Let the kids have a blast !. Review on Being a Good Host at a Party

• After submitting this to Mouthpad and waiting for 2 weeks for MS to create a category for this, I have run out of patience and am adding this review here. Forgive me MSians, but for sentimental reasons, this had to be my 14th review. This one should ideally come under a category called'Organising a Party' and sub-category'Birthday parties for kids'

This review is based on my experiences over the years in organizing birthday parties for my kids – Akash aged 9, and Dhrithi aged 2 1/2.

The event all kids look forward to and wish they could celebrate more than once a year is their birthday. A lot of careful planning and pinpoint execution is required to make the event a truly memorable one. Ever organized a Business Seminar or your Organization's Press Conference for the launch of a new product? The same kind of attention to detail is required here. Don’t believe me? Read on …

As the requirements of children change as they grow older, the birthday bash requirements too vary … Lets take this age-group wise then …

Tiny Tot(Age 1): The temptation to throw a mega party on the 1st birthday of your little one is a big one. But what does he / she think? Just out of the cradle, and not accustomed to large crowds, the little one would not enjoy a large noisy affair. Keep it short and simple, with an invitee set of faces that your kid is familiar with. Home would be the ideal venue. Go bonkers on the decorations and balloons – at this age, kids enjoy having colorful objects around.

The Terrible Twos and Threes(Ages 2-3): Your little one has been exposed to social gatherings and public events by now. And, oh boy, does he / she understand the meaning of gifts! Your kid also has a favourite cartoon character – that decides what goes on the cake. This one too, should be at home(familiar territory for the young one). If you invite kids of the same age from the neighbourhood, you can be sure that their parents will be hangers-on. So you had better plan something to keep both kids and parents entertained. Chocolate biscuits and wafers(along with cake, of course) and maybe icecream for the kids, and short snacks for the adults would be the menu. Music that the kids can dance to, and small games like Passing the Teddy bear, Tossing the Ball, etc. would serve as entertainment. No major innovation required. Take-away gifts could include small toy sets, the customary balloons and chocolates.

And make sure you have asked your maid servant to come by later to help you clear up.

The “But his party was …” age(Ages 4-7): A vast circle of school friends will form the invitee list. If you haven’t thought too kindly about your kids teacher at school, you will send her(I admit it – the fairer sex has a great deal more patience, which is a basic pre-requisite for handling kids this age) roses everyday for the rest of the year, after organizing one of these.

The best way to avoid getting into a rut for these 4 years is to organize ‘theme’ parties. Choose a theme and have everything revolve around it. Standard party games can fit into the theme with a little bit of creativity. The Theme could be Fairy tales, Cartoons, Adventure, Star Trek or even Magic. Nothing like a Harry Potter birthday with Dumbledore or the Hogwarts Express on the cake, a Guest Magician providing the entertainment, and small magic tricks as take-away gifts. Add Magic candles that re-ignite on blowing them out, for special effects.

Or an Adventure party(ideally, outdoors), with a Treasure hunt that will lead them to their take-away gifts. A costume competition will provide great photo opportunities with Johnny Bravo, Superman, PowerPuff Girls all in one frame.

Ideally, the venue should be at your club(you don’t belong to one? what are you waiting for? for the day when your kid will say “But his party was at the Club, why can’t we have mine there?”), where the staff would take care of the catering and serving. Menu should have Noodles, Pizza, Wafers or French Fries and Soft Drinks. This is the age where the parents of your invitees are glad to get rid of them for a few hours and hence will drop them off at the party and pick them up later. So, keeping the kids entertained is key. Games ideas could form the content of another review. And yes, take-away gifts should also be based on the theme.

The “I am so bored” age(Age 8-9): Identify a Games Arcade / Bowling Alley / Go-karting Circuit which will also host a birthday party. Pay for the Games and let the kids loose.

Young Adults(Age 10 and above): They don’t need you to organize a birthday bash; they are quite capable of running a press conference by themselves. Just keep the purse strings loose …

And now for the real reason for writing this review - Anybody wants to hire me as a Birthday Consultant?