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Your Child’s In-Home Birthday Party Checklist

Chances are you’ve had that moment a week, or maybe a day, before your child’s party is happening when you realized you forgot something significant. 

While it’s completely understandable, this is not a time you want a disappointed child, or a frantic mom who’s trying to run around and fix things. 

At KidsPartyCharacters.com we’ve put together a checklist that covers everything you need to do to pull off a successful party, as well as gives you a timeline for when to do it.

Follow this list and you’ll avoid any “oops” moments and ensure that things are all smiles at your child’s next birthday party.

Six to Eight Weeks Before Your Child’s Birthday

• Set a date and time for your party

Get it on your calendar now, and maybe even a back up date, so you’ll have a little flexibility if needed. 

• Decide on a theme for the party

Work with your child to settle on a theme. Best to start this now, as it may be something that changes a few times before your child is ready to commit.

See our advice on how to choose a theme right here on the KidsPartyCharacters.com blog.

• Write out the guest list and confirm availability

This is another thing that may be a challenge for your child, especially if the guest list is limited. 

There’s certain to be a person or two that your child “must have” at her party. Confirm availability with this person so you can get a firm date on the calendar.

• Contact KidsPartyCharacters.com and any other entertainment

Visit the KidsPartyCharacters.com website and choose your character(s), along with face painting, balloon twisting, cotton candy, and any other fun you want to add into the party

Call KidsPartyCharacters.com to book your character(s) and choose the package you want.

Also reserve the DJ, or any other entertainment you may want at your child’s party.

Four Weeks Before the Party

• Send out the invitations

For everything you need to consider when it comes to invitations, check out our advice on the blog here.

• Make out a food menu

Work with your child to decide what food to offer, and whether it will be snacks or lunch, depending on the timing of the party.

Again, get all the advice you need on menu planning right here on the KidsPartyCharacters.com blog.

• Decide what activities you want to do

You’ll already have worked out most of the details here because KidsPartyCharacters.com does this for you, but discuss with your child anything he “must do” at his party and put together a list of all the games you’ll play and other fun you’ll have.

• Make a master shopping list for food and supplies

Create a master list for food and supplies you’ll need for games and activities. This is a list you can add to as you and your child finalize party details.

Three Weeks Before the Party

• Decide on party favors and any prizes you want to give away for games

You may want to do some shopping around at local party stores, or just look online. 

Find creative advice on choosing your party favors right here on the KidsPartyCharacters.com blog.

• Determine whether you’ll need any help at the party

Go through the party in your head. Remember you are just one person, and it'd be nice if you could actually enjoy the party too.

Do you need to ask a few parents to stay and give a hand? Maybe parents are staying anyway. Either way, don’t hesitate to give some small jobs to other parents, they’re happy to do it.

You can also hire a local teenager or even professional help if there’s really a lot going on, but usually the parents can provide all the help you’ll need. And, with KidsPartyCharacters.com putting on the show, we’ll take most of the burden off you anyway.

Two Weeks Before the Party

• Purchase all non-perishable supplies

Go to your master list and purchase everything you can. Make this a cutoff date for any changes or additions. 

Going to the store and locating the things you need is time-consuming and something you’ll want to avoid scrambling to do when you try to accommodate last minute changes.

• Pick out the cake

Pick out the cake before you actually need to order it, or buy the supplies to make it.

Again, this is something your child may change her mind about a time or two. It should be easier since you have your theme down, but if you’ll start pressing for a cake choice a week before you need to order it, it will avoid any pressure or drama about changes.

• Check on RSVPs and follow up if needed

A lot of people struggle to get in a timely RSVP. Follow up now so you know how much of everything you’ll need and avoid that last minute shopping trip.

One Week Before the Party

• Order the cake

Finalize the cake order or go purchase everything you’ll need to make the cake.

• Clean the house

Do a good clean now, while you still have a little time and aren’t rushed with last minute details. 

• Prepare the outside area

If the party will be outside, make sure there aren’t any dangerous spots in the yard, the swing set is wiped down, and any outside toys like trampolines or zip lines are in good working order.

• Confirm the details with KidsPartyCharacters.com

You’ll be getting a call from us to confirm all the details. Make sure we connect just to double check that everyone’s on the same page.

Two or Three Days Before the Party

• Go grocery shopping

Again, make this the cut off date for any changes or additions to the menu.

• Prepare the goody bags

Work with your child to put together the goody bags a few days in advance. The less you have to do the night before the party, the better. 

And remember, they’re also getting a goody bag from KidsPartyCharacters.com, which we’ll bring when we come!

• Order balloons

Kids love balloons, and it’s another thing we often think of last minute. You really can’t get them until the day of the party, but ordering them early can speed up the process.

• Double check that you have all supplies

Take inventory of everything you have, and make one final trip if necessary.

One Day Before the Party

• Finish as much of the cooking as you can

You want to enjoy the party too, not be in the kitchen. Resist the urge to say, “I can do that tomorrow,” and if it’s possible to get it done the day before, do it.

• Clean up the house

You’ll be glad you’ve already done a deep clean. Today, just spot clean and pick up.

• Set up the decorations

Put everything out that you can. Prepare tables for food, arrange furniture the way you’ll need it set up for the party.

• Pick up the cake

Don’t forget the cake! Or get to making it if you’re bold enough and talented enough to go that route.

• Make a list for tomorrow

What you’ll need to do the day of the party will be very specialized to you. If you’ve followed this checklist, you’ll have a pleasantly short list of things to do on party day.

For your peace of mind, make a list the night before of every little thing that needs to be done the day of the party and have a plan for how you or someone you designate it going to make sure it gets done both before and during the party.

Having the list will avoid chaos and keep you from that dreaded “What am I forgetting?” feeling.

Two to Five Days After the Party

• Send out thank you notes

For the best advice on sending thank you notes, check out our article on the KidsPartyCharacters.com blog.

• Share your feedback with KidsPartyCharacters.com

We want to make sure you, your child, and her guests are 100% satisfied. Let us know how much your child enjoyed the party, and what her most special moments were.

Putting on a party is usually harder than it looks. If you’ll follow this checklist, being organized, and having KidsPartyCharacters.com as your party hosting partner, will take the stress out and add more fun in.

If you need ideas and inspiration for your next party, check us out on Facebook to see how we’re turning children’s parties into magic every week.

Classic Outdoor Games for Summer Fun

Summer break is quickly approaching, which may leave you with mixed feelings as a parent. 

A break from the daily grind of school is great for everyone, but both you and your kids are used to them being occupied (by someone other than you!) for seven hours each day.

Now it’s up to you. And the whining about limits on electronic devices and cries of “I’m bored” are almost inevitable.

Your kids will find it hard to believe, but not that long ago, kids went outside in the morning and played until they were called in for dinner in the evening. And there was not a single electronic device to be found.

What did those children of prehistoric times do all day?

Here’s a collection of some of the most popular outdoor games for kids. Next time your child starts with “I’m bored,” or “there’s nothing to do outside,” this list will arm you with options.

1. Kick the Can

Pick one person to be “it,” or more than one if you have a big group. Place a can in the middle of your playing field. 

Everyone else goes off to hide, while “it” closes her eyes and counts to 20 (or whatever number).

“It” then sets out to find everyone, and sends captured players to a specific holding area.

If a non-captured player can get to the can and kick it, all captured players are free and hide again.

The game continues until all players are captured.

2. Capture the Flag

This is a fun game for the whole neighborhood to join in, and kids from a wide range of ages can be included in the same game.

Divide into two groups and place a flag or other marker for your team’s home base.

Each team tries to run into the other team’s territory, capture their flag, and return it safely back to their own territory.

To protect your flag, you can tag opposing players while they’re in your territory, thus sending them to jail. They can be sprung from jail if a teammate tags them and then runs safely back to her own territory. Only one person at a time can be freed from jail.

3. Freeze Tag

This classic is simple, yet very popular with kids.

It’s played like traditional tag, but if you are tagged you must freeze where you are. Another player can then unfreeze you by tagging you.

4. Flashlight Tag

A popular night time version of tag is flashlight tag. Everyone hides as if playing hide and go seek.

“It” searches for players using a flashlight. To catch a player, “it” must get close enough to be able to call out the player’s name.

The first person to be caught either becomes “it,” or goes to jail while everyone else is caught.

If you have a big enough crowd, two people can be “it” and one can guard the jail. Jailed players can be freed by other players tagging them.

5. Red Light, Green Light

Choose one person to be the traffic light. He stands at one end of the playing area, and the players line up at the other.

The light faces the group and says, “red light,” meaning everyone must freeze. 

He then turns his back to the players and says, “green light,” and the players try to get as close to the light as possible.

The light then quickly turns around again to face the players and says, “red light.” Any player caught moving has to go back to the starting line. 

The first player to reach the light, then gets to become the light for the next round.

6. Spud

Each player is given a number and gathers around the person who is “it.” 

“It” tosses the ball up into the air and the other players run away. “It” calls out a number and the player with that number must run back and catch the ball. 

Once the player has the ball, he yells “Spud,” meaning everyone must freeze. The person with the ball then tries to hit another player with the ball. If he succeeds, that player gets a letter (S-P-U-D) and is now “it.” 

If the player throwing the ball misses, he is “it” for the next round.  

7. Telephone

In this classic game everyone sits in a circle. One player begins by whispering a sentence to the person next to her. This continues around the circle when the last person says out loud what was whispered in her ear.

The player who originated the sentence then reveals what she actually said. Almost every time, this will cause a good laugh, as it doesn’t even resemble the sentence the last player revealed.

8. Duck, Duck, Goose

All players sit in a circle except for the person who’s “it.” “It” walks around the circle tapping each player on the head while saying “duck.”

Randomly, “it” will decide to say “goose” while tapping another player’s head. When this happens, the player who hears “goose” must get up and chase “it” around the circle, trying to catch him before he’s able to sit down in the goosed player’s seat.

If “it” successfully reaches the tagged player’s seat, that player becomes “it” for the next round.

9. Single and Two Player Games

While these classic games we’ve talked about so far are generally more fun with three or more players, there are also an endless number of games that can be played alone or with one friend. 

Marbles, jacks, jump rope, hopscotch, and hand clapping games are a few of the most popular. It’s a good idea to stack up on the supplies needed for these simple games before summer begins.

Don’t forget the simple things, they are often the most fun. Fly a kite, swing at the park, take a walk, roll down a hill, blow bubbles, play in the hose. Ask your children to just give these things a try and you may not see them for the rest of the day!

And of course, when you’re wanting big fun, give us a call at KidsPartyCharacters.com. We can bring your child’s summer birthday party to life. 

And, with over 200 characters to choose from, we aren’t just for birthdays. There’s never a bad time for a party, and any reason to gather friends and celebrate is a good one!

Check out some of the magical and memorable parties we’ve put on by joining us on Facebook.

Then visit us at KidsPartyCharacters.com to view all of our characters and choose your party package, which could include face painting, balloon artists, cotton candy, vending machines, and more. 

This Tool Can Make Your Online Business Easy

Let’s say a genie appeared before you and granted your business one wish. What’s the one thing you’d ask her to give your business?

Whether you’re just in the planning stages, have a new business, or are somewhat established, chances are your wish would be to have more customers.

Without customers, you can have the best, most helpful and innovative product on the planet and it simply doesn’t matter. The person with the inferior product who has customers will outdo you in every way all day long.

The question of, “Where will I find enough customers?” holds people back from turning their great ideas into profitable businesses. 

Your Best Source for Customers

Who wants to spend your days trying to hustle new customers? No one. 

What you really want to be doing is serving those customers through the business you love.

Your fears around having enough customers to sustain your business will vanish when you discover that your best source for customers is actually your existing prospects and customers.

They will be the lifeline of your business through providing you referrals and through giving you their repeat business. It is much, much easier to sell something to an existing customer than it is to acquire a new customer. 

And the tool that makes it possible for you to easily get referrals and repeat customers in your online business is called an autoresponder.

How Your Autoresponder Works

Back in the day, to keep in contact with your potential or existing customers, you had to call them on the phone or send them something through the mail. These methods of communication are great, but the phone is time consuming and mail is expensive.

The world changed when everyone got email, making communication quick and inexpensive. 

But still, as your customer base grew, keeping up with each of them by email became almost impossible. 

Enter the autoresponder. Your autoresponder is a place where you keep the email addresses of all of your customers. 

When you want to send an email, you write it, push send, and it’s delivered to every customer email address you have.

What’s even better is that you can put your email addresses in separate groups so that you’re sending each person only those emails relevant to him.

You may have one group of email addresses of people who are prospects, who have expressed interest in your product or service but haven’t purchased yet. You may have different groups depending on which product the person has purchased from you.

There is no limit. You set up the groups how you like, and include people in more than one group if it’s relevant.

Now you can communicate with hundreds or even thousands of people by drafting one email and clicking send.

How This Tool Can Make Your Kids Party Characters Business Easy

As you’ve probably heard, here at KidsPartyCharacters.com, owner Cheryl Jacobs has decided to make a limited number of memberships available, meaning you can own your very own KidsPartyCharacters.com business.

Combining your autoresponder (which you can get for free in the beginning) with your Kids Party Character business can take all the worry and most of the effort out of getting customers.

Let’s talk about how to use email when you’re a KidsPartyCharacters.com business owner.

One of the most important things about being a business owner is staying at the top of your customer’s mind. When someone thinks “party” your name should immediately pop into their mind as the go-to source for kids party planning.

By consistently sending simple emails to your customers, and anyone else who’s expressed interest in booking a party with you, you will be at the top of their mind. 

Which means not only will they look to you for their party planning needs, but they’ll also refer you to friends, which is one of the best sources of customers for your KidsPartyCharacters.com business.

If they’ve booked a party with you before, they’ll be left with great memories that will make them think of you anyway. But staying connected with your customers through email will make them even more likely to come back to you, and will eliminate any chance of them not remembering your name or how to find you.

What’s even better is you can take it a step further and sell other things to your KidsPartyCharacter.com customers if you want.

Remember how we talked about it being easier to sell to an existing customer than to obtain a new customer? 

The people you’ve done parties for obviously have kids, and they likely spend lots of money on those kids. 

You can become what’s known as an affiliate for other products and services that they are already interested in and are buying, and offer those products and services to them in your emails. 

When they purchase through the link in the email you sent them, you receive a commission for that sale.

This is a great way for you to make more money, and a great service to your customer, who is going to trust your recommendations since they already know you to be a reputable business owner.

If you’ve been hesitating to check out the membership opportunity here at KidsPartyCharacters.com because you’re not sure you can make your own business work, thinking about how you can use an email autoresponder in your business should put you at ease.

And one of the great things about having a KidsPartyCharacters.com business is that we do give you full training and support on how to make your business successful. Cheryl has turned her business into six figures, and she can help you get there too.

Set up a friendly chat with Cheryl right here and she’ll walk you through exactly what having your own business is like and answer any questions you have. 

With a KidsPartyCharacters.com membership you get full access to our 200+ costumes, as well as our casting director and acting coach. Add in the business support Cheryl and the team provides and it’s hard to think of how it could be any easier to get started in your own business today.

Also be sure to connect with us on Facebook to see exactly how much fun it is to have a KidsPartyCharacters.com business.

Kids Party Characters Global...Earn 6-figures in the comfort of your own...

How to Raise Happy Kids

More than anything, the thing most parents want for their children is to be happy.

Yet research shows the trend is more kids than ever report being depressed, anxious, and unhappy. 

With the increasing number of “opportunities” available to children today, comes an increase in expectations, stress, and overwhelm.

If we really want our children to be happy, it’s time to take some conscious steps to help get them there. 

This is certainly easier said than done, since what makes a child happy can often be one of the big mysteries of parenting. Fortunately, there are several things that have been shown to help your child on your mutual quest for her happiness. 

1. Take Care of Your Own Happiness First. This is kind of like in the event of an emergency, put your oxygen mask on first, then secure your child’s. If you’re not happy, it’s going to be impossible for you to create an environment of happiness in your home.

And your children know when something’s wrong. Don’t think you can fake your happiness and paint on a smile. It’s exhausting and ineffective.

As moms, the first thing we sacrifice in the name of our kids is ourselves. We do no one any favors by doing this. 

Make sure you have your self-care in order. This is the jumping off point for your child’s happiness.

2. Encourage Your Child to Do For Others. Even small children feel good when they are doing for others. Find a community service project your child can participate in.

Try to make this a regular occurrence. Something like visiting a seniors' home, volunteering at a food pantry, or serving meals to the homeless is ideal because your child can get to know the people he’s serving and really feel good about the connection.

Beyond this, just encourage your child to do small things for others on a daily basis. Hold the door, make a card for a sad classmate, take food to a sick neighbor. Even the smallest of gestures are effective.

3. Make More Opportunities for Physical Play. Not much more to be said here. Get your kids outside. Get them involved in games, sports, any kind of moving.

Follow their lead on this. Some kids are competitive and want to play organized sports at a high level. Others would find this over the top stressful and just need a bounce on the trampoline or walk through the woods.

4. Help Your Child Find Something He Loves. Like adults, kids feel good when they belong to something. For a lot of kids, this can be a sports team. There are several opportunities for developmental, non-competitive sports.

You may have to spend time trying several different things before you find the right one for your child. It could be that she’ll love playing a musical instrument, being involved in an after school math club, or pursuing an arts and craft hobby.

Your responsibility is to help her find her “thing.” 

5. Make Gratitude a Habit. This is simple, but very powerful. Make it a habit to spend five minutes a day talking about one thing that each family member is grateful for that day. This doesn’t have to be a formal “gratitude meeting,” just work it into the conversation with each child each day.

6. Devote Conscious 1-to-1 Time to Each Child. Plan an activity that you know your child will enjoy and make time out of your busy life to do it. 

If you have more than one child, try to schedule a “date” with each child at least once a month. This is a time when that child gets you all to himself. Do something he specifically enjoys during this time.

It doesn’t have to be expensive or take all day. If your child has a particular love, it could be a standing date at a certain place, such as a weekly trip to the zoo or a child’s museum or science center.

7. Model Optimism for Your Child. The experts say that children raised with a “glass half full” mentality suffer less from depression and anxiety as they grow into teens. 

Have an optimistic outlook on your life, and show this same optimism when your child is faced with a problem or difficult situation. 

This doesn’t mean ignore reality or always wear the rose-colored glasses, but when your child comes to you painting the worst picture of a situation, help him turn it around by talking about what if the best outcome happens.

8. Give Your Child More Responsibility and Control. Basically, stop micro-managing your kids. Many kids complain about feeling like they have no control over their lives and what they do.

Take a step back and remind yourself it’s their life. Relax your expectations and work with your child to include what he wants in his life. Give him meaningful responsibilities and increase them as he shows he can handle it.

9. Praise Your Child’s Effort, Not Her Success. Resist the urge to talk about how smart or good at something your child is. This puts pressure on her to always perform at a certain level so she doesn’t lose this label you’ve bestowed on her. 

Instead, talk about the hard work she’s done, how she’s persevered, her determination and focus. 

Praise her positive qualities and her efforts, not her outcomes.

10. Don’t Try to Fix Your Child’s Unhappiness. Let your child’s sad moments be sad. That’s the only way he can truly appreciate the happy ones.

And, in your quest for his happiness, you don’t want him to feel like he has to always paint on a smile and be happy just to please you. This will have the opposite effect of happiness.

You’re not trying to create la-la land here. Sometimes life sucks. Be there for your child when it does, and help him come out on the positive side of those experiences.

Life is  Always a Work in Progress

Don’ t be too hard on yourself or your children. Chances are, you have a lot of work to do to start creating the “perfect” environment for a happy child. 

Things won’t always go right. You and your children will make mistakes. The key is to always be striving to do your best with these 10 things each day.

And remember one thing that’s guaranteed to create a lot of happiness is inviting KidsPartyCharacters.com to put on your child’s next party. With over 200 characters to choose from, and lots of extras like cotton candy, face painting, balloon twisting, and magic shows, the fun is guaranteed at a KidsPartyCharacters.com party.

Stop by our website to start planning your child’s next party today. And connect with us on Facebook for ideas and inspirations from other magical parties we’ve created.