How to entertain children at birthday parties

In November 2008, I started my own business doing children’s jewellery making parties. My only experience of entertaining children was from my own four year old daughter and you know what they say “never work with children or animals.” Fortunately for me, the experience hasn’t been as stressful as I first anticipated it would be. I’ve been complimented on the quietness of my parties and my rapport with the children and I would like to pass on some tips that work well for me.

Firstly build a good rapport with the parents – first impressions last and this is how I do it. Set their expectations from the start – tell them what time you will arrive, what you intend doing with the children, what you need from them and how long the party will take. I have my name embroidered on my shirt, so the kids can call me by my name if they want help whilst making their piece of jewellery. I also make sure that the children have their own name stickers, so they feel like they are getting personal attention from me – just remembering their names can make the whole party.

Let the children know they can have fun – get them chatting about their favourite music (sometimes I feel very old), films, etc. Build friendly rapport with the children, but make sure you’re not patronising – they know when they are being talked down to.Target the noisy child (there is always at least one) – keep them interested in the task in hand and you usually have a successful party. Unfortunately the noisy children can really disrupt the party and spoil it for the rest of the guests.

Make sure you have sufficient set up time and that you have sufficient supplies of beads and that they are displayed as attractively as you can. I have a number of party themes, so make sure that the party choice is appropriate for the age of the children – you don’t want the children to be bored, but you also don’t want it to be over their heads. Speak to the parents and then make a decision between you

Make sure that you have help with large parties (my sister helps me out) and get the parents involved as well. I’ve found that children love helping other children, so if you have a child who finishes their piece of jewellery before the others, get them to help out their friends.

As a last resort, I have a 5 minute silence game – the children take it in turns and if they manage the 5 minutes, I make one of their bracelet charms for them. This works really well with large groups.

For more information on Sarah’s jewellery party business visit http://www.fairygems.net