Mr Giggles Children's Entertainer
Birthday Party Specialist

You would Love to give your child a Fantastic Magical Birthday Party and....

Children's Birthday
Party Tips

...you want to save Time and Money

0141 886 2905
Mobile 07875 668 846

Follow these Ten Fantastic Steps to Save you Stress, Time and Money.

Have your Party at Home
You really don’t need to rent a hall.   Many great birthday parties are held at home and you don’t need a lot of space.    It makes it much easier to organise, saves time and you don't have to carry food and supplies to the venue.

If your living space is really too small to accommodate a party consider using a friend’s house but please make it clear that you'll do all the work of setting up and cleaning afterwards. 

In summer, weather permitting, consider your garden space – less tidying up and no worries about spills on your favourite carpet. Mr Giggles recommends parties at home especially for the very young children of four years and under.

If you must have a hall then church halls, guide halls, scouts halls, clubhouses are all inexpensive and usually have the advantage of having a kitchen for catering.   Also ask around in libraries for local meeting places such as council halls and clubhouses which are often much less expensive than hotels and restaurants.

Invite only special guests
When planning a party, it's natural to feel you have to invite your child’s whole class form school.   Resist the temptation.  It is all right to only invite special friends.   Think about it.   If there is a known trouble maker would you want to invite that individual and possibly ruin your child’s special day?  No way.

Fewer friends invited also means less space required and makes it easier to organise.   Limit yourself to a fixed number of guests and don’t go over the pre-set number.

TIP: Imagine that you have hired caterers and you are being charged £15 per head.   Having said that the additional cost per child for a child’s party is minuscule.   The main consideration has to be how you will cope with a large number of children.   Don’t underestimate the noise and the need for control.   You have been warned.

Simple Party Food is Best for Children
Children’s birthday party food is always best kept simple.

Bake and decorate the birthday cake yourself and have your child help for that “quality” time together.  Moreover chose a mid-morning or afternoon time slot, which is the norm, and your expense is limited to cake, snacks, juice, and goody bags.  

Whatever you do please don’t offer a big choice and don’t offer too much food.  The birthday party children are exited and they are not starving – much food inevitably means a lot of waste.

If you are having adults as well as children you might feel that food is essential.  It isn't. There's nothing wrong with a party that includes only snacks and simple drinks. 

If you want to serve a substantial meal, think vegetarian, Italian, or both.  A huge pan of lasagne or pasta bake is easy to make and costs little per serving.   Add a salad, bread, a large party carton of inexpensive wine, and the adults will love this simple food which is both tasty and healthy.

Shop carefully for Party Supplies
It is sometimes thought that supplies of theme orientated products are expensive, but buying online at quality suppliers can prove less than you think.  However when it comes to table clothes etc for the very young don't pick anything too age- or gender-specific and you should be able to use them for years.

If your child really must have Spiderman party ware or whatever then many parents have found Party Box prices are keen and the quality very good.  Also you don’t have to go overboard on a theme.  A Spiderman tablecloth could be enough to satisfy your child.   You don’t always need matching plates, napkins, and cups, too!   On the other hand it is not much more expensive to go for a theme “pack” which includes all items at discounted prices. Again Party Box is the best I know.

Consider creative party favours
One of the biggest party money-wasters is overpriced plastic favours for goody bags that get lost, broken or thrown out in no time.   Try something different:   Buy large packages of fun art supplies such as glitter pens, stickers, and stamps; then break up the sets and give each child one of each.

A really cool idea is to use a Polaroid camera and snap fun photos of each child then let the children decorate the borders and take them home as a keepsake.  This helps differentiate you child’s birthday making it all the more memorable.

If you really want traditional party type favours then buy them in bulk and   instead of blowing up party balloons put one in each goody bag.

Invite Friends to Assist
A no cost but valuable source of help is friends. If you're a working parent finding it difficult to find time to organise a party you don’t have to give up on the idea of having one even when you're on a budget.   Ask friends to assist and you can reciprocate when it is their turn to have a party. 

The general rule is more help rather than less.  It really will give you much peace of mind and your friends will appreciate your help when it is their turn to have a party.

Have a joint Birthday Party
Get together with one or two other friends whose kids' birthdays are near your child's and host a group party.   This works especially well for children under age 4 four years.   They won't care if the party isn't just for them.   You'll save big by splitting the expense between a few families.   Sing the birthday song for each of them and have individual cupcakes instead of big cakes.

When they reach school age your child’s circle of friends will grow massively.   However only share parties if you have lots of helpers as lots of children can be unruly as the kids feed of each other’s energy levels and noise and excitement can be very high.  You have been warned.

Do your Own Party Entertainment
Sure, you'd love to hire a professional children’s entertainer and sit back and relax.   But with a little foresight it can be just as much fun to giggle through traditional children’s party games which has stood the test of time.   Young children especially are just as happy with a game of "Musical Bumps" as they are watching an award-winning magic show.   Classics like Musical Chairs, Simon Says, and Pin the Tail are still popular.  Just avoid elimination games and keep everyone totally involved in all the fun.

However please be very careful.  I would recommend that you only do this the very young children as today’s kids are more sophisticated and are used to professional quality entertainment.

If outdoors, create a theme carnival atmosphere with a beanbag toss, egg and spoon race and maybe a sack race. Treasure hunts are always a big hit both indoors as well as outdoors.  Keep it simple and hide a number of small inexpensive items such as sweets, some easy to find for younger children and some harder for the older children. 

Consider a pirate theme.  Give the kids a Pirate Map to fire their imagination and have the main “treasure” hidden somewhere special and the children have to follow the clues to find it.   They'll love pretending they're pirates hunting for buried gold. 

At Easter time go for an Easter Bunny and Egg Hunt.

Perhaps you feel that you do not have the personality to entertain children but would still like entertainment to make the day memorable.  Consider networking with others in your parents/toddlers group.  Do you know anyone who juggles or has a flair for face painting? 

Look at the Party Through the Eyes of your Child
The secret to having a successful Children’s Birthday Party is to look at the party through the eyes of your child.  Ask your child what he/she remembers of other parties they have attended.  What they found fun and what they did not like. Organise everything with your child in mind and you won’t go far wrong.

The experience of planning a party with your child is often full of unexpected joys and surprises and is a wonderful way to show your child how unique and important he/she is. I hope you’ll try it.

Finally: Hire a Professional Party Entertainer
This might sound strange if you want to keep costs down but hiring the right party entertainer can actually save you money.

Here’s why.   A good professional children’s party entertainer has a lot of knowledge about organising parties.   He knows what works what doesn’t and he knows where savings can be made and where it is better not to skimp.   He knows what halls are good and those to avoid.  Use his knowledge, be guided by him and not only will you have a great party but more importantly no worries or stress.  It has to be said that this is probably the last area you would want to cut costs especially as the one aspect of parties that children always remember is the fun and laughter that a good professional children’s party entertainer brings.  This is way above having the biggest venue or best food.

Want More Help?
Phone now for your own unforgettable birthday party experience.
0141 886 2905
Mobile 07875 668 846

Mr Giggles the Clown is based in Glasgow, Scotland

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