Kid’s Party Guides

Not all kiddie parties are alike. The two most celebrated birthdays of a child—1^st and 7^th—differ in several ways.

First birthdays are more special for the parent than the celebrant mainly because the baby is not yet able to communicate and participate. So the decision-making is confined to the adults. Meanwhile, a 7-year-old has already formed preferences and can express what he wants. At this age, he can decide on the theme.

Theme

The theme for a 1^st birthday depends on the parents, but they may also consider what their toddler is attracted to like a certain color or a cartoon character. On the other hand, for a 7^th birthday, the celebrant can already decide what he wants as a theme. It could be his favorite character like Superman or Batman, a favorite movie like Star Wars or Frozen, or it could be something that they love to do or dream of doing like ballet dancing or flying a plane. The parents may also need to consider the space of the venue for their ideal thematic setup.

Venue

A regular venue for a toddler’s party is sufficient assuming that most of the guests will be adults like relatives and friends of the parents. If there will be older children, one may consider having an extra space for play. A 7^th birthday party will include more of the celebrant’s invitees like classmates from school, playmates from the neighbourhood, and friends from his extracurricular activities. Most of the time, kids at this age are very energetic. For this, the party will definitely need a larger area so the kids will have enough space to run and play.

Games & Entertainments

Playing is not ideal yet for toddlers since they are still learning and exploring things around them. Instead, for a 1^st birthday party, you may go for educational and non-interactive activities like storytelling, movie-watching, or a puppet show. The games will be for adults or older children present, but the celebrant can’t be an active participant yet. For 7-year-olds, since they are old enough to follow game mechanics and work in teams, you can have interactive games like a treasure hunt, follow-the-leader, and charades. Entertain them too with shows like a magic or a ventriloquism show and a dance number.

However you may want to celebrate your child’s 1^st or 7^th birthday party, remember that the important thing is for everyone to have fun!

References include an interview with Ms. Jme Gonzales, Vice President and Production Head of Party Links Events Corp. (920-0966, 0922-829-6980, [email protected])