Tell Disney Party your top tips on how to create the best children’s parties - £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED

[EllieMumsnet]

Is it party planning time? Is one of your DC’s birthdays coming up? Perhaps there is a baby shower on the horizon or maybe you’re throwing a tea party or simply hosting a BBQ? Whatever the event, Disney Party can help you create the perfect Disney themed celebration and want to know your top tips on how you create/plan the best parties.

Here’s what Disney have to say about Disney Party:
"Disney Party is the one-stop shop for all things needed to create the perfect party. The site provides free and easy scheduling tools and of course, the extensive party shop with everything from plates and napkins to banners and balloons. There are party game ideas, free invitations, a free party planning service and some delicious recipes which are great for little ones. Visit Disney Party and let us know what you think via Instagram using #DisneyParty"

Do you start planning months in advance or is improvisation key? Do you or don’t you open presents with the party guests? How do you go about choosing the right date? Party rings, finger sandwiches or cheese and pineapple sticks…what’s your go-to party food? Is it better to hire a venue or host it in your home? Do you have a schedule for the day or simply go with the flow?

Whatever your tips are to create the best party, Disney Party want to hear them. Share it on the thread below and you’ll be entered into a prize draw with a chance of winning a £300 voucher of your choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

Gosh.. too much planning and desire for perfection can give way too much stress for all concerned!:) A theme is great, plan this and get in what's needed...but the party itself should be relaxed and ,above all, lots of fun for the partygoers and the party Queen/King !!! :)

Always have way more games planned than you think you'll need, and a bottle of favourite wine for afterwards

We go small and more personal. Maximum of seven friends, simple party at home - this year doing cinema party (in our house with popcorn and pizza).

For my daughter's 5th birthday party we just had it in the house and back garden. We borrowed some library books with party games in. They played lots of games and then had a picnic in the garden. Luckily is was a sunny day and everyone was happy! The theme was Disney princesses and they dressed up but we said they didn't have to if they didn't want to!

Done a fair few parties with my two boys and timing and planning is key, every minute needs accounting for as it all goes pear shaped in the unstructured times lol. Oh and a whistle really helps to get their attention 😀

We have always had games but have found that kids most like dancing to music and playing with balloons.. Always have enough party bags for extra siblings who turn up or people who can make it after all when they rsvp'd no, and if you want anyone to eat the sandwiches don;t put them out at the same time as the cake.

I do think ore forward thinking is key, you can tell when there's been a lot of thought involved in a party . Personally I love themes and you can really go to town if u give your self the time

I like to create a side space for kids to go if they aren't into the whole big groups of overexcited children vibe.
In most cases this has been a separate room (usually my dining room if at home, or a corner of a hall if hiring a venue) with a bit of craft to do to chill out.
If it is my dining room then I have an extra disposable tablecloth of top of whatever tablecloth I want for food. This means that when the time comes to put out party good, I just take off whatever supplies I want to keep and pick up the corners of the disposable tablecloth and bundle it all together straight into a black bag. No faffing around!

Tips - if you are a stressy person, don't overthink everything or try not to. I always get obsessed with the perfect themed party bags. Kids barely notice as long as there's some plastic tat in there.

If you have something like a bouncy castle or one main activity and you're at home or in a hall, think up some extra things you don't have to do but can pull out if the kids start whining that they're bored.

If you self cater portion out the food onto paper plates and cling film, you will make far less this way or do the same with party boxes if noton a budget. Church hall and a bouncy castle/ party games is probably the cheapest rain proof out of house option and if they run playgroups there you may be able to use thr the toys. A craft table (eg decorate masks made from aforementioned paper plates) is nice for quieter kids.

I found it's good to talk to some other parents about possible dates so that you know it's a convenient day/time. A good list of party games and music is a must along with a good range of foods to cater for the fussy eaters!

We held our first party for our 3 year old recently. We kept it informal at home, we were lucky the weather was good so we could use the garden and my husband was in charge of drinks and food whilst I chatted. My daughter was happy that everyone sang happy birthday to her!

My tip is to book your venue months in front, because without the venue there is no party. Nearer the time I would let other mums know the time and venue, just in case there are any clashes in bookings. For my Toy Story themed party last year when my DC was 7 I bought all my party invites, bags, plates, napkins and treats from Ebay, I got the Buzz cake from my supermarket. The invites went out a month before for the Toy Story event, and I was thrilled with the number of Buzz's Jessie's and Woody's who turned up. We had pass the parcel, buzz burgers, Jessie jellies, and Woody watermelon slices (amongst other things). Next year I am planning a Pirates of the Caribbean party for all those little Jack Sparrows.

i lovoe themed parties and plan weees or maybe months in advance making sure to decor food and games all follow the theme!

We had a birthday party for my daughter (turned 3 in August) at home. I would recommend not doing it at home!!! Too much stress cleaning the house before and after and having people in your space. Plus not convinced it was any cheaper than going to a soft play or hiring a venue.
I also sent invites out too far in advance and people didn't feel the need to reply very speedily (so annoying!) so I ended up chasing rsvps. Another lesson learnt!

Party planning makes me scream!! I hate it. 5 children later I have realised Children love any party!! Go back to basics.

Little Children adore old-fashioned party games, go back to basics. They love Pass the Parcel and Pin the tail on the donkey and musical chairs, these games are exciting and judging some of the parties we have been too lately they are unique, they would not have played them before.

Older children will be ready for simple crafts like making ribbon wands or making party poppers.

Have some simple games organised and then an activity to calm the kids down a bit before it is time for something to eat. Don't make it last too long, a couple of hours is plenty!!

I think for me the most important thing when organising a party is to be super organised and to make lists. I like to make lists for everything from the food to the decorations and even what games to play just so that I don't forget anything because it can be very stressful having a party and if I don't have lists then I know that I will forget things.

For little ones I like to keep things simple.
They will be too excited to eat so I just make a couple of ham/ cheese sandwiches and cut them into loads of tiny triangles, then some sausage rolls, cheese cubes, crisps, carrot sticks, peppers, raisin boxes, tangerines, party rings and chocolate fingers.
I like party games and kids seem to love them so I have a list of about 10 games and just go through them. They are always over quicker than I think. Pass the parcel is always the favourite, if it's a big group have 2 or 3 parcels going round.
I love finding plates, cups and decorations to match our theme. My DS's can never decide what theme to do, they want about 20 different ones each year, so I usually decide and surprise them. I love to see their faces when they walk in and see the decorations and home made cake. :-)

Try and double up the party with friends close to theirs. it helps and you save a lot too

try and not have too many fizzy drinks about and always have a back up plan if the weather is bad

I like to leave some food prep until children arrive. For eg leaving some sandwiches to be filled, or some pizzas to be topped. This means children who're anxious about avoiding particular ingredients can eat food that's broadly similar to the rest of the guests, but they choose things they're definitely going to enjoy.

I buy each guest a particular toy or water bottle or something that's a bargain so everyone can get a decent item that's worth keeping rather than little party bag things that get thrown away.

Or sometimes we do a craft like badge-making or sewing so the guests can make their own gift. We've had seasonal decorations, card-making, slime-making etc.

One thing I've learned is that what's important to us isn't important to the kids. I've gone nuts with decorations and making the place look party perfect, gone overboard with food etc but what I know now is that the focus should be on what the child wants not on making the best party.
Party games, home made tea party, friends and music will pretty much make a brilliant party for any child, not forgetting party bags of course !

I always book a party at a venue (soft play, laser quest, trampoline park) where everything is provided so I can spend the party watching the kids have a lovely time and not stressing/ dishing out food/ clearing up.

I usually have to provide the cake and party bags so tend to theme those on the DCs latest favourite thing. We've had Minecraft, Spider-Man, dinosaurs etc.

My kids decide what kind of party they want and we work around that. Usually an activity but sometimes just at home with food and party bags and we always include food for any parents wanting to stay!