about this creative,
attention-getting idea.
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HOTSY, TOTSY – If the party is in
summer, make sure there’s plenty of shade, liquids and sunscreen for
parents and children and entertainer. If the party is inside, please do
yourself and everyone a favor – crank down the air before everyone gets
there and if it isn’t cooling off enough have either the ceiling fans set
on turbo blast or beg, borrow but please don’t steal your neighbor’s floor
fans to keep things cool. (But, for goodness sakes, please, just make sure
the little ones can’t get to them)! If you are in a warm state such as
Florida, like I am this is an all year warning. However, I haven’t a clue
what it’s like during winter when the heater is are on I think this would
be a similar problem. Just be wary that once the guests arrive things get
pretty heated up; you don’t want to pass out trial size deodorants in the
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POOL PARTY AND THAT’S IT
- If you are having a luau, or pool party, just stick to the pool theme.
The kids have so much fun while they are in the pool they really don't need
any other source of entertainment. Try to hire an entertainer
that goes with the
theme.
For ex: hula dancers or Little Mermaid, Nemo, Pirates, etc. Also, use
common sense - don’t hire a face painter because those cute little faces
will slide
right off into the pool! However, the biggest rage now is hiring a
professional (such as Share Bear) to create Hand Painted Glitter Tattoos
that will stay on while the kids are swimming and will last up to 2 - 3
days!
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OUTSIDE OR INSIDE, THAT
IS THE QUESTION – Be smart, by being a good planner. If
you’re having it outside, give yourself a back up plan for rain. As
mentioned before provide plenty of shade, this will also help if it rains.
During rainy season, why take a chance? Ask your child if they would
consider a bowling party, ceramics, etc to keep it worry free from the
weather. Regardless, of if you are having it inside or outside, provide
enough seating and food for 80% of the guests and designate a table just
for the kids. After all, how many of you have been to parties, you may be
guilty of this yourself, when you see people rush to get the best seats or
any seat for that matter and then save it during the entire party because
there just isn’t enough seating? Those people by the way are called chair
hogs.
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HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO
– That is as long as you are on time. If you say your party is from 11- 3
then start at 11 and have your cake at 2:30. It’s a fact that after cake
the party is always over so everyone will leave around 3:00. This is the
cardinal rule of a party and nothing could be ruder than not being timely,
especially if you are hiring entertainment. In fact, if you are having a
special event at the party make sure you ad that into your
special customized invitations
so
guests will know and it will make them timelier, too. Believe it or not,
there are plenty of parties I have been to where I have been one of the
first guests to arrive and to no avail by the time I’m ready to leave only
a couple other guests have joined me. Don’t be a poor planner. Coordinate
properly so everyone can be a part of the fun and no one feels left out.
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KEEP IT AGE APPROPRIATE –
Ahh, the age of innocence!! Now remind me what age is it, again?!?! I’ve
seen spa parties for 5 year olds; 3 and heard of belly dancing parties for
6 yrs old. I’ve also done countless clowning parties for 1 year olds and,
although the birthday child doesn’t know what’s going on, the other
children have a great time. I’m not just a clown, I’m a mom, too and trust
me I’m not at all an advocate on what is right and what is wrong for any
age group. But, its just so much stimulation at such young ages. Why don’t
we save these things till they get older and not only appreciate it but
how about remember it? I don’t know maybe I’m just jealous, because I
didn’t get my first pedicure till I was 30! How embarrassing!!!
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KEEPING UP WITH THE JONES’
– Oh, please, this is so outdated so why are people still doing it? How
about instead of keeping up with the Jones’ just taking their good ideas
and utilizing them? It’s all about creativity. Let’s face it, half the
time these folks are not trying to impress the kids but each other. Bottom
line is to be creative and keep it simple (there’s that #9 again). I once
went to a birthday party at this big, gorgeous mansion and they had such a
great idea. It was an early morning, 10:00 a.m. and their theme was wild
animals in which they hired a company to come in with various exotic
animals and the children could learn about them and touch them. However,
they hired me from 10 – 11 to face paint the kids as their favorite
animal, gave out cute animal pretend toys and then from 11- 12 they got to
see the show and then ate lunch and had cake. The kids absolutely loved it
and the parents had the entire day left to relax and enjoy with the
birthday child and relatives. Now that’s impressive.
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WAIT A
MINUTE…DID ANYBODY CONSIDER THE BIRTHDAY CHILD? – I know
there are lots of kids out there who start planning their next parties
right after having one (that’s both my kids, guess it runs in the family)!
But, I know there are plenty of parents who look for either the easiest,
cheapest or in some cases most intricate parties to plan. However, make
sure you talk with your birthday child and find out what they really would
like to do. They may surprise you with something off beat and different or
may have no idea at all, but regardless of what they want let them be
active in the planning process.
Let them help pick out
the goody bags/giveaways, the plates/theme and the kids especially love
the custom candy bar wrappers. Also, make sure you ask them if there are any
specific games or things they would also like to do at their party. Remember, if you are a
smart party planner its not how much you spend its how you spend it that
will keep people talking about the party. However, whatever you end up
doing let it be stress free for you and for your child and know that true
friends/family will always make it memorable for years to come.
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I promise you, if you follow Share Bear’s top 10 List
you’ll have the golden child on your block and people will start turning to
you for party advice. Please e-mail me if you have any questions. I’ll be
happy to help. |
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