For a more friendly approach to your party, it is possible to entertain a group of children yourself or with some helpers.

This can be really good but you will need to plan ahead.  Wrap a pass the parcel.  Try not to use newspaper or put too many layers on it.  A pin the tail on the donkey is also a great idea.  May be even musical chairs.

Have more games planned than you need so that you know you won’t run out of things to do.  Try not to let children stray away from the entertainment.  Encourage everybody to join in.

I will make future postings with tips on how to play the above games to make them more personal.  As ever please let me know your thoughts.

Serving hot food at a children’s party is another option, particularly if you are planning a lunchtime party or in winter time. Here is a few tips to help avoid disaster.

If using a cooker in the village hall make sure you know how to work it.  Try switching the oven on before the day.  Does the oven get hot?  How clean is the oven? Does the hall also have knives and forks or will you need plastic ones.

Cooking for 20 plus children is not the same as cooking for 3 people.  If you are cooking oven chips, large trays of them will take a lot longer to cook.

It may be a good idea to consider that if planning to eat 45 minutes into the party you will need to be in the kitchen virtually from the start.  This means missing most of that special time.

Try and keep it simple. Offering a choice of hot dogs, burgers, fish fingers and pizza will only complicate matters.  As usual don’t overload the plates.  It’s nicer to see empty ones at the end.

Lastly have someone on hand to go round with the tomato ketchup.  That way everybody gets the same measured amount.

Please let me know your experiences.

When hiring an entertainer you are probably going to be glad to find somebody to keep the children occupied at your party. But what is the correct fee?  Well the truth is what is it worth to you?  Do you hire the entertainer for an hour or the whole party?

Remember that an entertainer will be in most demand between 1.00pm and 5.00pm on a Saturday and Sunday.  So if you want a popular entertainer at these times you really do need to plan months ahead.

Fees also vary depending on the area, London will obviously be more expensive than Yorkshire.  Fees should probably start at £80.00 per hour or £120.00 for 2 hours.  One last thing when telephoning an entertainer try not to make the first question How much do you charge?  Instead start by asking about the shows content and availability.  This will give the entertainer a much better impression of you.