Congratulations! Your son or daughter is about to celebrate another birthday. How are you going to celebrate it? Today’s children have a lot more structured activities than we had when were growing up. Your child’s birthday party is no exception. To make sure the party is safe, fun and memorable, follow these tips.
 
As long as the party space is checked for child-safety and adequate seating, you can have a birthday party almost anywhere. While some towns have children’s party places you may want to avoid them. Sure, they offer lots of space but many children are bored by party rooms. After they attended a few parties there, they no longer look forward to going back. This is because many party rooms simply let the kids run around wild on rides. That’s fine for the more aggressive kids, but party rooms seem to intimidate some more introverted children.
 
If you’re going to hold the party at home, be sure to inspect every accessible area to make sure the entire space is child-safe. While you’re child may be out of the dangerous toddler stage, all of your tiny guests may not.
 
Backyard birthday parties are a load of fun. Be sure to provide plenty of shade for those hot days and remember, always have a back up plan. Have a rain plan.
 
Keep your guest list manageable. If you’re child is very young and your inviting his or her friends, be sure to invite their parents to stay too. In fact, you need to insist that any very young children be fully attended by their own parents. You’ll be too busy running around the party to play babysitter to other people’s kids.
 
When it comes to food and beverage, realize that so many young children are fussy eaters. Don’t worry about providing a full three-course meal! The kids are too excited to eat. In addition, by limiting the variety of foods you serve you make it easier for children with food allergies. Stay away from any of the big food-allergy groups likes peanuts and shellfish. Be sure that parents of children with allergies let you know of any special needs and ask them to remain at the party to make sure their child stays safe.
 
Be sure to have plenty of activities to keep the children amused. One of the best birthday party entertainment ideas is a live magic show. Hire a great children’s magician to keep the kids happy and amused. A good show will have lots of audience participation, a variety of tricks and plenty of silly jokes and gags.
 
The magic show should start after the meal is served and the children are settled into the party environment. It is important to give kids enough time calm down before the show begins. At the start of the party, children are very excited to see each other and their attention span is low. Once they’ve gotten a chance to chat with their friends, checked out the party room and had a nice low-sugar meal or snack, it’s show time.
 
How long should a magic show be? If the audience is mostly very young children, keep the show short and sweet. Older kids have a better attention span and will enjoy a show for up to an hour. After the hour, no matter how wonderful the magician is, the kids will want to get up and move. This is especially true if you are holding the party in a high-distraction area like a game room or by a swimming pool. A show that lasts 90 minutes and boors is not as good as a 30-minute show that delights. When it comes to party entertainment, sometimes less is more.
 
Remember, magic shows are not “just for kids.” Teenagers love to watch magic too. It’s a fun way to entertain them at a Bar Mitzvah or Sweet Sixteen. For these parties we recommend a walk-around magician. Instead of stopping the music and dancing to watch a show, have the magician stroll around the party performing sleight of hand table to table.

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