Before
the Party
• Tie a bouquet of balloons...
...on your mail box, front porch, or apartment door so it’s easy
for your guests to find the party. (not to mention the magician!) Have
the birthday child select the colors.
• Involve the entire family in your child’s party.
Assign duties for each. Perhaps one parent can be in charge of taking
pictures. Maybe a sibling can introduce the magician when it’s time
for the entertainment. Another could hang up coats or prepare refreshments.
• Prepare the child for the party.
Play act or rehearse how you would like your child to answer the door,
greet the guests, and receive the presents. Discuss good manners and acceptable
behavior for the party, and what areas are off-limits (e.g. bedrooms and
formal living rooms). It’s also important to give your other children
a little extra love on the day of the party, remembering the limelight
is on the birthday child.
Pets
Place them in a safe area away from the children. Some children like to play rough, and even friendly animals may bite or jump if they feel threatened.
Presents
• 
Consider
having a large cardboard box handy to place presents.
The birthday child could decorate it with bright wrapping paper or simply
color it. You might also purchase some stickers or labels, and put each
invited child’s name on two stickers. When the child arrives at
the party, place one sticker on the present and the other on the card.
That way, if the gift and card get separated, you have two chances at
being a little less creative with your thank-you notes.
• Consider when your child should open gifts.
Opening presents at the party is often a personal family tradition. Some
parents prefer it to be done after everyone has left. This allows you
to record every gift and discuss how thoughtful each friend was in giving
it. It further prevents lost or broken pieces, a not unlikely result with
twenty children scattering your child’s gifts all over your livingroom.
By waiting until later, you can also make it a fun family experience,
with everyone sharing the moment.
Food
• Consider serving light snacks.
Small finger-sized hot dogs or pizza squares are easy for young children
to handle. Apple juice is also a parent’s favorite.
• Serve food at the end of the party.
Most party foods have sugar, which tends to make children unruly. If you
feed children up front, the sugar kicks in and it’s every adult
for him or her self. So why not save that wonderful sugar high for later,
when they go home!
• Seating.
Let the birthday child select two friends to sit next to him/her when
you serve the food. Have the birthday child sit down first, invite the
two friends to join him, and then have all the other children find seats.
Pre-assigned seating often results in tears for someone who wanted to
sit with someone else. For a co-ed party, the birthday child might be
asked to pick one male and one female friend to sit on each side.
• The Birthday Cake.
Instead of buying a big birthday cake, consider a small cake, just big
enough for the family. Use this cake to light the candles and sing “Happy
Birthday”, then serve individual cupcakes, which can be handed out
quickly with less mess. And by saving the real cake for the dinner hour,
the whole family can share the birthday treat.
Involving
your Family & Birthday Child during the Magic Show
• As an entertainer, my job is to make everyone
at your party feel involved.
Let me know whether your child is shy or has a special need, and show
me the best friend. Take a moment when I arrive to point out who’s-who
in your family. It’s important that I know which siblings, parents,
step-parents, or grandparents to include in family tricks and how to introduce
them in my show. The more information I have, the better I can involve
everyone in your child’s special event.