Which Venue Home or Hall?

Home?

A party at home is always lovely, very personal, and
depending on your accommodation is usually suitable for
groups of between 10 and 20 or so children. A separate area
for eating is preferable. You can place a large plastic mat on
the floor with the children seated “ picnic” style. Where space
is limited, aim to create as much clear floor area as possible
as children will be sitting on the floor for party games, magic
show etc. They do not need to be seated individually. Giggles
will place her music system (standard hi-fi Size) in a corner of
your room beside a power point.

Hall ?

A small local venue is ideal for groups between 20 to 40
children. Check that they have adequate facilities for food
preparation and parking etc. Giggles is happy to suggest
appropriate venues. Set up an area for the children to eat with
tables and chairs at the end of the hall closest to the area
where food is being prepared. Decorations and Balloons
should be tied or placed out of reach for sake of safety and
your sanity!  The sound of bursting balloons at the beginning of
a party can be very distressing for children (not to mention the
adults.)

How many children/adults should we invite?

Your child will be the best person to listen to here.  Children
know who they enjoy being with, which is your best guide. If
you do decide to invite the “whole class” you will have a better
idea what to expect by asking your child a bit about each
guest.  Give the children stickers with their own name on them
at the beginning of the party. Your child will know everyone by
name but will you? Children feel much more at ease if the
adults call them by name. Young children are quite often
astonished when Giggles knows their name  without asking.

Planning?

Get the kids involved in the party planning, particularly siblings.  
This is a time where they are motivated to be especially
helpful, so make the most of it! Also Giggles will ask you quite
a lot about your  family's  favourite things to make things extra
special, so ask them and let Giggles know!

Do I need some adult help ?

Remember the children are your responsibility during the party.
Make sure you have more than enough adult support for the
numbers you anticipate and that the size of venue is
appropriate.  Enlist the help of a few friends beforehand and
delegate so that you get the chance to really participate in
everything that is going on. Remember you can't do toilet duty,
prepare and dish out food, tie shoelaces, clean snotty noses,
deal with spills, and  take photographs, all on your own ! Make
it easy on yourself.

How do you deal with a disruptive child ?

Giggles will be the source of loads of fun and laughter at your
child’s party. She is an extremely experienced children's
entertainer and the programme is specifically designed to
engage the children in a varied and imaginative way.  Giggles
may direct a responsible adult to an over excited child. All that
is  generally needed is a quiet but firm word. This avoids
distracting the rest of the children from all the giggles that are
going on !

What about a child that is shy?

There might be lots of reasons for this. The child might be
overtired or feeling under the weather. They might be
unaccustomed to being with lots of children and a bit
overwhelmed by the number of unknown people. Always let the
child watch from their own distance, (even if it is glued to mum
for the first half of the party!). Giggles is a dab hand at making
parents feel at ease and welcome to sit and watch with their
little one. "Isn't Sophie's mummy lucky she's getting to stay and
watch ! I bet you trained Sophie to do that just so you could
stay etc." The child will see all the fun the children are having
and should be encouraged but never pressured to participate.
There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a child who has
found it difficult to join in at first, dancing and singing with the
rest of them by the end of the party. Gemma (aged 4) sat
glued to mum for two of her friends "Giggles Birthday parties."
Giggles was delighted  that she was invited Gemma`s  5th
Birthday Party. They all had a ball, particularly Giggles when
Gemma ran up to welcome her with a huge giggle !

When will we have the Birthday Cake?

Try and keep the Birthday Cake out of sight ! (particularly from
the Birthday child ) as this adds to the delight. Once the
children are finished their food, Giggles will round them up and  
play one  or two short musical  party games until the stragglers
are ready. Then it’s time for the Birthday Cake and of course “
HAPPY BIRTHDAY” This really is a family moment and
Giggles will make sure you are right in the middle of it!  It’s
also a super time for photos and Giggles is happy to assist in
arranging the children should you wish a group photo at this
point. Then it's time for the children to participate in the
Giggles Magic Show!  

Is there anything I should let Giggles know about ?

If there is anything unusual about the venue, e.g. if it’s not
easily accessible /if nearby parking is problematic / if you live
in a new estate which is not on the map yet or if there are any
other issues which would require prior planning !!! E.g. you live
in a tree house at the top of Mount Glasgow !!! No problem is
insurmountable but forearmed is forewarned.  

Do not hesitate to call Giggles to discuss anything at all no
matter how incidental prior to your event.

Relax and enjoy it all.  Remember this is your child's Birthday
so do things they'd like. Even if something goes wrong ,don't
worry, mishaps often make our funniest memories . They
inevitably bring out the  Giggles in all of us!


Happy Parties !
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