Beach Party Guide - Kids

FREE handy hints and party game ideas

 

As the party host, it will be your job to co-ordinate the events leading up to the big day and to also make sure things run smoothly on the day. Your objective / mission, is to throw a fun and exciting party that holds special memories for parents, teachers and children alike without it turning into a nightmare for overworked adults. Are you ready to start preparing for your party? Okay, let’s get started with some suggestions to help relieve the stress.


the invites
 
When sending out invitations, allow plenty of time for guest’s parents to change their plans if necessary. There are a few important decisions to be made before you send out your invitations - Date, Time and Location.

Date – It is a good idea to check the proposed date and time with “key” friends before committing.

Time - It is important to state both starting and finishing times on the invitations. Generally 2 to 3 hours for children is ample. You will generally find many younger children tend to get tired in the afternoon/evening so a morning party may be good for the little ones.

Location - You have a couple of basic choices with the most popular being “home” where you’ll have plenty of time to set-up and have all your supplies close at hand. The obvious disadvantage with this choice is, having to clean the house before and after the party, possible damage to your house and space limitations. Nearby parks are nice because they’re usually free, with plenty of space to run around and a play structure to entertain the kids. The downside is, having to haul the supplies to and from the park plus lack of privacy and overcrowding. Local indoor play centres are becoming more popular for little children and the best part is there’s no cleaning up afterwards.


it’s party time
 
The golden rule for the party host is, don’t try and do everything on your own. Many parents invite another parent or relative to help them with the food as well as supervision once the party begins. Once the party begins you will generally find that younger children need constant supervision. Older children usually like to be left in peace at least some of the time during the party, only needing to be checked from time to time to make sure everything is all right.

Party games are a great way to teach children about winning, losing, fairness and luck. Keep each game relatively short to keep children interested and if they begin to appear irritable then move on to a new game. You should always be prepared for problems. There may be squabbles about who won or who got what prize so be sure to explain the rules before the games begin.

Go Fish – Tie fishing line, string or rope across the room and lay a sheet over it so that no one can see what is on the other side. Use an old fishing pole or make your own with a stick and string. Attach a clothes peg on the end of the string. Let each guest take turn in “casting” their line over the sheet. Have one of your helpers stand on the other side & attach small gifts or treats to the peg, then give a short tug on the line. The child then reels in the line to see what they’ve caught.

Digging for buried treasure - Hide a number of themed toys in your sandbox and let the guests take turns or jointly dig through the sand in search of the fun treasures. Finders’ keepers!

A great way to incorporate the Beach Party theme is by having your party at a nearby lake or beach and including fishing in the days’ activities. Hiring an entertainer who doubles as a face painter or balloon sculptor is a great way to amuse and entertain the children for a few hours whilst remaining in keeping with the theme. Another popular option is hiring play equipment such as a waterspout or waterslide.

Be vigilant around balloons. If they pop the rubber bits could be a danger to young children. If they put them in their mouth, they could choke.

the ambience

The cheapest and most effective way to decorate the party area is by using beach towels, umbrellas, old fishing nets, hammocks, a sandpit and buckets & spades. You could use leaves from banana palms to decorate the food tables and place pineapples, coconuts, watermelons and other fruits around the table to create a tropical theme.

It is easy to create a lake feature from jelly. Make up a blue jelly packet mix in a large bowl or platter with only a small lip (sides). Once the jelly has set chop/mash it up to create the effect of waves. Then grab some oranges, cut each in half and carefully scoop out all the flesh, using play dough or blue-tac to help keep the halved orange upright on a tray. Mix up a variety of colour jelly packet mix (using not quite as much water as instructed on the pack). Pour the jelly into the orange skins right to the top, let the jellies set and then cut each half orange into 3 segments. To make the sails simply use toothpicks and triangles cut out of paper.

Easy to make decorative fish could also double as an activity for all the party guests. All you need is balloons, birdseed, plastic freezer bags, craft glue and joggle eyes

Place 100g of birdseed into a plastic freezer bag, secure end with a knot. Cut the neck off a round party balloon, leaving just the round part, and insert the seed bag. Then cut three or 4 small holes in another three different coloured balloons and cut the neck off each.
Continue to cover the seed ball with these balloons, firming the ball into a nice round shape as you work. Using craft glue, add joggle eyes and fringed fins and tail cut from the balloon scraps. Add a mouth cut from a circular cross-section of a balloon neck, rolled to the desired thickness. The bouncing chain is made from a number of these circular cross-sections looped together to the desired length, then glue to top of fish.


the eats

Barbeques are perfect for Beach Parties with hamburgers, hot dogs, kebabs. Spread beach towels over tables as tablecovers.
For small children, make sure to remove toothpicks, skewers and any other sharp objects from food before you serve it. Make sure an adult is in the room at all times in case a child chokes.
 
Dip the rim of each glass in lemon juice then add sugar or coconut before filling with sparkling drink however do not overfill the children with fizzy drinks, they have a nasty habit of erupting later leaving you a nasty mess to clear up.

A treat for dessert could be that each child guest makes their own sundae but then they give it away to someone else. This is a great way to entertain the children for a little longer.

Plan to include food and drinks for grown ups in case anxious parents stay or come to pick their child up early.

Try to serve at least a few types of healthy food. Make sure it looks colourful and appetising and you’ll probably find it will disappear in time. Try not to be over adventurous though when planning the food, as many children are picky eaters.

The party food shouldn’t be too hot as just- cooked food such as cheerio’s or sausage rolls can burn little mouths.

Cut the party cake into thin slices, as most children will have had enough to eat by the time the cake comes around. You could wrap up the left over slices for children to take home in their loot bags.


Fruit platter - Ingredients serve 6   

200g tub of vanilla yoghurt Small pinch of ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon honey 1 medium banana thickly sliced 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 kiwi fruit, thickly sliced 1 small seedless watermelon cut in half, hollowed out and cut into cubes 1 tub of strawberries, halved
Combine yoghurt, cinnamon and honey in medium bowl. Drizzle banana with lemon juice. Display the food in hollowed out watermelon half with yoghurt mixture.

Jelly treats

Make up a variety of jelly packed mixes using slightly less water than instructed on packet. Then set in shallow plastic trays or ice cube trays without dividers. Cut the jelly into cubes and then thread onto skewers alternating the colours. Another easy treat is layering coloured jellies in glasses, waiting until each colour has set before adding the new coloured layer.


checklist

1. Pick party date and time   

2. Plan the menu   

3. Decide on activities and games   

4. Arrange for help on the party day   

5. Order the cake   

6. Go grocery shopping so that you can make as much food as you can before the day and freeze   

7. Write out final schedule of activities   

8. Get exact guest count   

9. Buy remaining party food, film, batteries, candles and matches for cake, and other incidentals   

10. Child proof party area   

11. Take plenty of pictures to commemorate the special day   

12. Plan an after party nap for yourself
   


Please remember if you want the children to have a good party then plan it and keep it short and simple. Mishaps may occur so keep your sense of humour. Even if not every aspect of the party goes off as planned, the most important part is to enjoy the day as you celebrate the life of your child.

Lastly, we’d love to receive a photo of your child’s “themed” party in action to place on our website.