Here's the low down, on the how to -  if you want to brave planning and running your child's party.
On the following pages you will find Helpful Party Tips, our Party Countdown, our Games Planner & The Party Time Line. And for those of you still brave enough to go ahead with whole "sh-bang" see the "Suppliers" Page for our list of party suppliers here in Singapore.
Happy Partying!

Party Hours
Keep it short.
Given the fact that most kids have short attention spans, parties longer than two hours become a nightmare, for both kids and parents.
When entertaining children under five, you don't want to interfere with nap-time. 		How many guests?
The rule of thumb (for older children) is to invite one guest for each year of a child's age, plus two, while younger children will want to invite the whole class. However large groups can intimidate the younger children. In general, the larger the group the more difficult it is to keep things running smoothly, to keep track of all the guests, and to provide individual attention when needed. If you decide on a party of more than 15 kids, make sure you have an extra adult or two on hand to help.



Invitations
It is often best to mail birthday party invitations. Young kids hearts are broken when the invitations are handed out at school, unless you're planning to invite the whole class. Get your child involved with the invites. Depending on their age, kids enjoy filling out invitations or customizing them stickers. Include directions to the party and mail the invites at least 2-3 weeks in advance. Kids these days have such busy social lives!


Entertainers

There is a huge range of entertainers to choose from.
From; Clowns, Magicians & Games Masters; Balloons Twisters, Face Painters & Henna Artists; P.E Teachers & Belly Dancers; Artists & Potters or Beauticians & Nail experts

Word of mouth is your best source of information, friends who have seen the entertainers in action. They can tell you how well they interacted with the kids, how reliable, punctual, and how good they were with different ages, cultures and venues.

Check out The Finder, Expat Living Singapore & Expat Magazine for Advertisers Yellow pages also have listings, as do various Singapore based websites May be your club, your HR department or your child's school has details.

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Venues

Although we live on an island with a perpetual summer - it is topical, and we do experience phenomenal rain storms with very changeable weather! If you want an outside party beside the pool / BBQ, you will need a back up plan if it rains.

A large internal space whether it is your condo's function room or one room in your house that you can clear is a must - especial for older children who require a lot of space to run around and burn off energy.
If you don't have a suitable space consider asking a friend to book her function room.

Hotels and private clubs have rooms that you can hire, but you also have to have their buffets.
Both Pasir Ris & West Coast Parks have adventure play grounds that you can commandeer and/or book, or consider the Botanical Gardens.

PARTY TIPS

  • Age 1 - This Party is really for family and adult friends - the birthday child will enjoy the excitement, the cake and probably a nap!

  • Ages 2 and 3 - The party should only run 1-1.5 hours, have each child's parent present, be flexible, have finger-food refreshments and a variety of independent toys with which each child can play. They prefer playing individually.

  • Ages 4 and 5 - Party length can run approximately 2 hours and include simple refreshments, and uncomplicated games. Have independent craft activities for children who do not want to participate in groups. Parents may or may not stay, depending on the child.

  • Ages 6 and 7 - Party length can run from 2.5 to 3 hours. These ages enjoy team games with imaginative play and costumes.

  • Ages 8 - 10 - Party length can run around 3 hours. They enjoy challenging games like treasure hunts, cooperative games, swimming, obstacle courses and fun sports.

  • Ages 11 - 12 - Preteen years, party can run 3 - 4 Hours. Girls enjoy music, dancing, and card games. Boys enjoy sports and outdoor activities. Both like lots of snack foods. They do not like adult-directed games, rather setup a number of activity areas from which they can choose. Adults can and should be present, but not intrusive.

  • MIXED AGES -  here in Singapore this is very common. Rule No. 1 - always plan for the majority. Have lots of different stations (i.e. colouring sheets, hair braiding, face painting, tattoos, decorating cookies etc.). Have a wide range of games - some for the older ones, some for the younger. Older kids will join in with the younger games, but little ones can't join in with the older games. And always bring a whistle - a room full of adults can be noisier than the kids!