Primary Times Derbyshire February 2018

Time to Party
It would appear that the price, both financial
and human, of creating a very special day
for the birthday child is on the rise.
A
sk your fellow parents
and you’ll most likely find
that they’re spending
somewhere between £200 and
£800 on their child’s birthday
party.
These days it’s easy to get
locked into a world of compare
and contrast. Pinterest Party
Paranoia is only a step away
when searching for the latest
trends in party themes. Posts of
flamboyant parties on Facebook,
Twitter and Instagram can create
a sense of one-up-manship and
jealousy, as well as pressure to
keep up with current standards.
Remember, you’re putting on the
party for your child to enjoy with
their friends and family, not for
social media or the parents of
the guests!
You might consider holding
the party at home, if you have
the space and can handle the
thought of hosting. There are
of course plenty of excellent
venues out there who can host
your party for you, and party
entertainers who can help create
a great party.
Socially, deciding who to invite
can be a minefield. Invite the
entire class and not only will it
cost more but it’s possible you’ll
end up with children at the party
that your child doesn’t even get
on with. Don’t invite the entire
class and your child might not
be invited to some parties as a
result. Being left out when the
rest of the class is invited can
be hard to explain. A good rule
of thumb is to take the age of
the birthday girl or boy, add one,
and then invite that many.
Think back to your childhood
parties and what was the one
thing you remember? It’s not
the fancy plates, crepe paper
hanging from the ceiling or a
massive banner with a name
on it. The chances are you
remember spending most of
the afternoon messing about
i
with balloons and playing party
games. If you do need some
inspiration though, Pinterest has
some really good ideas of cheap
but effective DIY projects for
party themes and decorations,
and Youtube is full of tutorials for
fun party activities.
Providing food can be tricky
particularly if your guests have
specific requirements and you
want to stay away from anything
too sugary. A buffet is a good
option, and you can mix the
old favourites like sausage rolls
with more healthy choices.
There’s always a danger that
you waste your time and bread
cutting sandwiches into beautiful
princess shapes only to find
that not one child touched them
because they only wanted to
lick the icing off cakes and eat
crisps. That’s children for you!
Party bags are a contentious
issue and the subject of much
discussion, comparison and
debate but there really is no
need to go overboard. These
days there are many shops and
online sites where you’ll be able
to pick up suitable, inexpensive
little gifts such as pencils,
hero gliders, bouncy balls and
wooden puzzles. However you
fill them, a really nice idea is to
buy some sturdy paper bags
with handles and decorate them
with your child for that personal
touch.
Whatever you decide,
a measure of a good
birthday party is one which
gives your child special
memories to cherish!
www.primarytimes.co.uk/derbyshire | FEBRUARY Issue 2018 Primary Times 7