Party FAQs in India

• Whare should I have the birthday party?
• How many children should I invite?
• What should be the duration of the party?
• What time should I have the party?
• What are the most popular birthday themes?
• Can you suggest any party games?

• What food should I serve at the party?
• Should I hire a clown or entertainer?
• Are thank you notes necessary?
• Any tips on party decoration?
• What is the right time to open party gifts?
• What party favors should I buy?

Where should I have the party?

If you don’t plan on inviting too many kids, a party at home could be your best bet. But if you want to enjoy the weather and avoid too much cleaning up, your local park could be a good venue too. Children can have fun on the swings and seesaws or even play on the grass. Other good venues could be a beach, bowling alley, community center, amusement park, a friend or relation’s home, restaurant or a swimming pool. The options are endless but do keep in mind the age of the child (very small children can get cranky fast), the safety aspect, distance from your home and unpredictable weather. If you will be outdoors keep a first aid box handy as well.

How many children should I invite?

A good rule of thumb is invite as many children as the age of your child plus one. If you have very small guests (upto 5 years) and you have many invitees, it is a good idea to invite the moms as well. That way they can keep an eye on the children freeing you up to manage the party. Children above 5 years can be dropped off since they have been interacting with other children and have the social skills to play with other children.

What should be the duration of the party?

Typically birthday parties last for two hours, allow yourself 45 minutes for the cutting of the cake, that means you need to allow for 1 hour of other activities like games etc.

What time should I have the party?

Are you planning to serve a meal at the party or just cake and snacks? If you are planning a meal, the party should be centered around the main mealtimes. You can start between 11.30am to 12.30am or between 5.30pm to 6.30pm depending on whether you are serving lunch or dinner. If only cake and snacks are on the menu, invite the kids two hours before or one hour after lunch either between 10am to 12am or 2pm to 4pm. Set a party-ending time too and mention this in the invites so parents know when to pick up their kids.

What are the most popular birthday themes?

A ist birthday should have colorful themes and cute characters small children can relate to and that’s why the most popular themes are 1st Birthday Pink Balloons, 1st Birthday Blue Balloons, Pretty Princess, Sesame Street, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Barnyard Bash, Birthday Princess, and Thomas the Tank Engine among others. View 1st Birthday themes Little girls love to dress up as princesses so themes like Birthday Princess, Disney Princess and Pretty Princess are always in demand. Other favored themes are: Cinderella Dreamland, Pinkalicious, Fairy Whimsy and Luau Tiki Tropics. View all birthday girl themes Boys are partial to themes with sports and adventure so themes like Nascars, Disney’s 3D Toy Story, Handy Manny, Pirate Bounty, Jungle Safari, Football Spiral and SpiderMan are a big hit!. View all birthday boy themes

Can you suggest any party games?

Pinning the tail on the donkey is always a popular choice. Besides that Musical Chairs. Bingo, Simon Says are all perennial favorites. You could also have the kids dance to some music. Doing the twist to some Sixties music could be great fun! For toddlers select games where they could sit in their mother’s laps for eg. the group could sit in a circle and sing along to nursery rhymes.

What food should I serve at the party?

As the organizer offer the party you will have quite a bit of work on hand so it is imperative you have recipes that are simple to prepare. All the better if it’s food you can prepare and freeze ahead of the party. Think of dishes like chili, casseroles, lasagne, cheese & mac. Sandwiches are also fast to prepare and a yummy filling can make all the difference. Individually decorated cupcakes are also a big draw and also add color to the table. You can also order inexpensive food like pizza, goes well with everything! Keep some crisps and popcorn handy for munching! For dessert supermarket icecream is always welcome. Don’t forget to have something to drink on hand. Juice, lemonade or soda should be fine.

Should I hire a clown or entertainer?

Having a clown or any other entertainer like a magician etc. could be the high point of your party, it’s fun to watch your little invitees go google eyed when the show starts! However if you don’t have the budget to hire a professional, you could always ask uncle Ken or your cousin Marge to do the needful. It doesn’t have to be a magic show either. Many adults possess special talents reading out and acting fairy tales, mimicry oreven doing small sketches for the children they can take home with them.

Are thank you notes necessary?

Children should always send thank you notes for the gifts they have recieved. If the children are too young to write, you as a parent could write the note and have a child do a small drawing/scribble on the note to make it personal. For older kids they can write/make their thank you notes themselves. Children need to develop good manners and also to appreciate the generosity of others.

Any tips on party decoration?

Party decoration can be simple if you plan beforehand. Streamers, balloons and banners are the staple decorating ingredients of every birthday party. Wrap streamers around chair legs and decorate the sides of the table with them by looping lengths and pasting corners to the table cover. Tie helium balloons to all your chairs.If you are using a theme, order and place a centerpiece related to the theme on the table. Decorate walls with your child’s pictures in a collage or string them up in chains. For more tips read Easy Party Decorations.

What is the right time to open party gifts?

Some people prefer to open the gifts at the party itself usually because the birthday child is impatient or because the child giving it may want to know what the recipient thinks of the gift. However many believe gift opening should be done after the party. Otherwise other children may get bored watching box after box being opened while they are waiting to have some party fun! The circumstances also matter-you may be having the party at a friend’s house or hired venue where you wouldn’t want to waste any time in lengthening the proceedings. Some children are also very sensitive and may mind it enormously if the birthday child compares their gift unfavorably with others or is very verbal about not liking the gift. We tend to think gift opening might be better after the party, no complications that way!

What party favors should I buy?

Girls would usually be happy with cosmetics-nail polish, lip gloss and trinkets like shiny heart bracelets and novelty sunglasses. Hair clips, pendants and spirit wristbands are also a good idea. Boys could be given toy soldiers, tattoos, squirt guns, safari animals or marble bounce balls. Put the party favors in attractive favor bags and boxes. The packaging is really worth it when you see the expressions on your guest’s faces! However if you are on a tight budget, favor bags or boxes filled with candy would do just fine.