One thing you should do is to decide  how many children you are able to handle and then use a little [...]]]>

Further to the previous post (link opens in a new window)  about 3 tips for the time, guestlist and location of your child’s birthday party, let’s take a more in-depth look at the guest list.

One thing you should do is to decide  how many children you are able to handle and then use a little bit of psycology to get the upper hand… sneaky?  Yes, I know, but sometimes necessary.

Talk to your child and explain to him that he can only invite a certain number of friends (be wise and give him the least amount of kids you can handle comfortably.)

For instance, if you only see your way open to have 10 young energetic party guests at your house, first tell your child  that he can invite 6 guests. In this way,  if he wants to invite one or two more, you will still be within your limit and he will feel as if the final call was actually his.

While you are busy compiling the guest list, you should also keep the ages of the kids your child wants to invite, in mind. If  the party guests’ age group will be, for instance, in the 3-4 year age bracket, there’s no need to invite little Johny’s  two elder sisters of 9 and 11 as well.

The same goes for your daughter of 12. There is no need for her closest friend’s brother who is 18 and already out of school, to attend her party!

You should also decide if you are going to need help looking after the guests during the party.  If the birthday party is for a toddler, you should really specify that the mother or a grandmother or another adult should accompany this child to the party.

You will be able to give attention to more important things like food and games and not having to keep an eye on the children the whole time.

A good rule of thumb with toddlers is to take their age and just add one and invite no more guests than that. For instance, if your child turns 4,  the most number of guests you would invite would be 5.  The average party guest list is eight children for children over the age of six, so do not feel like you are shortchanging your child by not having more.

As your child turns older, the number of guests would normally become more. However, as you are paying for the party and also have to take responsibility for the guests, you really have the right to decide about the final number of guests.

Don’t invite the whole school or all the children in the neighbourhood just to keep up with the neighbours across the street!  Maybe your son of 13 just wants to “hang out” with one or two of his closest buddies, watching a movie while snacking on some popcorn and talking amongst themselves about the new girl in their class.

A birthday party is after all, all about your child and like I have mentioned quite a few times, talk to him/her and decide together about all aspects of the party including the guest list.

I’m curious… how many children can you comfortably handle when you and your child decide about the birthday party and the number of guests?

You will need:

To make:

Cut fruit into small [...]]]>

For your kid’s next theme party, don’t serve plain, boring ice cream. These colourful, fruity yogurt ice lollies are not only quick and easy to make but are also a healthy addition to any kid’s party.

You will need:

• Fresh fruit or berries of choice

• Fruit or plain yogurt

• Empty yogurt cups

• wooden ice cream sticks

To make:

Cut fruit into small pieces, mix together with fruit or vanilla yogurt. Fill  empty yogurt cups or ice cream lolly mouldshalfway with equal amounts of the yogurt mix. Put in freezer until nearly frozen. Insert the ice cream sticks or why not surprise the party guests by inserting a small lollipop? Put back into freezer until frozen solidly.

Take the cups out of the freezer and fill with fresh fruit juice. Put back into freezer until frozen solidly again. Take out of freezer just before serving. To easily remove the ice lollies, cover the cup with a warm, damp cloth for a few seconds and then simply pull the fruity yogurt ice lolly from the cup.

Idea: If you have a colour scheme for the party, use yogurt and fruits that compliment the colours. You can also make thinner and more different coloured layers – just remember to freeze each layer thoroughly before adding the next layer.

And remember to have fun when planning your kid’s theme party!