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Party Guide For parents, by parents

ForewordLooking for inspiration for your child’s birthday party? Look no further.

To celebrate Amazon.co.uk’s 15th birthday, Amazon Family has teamed up with some of the UK’s top family bloggers to create the ultimate children’s party guide. This handbook contains advice on party planning from budgeting and theming to decorations and present ideas. By parents, for parents, the guide has been designed to help families and friends have a hassle-free, fun-filled day.

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Amazon Family is a membership programme designed to help families save time and money with great offers on products for babies, children and parents.

Introducing the mummy & daddy bloggers:Babes About Town www.babesabouttown.com BAT

Being a Mummy www.beingamummy.co.uk BM

Dadzclub www.dadzclub.com DZC

Dadda Cool www.daddacool.co.uk DC

Sticky Fingers www.thestickyfingersblog.com SF

Yummy Mummy Flabby Tummy www.yummymummyflabbytummy.co.uk YM

ContentsForeword 1

Introducing the Bloggers 2

Preparation 3–5

Themes 6

Party Memories 7

Food and Party Bags 8–10

Entertainment and Games 11–14

Amazon Family 15

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PreparationPlanning

Planning the perfect birthday party for a child can feel like a lot of organisation. The key is to keep it simple and fun. It’s a day that’s meant to be full of joy – not stress. Here are some top parenting blogger tips that will help you along the way:

“I’ve found the only

way to a stress-free party is to plan, plan, plan. We’ve had

a home cinema party, a Nerf gun party, a safari party, a haunted house party and an underwater party. All

went without a hitch and had people buzzing about them! They are

totally and utterly consuming and tiring but so worth it.” SF

“Planning my eldest’s first birthday was stressful, as at first my other half and I disagreed on what kind of celebration to have. He thought it should be an intimate day of Dad, Mum and baby whereas I wanted a proper event. Looking back, I don’t think it matters either way so long as you make your little one feel special and also take time to celebrate making it through your first year of parenting!” BAT

“One of the hardest elements of planning a kid’s party is encouraging and managing the other parents! Very often people ignore the RSVP on invitations or let you know that ‘Johnny’ can’t come tomorrow at the last minute. This can be really frustrating if doing an activity which (a) costs money or (b) requires a minimum number to attend for it to be worthwhile. Try and keep it simple – hire a hall and use an independent entertainer who doesn’t care about group size too much. For older kids, they often just want you to pay for the cinema or restaurant and leave them to it!” DZC

“Working out the exact amount of planned activity for a group of small children can be

extremely tricky. Plan too much and you’ll end up rushing through it all, plan too little and you’ll end up dragging things out and have bored children. We planned Sam’s fourth birthday a few years

ago and ended up not doing half the party games we’d prepared because the kids seemed

to be having enough fun running around and having races with a few Happy Hoppers!” DC

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Decorations

This is where you can really get your creative juices flowing! Pick a colour scheme and add some bunting, birthday banners and balloons (always a kids’ favourite!). When decorating, the bloggers suggest:

It’s all about the balloons...

Here are a few products to inspire your creativity:

“Balloons are a must for the younger kids!”

DZC

“Kids love balloons so I always have lots of them. At

home we tend to put up a few banners saying ‘Happy Birthday’ and cover their presents in

balloons.” YM

“We don’t

tend to go over the top with elaborate decorations – I think these are more for the parents than the kids

anyway.” DC

“Home made!

Get the kids involved in making them. We

had an ‘under the sea’ party and had a blast looking up what we could make online

and then having a go ourselves.” SF

“Go with your

own style and mood, as well as your child’s interests.

Don’t stress trying to be Martha Stewart if that’s really not your thing. I tend to keep it simple with balloons,

possibly banners, colourful paper plates and napkins to match whatever theme we’re going for. The less ‘stuff’ you

use, the less mess you’re left with afterwards!” BAT

Go British with red, white and blue balloons

Try Disney themed balloons such as Minnie Mouse, Toy Story, Monster University and Tinker Bell

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Is your child an animal lover? Check out these jungle themed napkins, jungle themed plates and jungle themed birthday banner

Add some colour with bunting or streamers - these blue, pink and rainbow coloured bunting sets will make any room party ready!

You can easily personalise a birthday banner with this banner kit or customise it yourself with images of your child and family with this fun banner!

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ThemesShould you have a themed birthday party?

Setting a theme for the party gets your child involved from the start – they might be interested in focussing on a particular colour, film, TV character or sport that they love.

“I don’t think it’s necessary to have a theme but it can be helpful to pull things into focus and stop you running around like a headless chicken! Again, something basic that appeals to your child e.g. their favourite activity, TV character, toy etc. Or you could just stick with a colour theme, but don’t feel you have to limit yourself to pink or blue! In the past I’ve had a movie theme, a disco theme and a video gaming theme and each one was more successful than the last!” BAT

“Themes make it easier to plan and build some structure to the party and it makes it great fun when it comes to themed food! We have hosted a haunted house party by using old Halloween decorations like spider webs, gravestones, spooky signs and dark rooms. My husband also dressed as Lurch and answered the door to the little visitors with a ‘YESSSSS?’” SF

“Themes are great because a lot of younger kids love to dress up. We have run a ‘Spiderman’ party before and it was hilarious watching 20 plus four year old spidermen running around! Ask the child what theme they would like as that will really make their day!” DZC

“Just pick

whatever your kids are really into at the time.

It works really well. Sam had a homemade Dalek birthday cake and everybody had Doctor Who

party bags. For the disco and games we used a Doctor Who

music album. He loved it.” DC

“Personally

I don’t think it’s all that important. We did

have a LEGO themed party once which worked really well and made for easy gift buying for the guests and

simple fun games.” BM

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Party Memories

“To date, our most memorable party was just this year when my daughter turned four. We arranged for the local owl display company to come to the house as she loves owls. She got such a surprise when she saw them in the garden. We had party food, party games and the kids got to hold the owls. It was a lot of fun!” YM

“The most talked about birthday party was my seven year old’s earlier this year, which was a video gaming party in a mobile truck. I surprised him on the day and he nearly lost his mind with excitement. I was able to keep the numbers reasonable (only 15 could fit in the truck), the kids were happily secluded for a couple of hours, I barely had to lift a finger outside sorting the food, and I earned major cool points from all his friends. Job done!” BAT

“The best party

I think I did was for my little boy at our local

museum. We had a picnic in the garden for everyone followed by a trail around the gallery. It was great fun

and educational!” BM

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Party Food & Party BagsFood - healthy and fun

Get around differing food likes and dislikes by having a range of healthy snacks and party food, catering for both children and parents alike.

“Whenever I have a party, I go to town with my buffet. We have cheese and tomato pizza, chips, salad, strawberries, grapes, cubed cheese, cocktail sausages, chicken skewers and sausage rolls. I tend to put all the savoury food out first and then, when I know the children have eaten something healthy(ish), I’ll put out the treats.” YM

“Try and cover all bases – yes, put some sausage rolls out on a buffet but always put carrot batons, cherry tomatoes, and sliced pepper too. Perhaps ask in advance if there are any dietary requirements. We have a friend’s child who must eat ‘gluten free’ so it’s good to grab him his own ‘treat’ so he doesn’t feel left out at cake time.” DZC

“We go for a mixture - carrot sticks, celery, cucumber and cherry tomatoes alongside sandwiches and maybe a bit of pizza. I think that little kids tend to tear around at parties so are pretty likely to burn off any calories they consume. We always ask on the invite if any of the kids have food allergies though, as this is pretty important.” DC

“I don’t remember a single party I’ve been to where they haven’t had standard healthy snacks like crunchy vegetables such as carrot sticks and cucumbers, raisins and rice cakes along with slightly ‘naughtier’ stuff like pizza, crisps, biscuits, chocolates and cocktail sausages.” BAT

“You could cut little blocks of cheddar cheese into shapes using biscuit cutters.” BM

“Make ‘kids punch’ – just

lemonade or juice with a natural dye

in it.” SF

Top Tips

“My favourite

party treat is marshmallow top hats. You simply pour

some melted chocolate into a paper cake case, stick the

marshmallow in, spread a thin layer of melted chocolate on top of the marshmallow and finish it off with

a smartie on top. They never last long!” YM

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Party bags

If you decide to give away party bags at the end of your event, it can be a fun way to follow on from the birthday party theme as well as providing a ‘thank you for coming’ treat. What do our bloggers think?

“In the past I’ve done party bags with little books and sweets. However, I found the best thing we have done is to fill a basket with some really nice toys each of which is the same value of all the trinkets you’d put in a party bag and let each child pick one on their way out.” BM

“Yes, and if you theme the party it helps with the party bags too. For our cinema party we used red and white striped popcorn bags as the party bags. Another good trick is to use plain white paper bags with handles and when the children arrive, get them to decorate their own bag and put their name on it.” SF

“We normally do a party bag and since we don’t have a policy of inviting the entire class to parties, the dozen or so kids get a good party bag. We put one nice little toy like an action figure or model bought on special offer or in a sale and maybe a book bought at a massive discount. We don’t spend a lot, maybe two or three pounds per party bag.” DC

“At a birthday

party I would provide a party bag as it’s a nice way to thank a guest.

I usually include a piece of cake and some fun toys or stationery. Bubbles always go down well too.” YM

“Yes, something along the theme

perhaps, plus little toys and gifts – nothing too fancy – no phones or

aftershave!” DZC

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Top tips on what to include in party bags from Amazon.co.uk:

Lego Minifigures Bin Weevils and Bin Bot Figure Pack Mega Bloks Moshi Monsters Moshling Buildable Figure

Caramelos Sugar Free Round Lollipops Swizzels Matlow Squashies Drumstick Cadbury Dairy Milk Freddo Faces Steenland Princess Mini Bars

Minnie Mouse Party Bags Mickey Mouse Party Bags Toy Story 3 Lootbag Sponge Bob Party Lootbag

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Entertainment & GamesDo you need an entertainer?

Birthday parties are all about enjoying the day with friends and family. Whether you hire an entertainer for the day or get involved yourself, having fun is what matters the most!

“I’ve never hired an entertainer as such, although I’ve been to parties where the entertainer does amazing magic and jokes and I’ve considered it. Popular games tend to be classics like pass the parcel, pin the tail on the donkey, musical chairs – and simple stuff like balloons and bubble blowers (battery powered blowers are great) always keep little ones happy.” BAT

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“If you’re booking a party in a hall, then I think an entertainer is a good idea. They can keep the kids amused whilst you finish off dealing with food or are just enjoying watching your child have fun. A party at home doesn’t really need an entertainer, just a willing adult or two to make up some games. We like pass the parcel, musical statues and anything involving the trampoline. If it’s hot, why not put up a paddling pool, add some soft balls and maybe gold coins and go on a treasure hunt in the water. The child with the most gold coins could win a prize!” YM

“I don’t think you need an entertainer. With a Sonos music streamer, a few balloons and their friends, kids can play for hours anyway. Games-wise, we often do treasure hunts in the garden in the summer and if the weather is against us, the old favourites like musical chairs, statues and so on. We always end with a bit of a disco!” DC

“Hiring an entertainer isn’t necessarily needed but the ones we have used certainly know what they are doing! All the usual suspects work well like ‘pass the parcel’ etc. Why change something if it has worked for decades! Get them running around – these kids should be going home feeling worn out (the sign of a great party!)” DZC

“You absolutely don’t have to hire an entertainer. One year my son went to five parties in the space of a month and three of them had THE SAME ENTERTAINER! Doh.” SF

Top Tips

“I once went to a

Puzzle Party, the person organising the party brought a massive kit full of puzzles

and all the kids were on the floor trying to solve them. Really unusual idea, but worked very well and kept the children busy and most importantly, quiet! For a while,

at least.” BAT

“The Mummy:

children are in teams and each one chooses

a ‘mummy’. Then the others have to wrap him or her in toilet roll to make a mummy in a certain amount of time.

Best mummy wins.” SF

“Balloon Treasure

Hunt: write a simple ‘where am I?’ clue on a piece of paper, roll it up and slip it into a balloon.

Blow the balloon up. Make sure there is one per child. Hide prizes to coincide with the clues in the balloons. Each child has to burst a balloon using only their body. Read

the clue, find the prize. Can’t tell you how many giggles we’ve had with kids

trying to burst their balloon by sitting on it and falling off over and

over again.” SF

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Games – the perfect present

Amazon.co.uk’s Toys & Games Store has over 2 million products so buying the perfect present has never been easier. With Amazon Prime, you get unlimited One-Day Delivery on millions of eligible items, ensuring the gift arrives on the doorstep within 24 hours of placing your order; perfect for that last minute birthday party invite.

To find out more about the product before making your purchase, check out the reviews on Amazon.co.uk. Customers can submit written or video reviews to help fellow customers decide what to buy; very useful when it comes to finding the ideal gift.

The Amazon.co.uk’s recommendations system can also help you see products that may interest you based on your previous purchases, items you’ve told Amazon.co.uk you own and items you’ve rated.

To offer some additional inspiration, here are some fun games that make for great gifts as well as something that the kids can play at the party:

Twister

Twister is the game that literally ties you up in knots! Spin the spinner then move your hands or feet from one coloured dot to another.

Charades for Kids

This classic game of charades is designed especially for children to help them learn and play.

Guess Who?

A fun guessing game which helps to develop observation and listening skills.

Cluedo

Suitable for slightly older children (ages eight and over), this mystery solving game really gets the brain going! Who did it? Where? And how?

Monopoly Junior Party Game

The property-trading favourite has added extra fun into this fast-moving party edition for kids.

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Garden & Beach Games Set

A set including sports equipment for kids to play badminton, tennis and volley ball.

Mightymast Leisure 34-In-1 Multiplay Games Table

This table offers 34 entertaining games including table football, pool, glide hockey, chess, chequers, backgammon, shuffleboard, skittles, playing cards, table tennis and magnetic darts.

Operation

Grab your tweezers and ‘operate’ on Cavity Sam!

Hungry Hungry Hippos

The classic Hungry Hungry Hippos game comes with four hippos plus marbles for them to chomp.

Peppa Pig Giant Snakes & Ladders Game

Peppa Pig Giant Snakes & Ladders encourages numeracy and visual skills among young children.

Angry Birds Knock on Wood Board Game

Players can build the structure, launch an Angry Bird and attempt to knock down and destroy the pigs with this exciting skill and action game.

Lawn Croquet

A fun outdoor game for children.

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