As a party entertainer, I witness such a variety of child behaviour and experience situations that have me leaving a venue with smiles on my face. It is such a satisfying vocation that I want to share some of the funny and pleasing happenings that show me the future generation will keep our world on its axis

My blog is updated a week after the previous month.

July: I am privileged that I am able to enter people’s homes and witness family traditions and ethnic ceremonies. To see colourful clothing from India, Pakistan, Mauritius, Eastern Europe, South America, Africa and more. To eat food from these exotic countries; I am vegetarian and there is always something delicious to choose from when I am offered food. On many occasions I am treated as a family member from afar and the utmost courtesy is shown for my well-being after an hour or more of entertaining. Replenished and refreshed I then continue with more fun for the children.

August is a quiet month due to family holidays so this is a time to research for new games and have a holiday myself. Please read last September's entry about early September party bookings if you're a novice school-gate parent with a child whose birthday falls in early September.

June: This has been a wonderful month for parties. I have managed some large numbers this month, 25 plus children, and all the children were lovely to one another during the games. No tears, no shoving, no teasing and no meanness. It is lovely to play games with children who support each other and enjoy having fun. So often the most popular games are those where no prizes are given, when the children have to run away from a monster (wolf, crocodile) and all one hears is laughter. At one party a child asked if I could go home with them; which is a great reward after a day’s work. What more can one ask for in job? 

May: There were some lovely parties this month and one had two sisters who really cared for one another but did they enjoy the party? Quite often, an older sibling is told by leaving parents to look after their younger brother or sister during a party. This quite often leaves the older child continually holding on to their young sibling’s hand and not joining in the party games. Perhaps, the instruction ‘Keep an eye on your sibling but if there is a game you wish to play and they don’t make sure they are happy to watch and then join in the game.’ A party room is a safe environment and all areas are visible so the older child can easily keep an eye on their sibling. The game  “What’s the time Mr Wolf?” can be scary to tiny children and for them not to join in is understandable but to restrict older children seems a shame if they believe they must hold their sibling’s hand at all times. At a party this month I saw two sisters sit through a party because the older child had been instructed to hold her sister’s hand at all times – even during the party-food -- and the younger child wished to sit and watch everything. Their ages were 3 and 5 years old. Children are trusting, keen to please and take all instructions seriously: the older child followed her order to the letter, the younger child trusted her sister not to let go. Both were right but both missed out on some of the party fun. Parents choose your words wisely to ensure at least one of the children who wants to join in can.

April: Not such a busy month due to the Easter holidays so this gave me some time to search out new items for prizes. One of the parties this month was with just seven children and the age range was 1 year to 7 years of age. It was to celebrate the birthday of the 1 year old. The mother of the birthday child joined in all the games holding the baby and that was such fun as the six other children were so excited at being able to “teach” the birthday girl how to play. Duck, duck, goose being a favourite; we had a chair for mother and baby so there was no struggling to get up from the ground quickly to chase the ducker. There were many more adults at this party than children but the parents of those few children were wonderfully encouraging to their offspring in making sure all the little guests had equal opportunities in the games. That is also my role, to ensure every child feels equal and special but a little extra emphasis on the star of the day – no matter how old they are.    

March: I wrote a few months back about a father who had baked his child’s birthday cake and the look of wonderment and love her face expressed on seeing the cake he had made. I received such a look this month during a party I was working at. The birthday child was 6 and on the day of the party which was held on a weekday at lunchtime. There were 27 children and all were there to have a good time, there were no cliques, no tears, in fact all the children helped one another in the hunting games and there was no pushing or shoving one another throughout the party. Happy well-adjusted children but what made me happy is that 7 years ago I did the birthday child’s older sister’s party and she turned up just a face in the crowd during a sit down game and I said hello to her by name. That child, Phoebe, gave me a smile that will stay with me for a long time. She was pleased I had acknowledged her and used her name – what a simple action to give one such a life-long dear memory.  


February: A feature in The Sunday Times Magazine 2.2.2010 cited parental allegations of party clowns shouting at children and hitting children, in one case breaking an arm. If the parents’ stories are accurate, and a reputable newspaper is bound to check such serious claims, it is appalling and I cannot understand how an entertainer can become so cross. No child should be scolded, let alone hit, by a stranger whom they have come to enjoy some fun and warmth with. The younger the child the more disturbing and cruel it sounds. Readers, this is unusual behaviour from an entertainer: the majority of us care for the children who look forward to a couple of hours of fun from us.

The party this month that I wish to mention was in SW London and had more than 30 children, aged from 18 months to 6 years – my biggest to date. Parents of the youngest children stayed and it was delightful to have them encourage their toddlers to participate in all the games organised for the older children. And the older children accepted that the younger children were there to enjoy themselves, too. Well done, party host, for being brave enough to have two siblings share a party.

January is a quiet month for parties and the reasons for this I do not need to explain. However, the parties I did help with were lovely. Most were small (max 15 children) and held at home with balloons on the front door and with a picnic-style eating arrangement. I am often asked to help with the food and will provide a party spread but if parents have some time, help and realise that there is no need to be over elaborate it is manageable to do it oneself. Keep it simple (KIS) and colourful. For something a little different, try jelly boats. One orange will make 4 boats. Cut an orange in half and scoop out the flesh and some pith so there is a hollow shell. Make a jelly with a little less water than usual and pour into each half of the orange, putting it in the fridge to set. When solid cut each shell in half so that the quarter orange looks like a sailing boat. Rice paper can be cut into triangles and attached to the boat with a toothpick. Food colouring could be used to paint a number on to the sail. Sugar free and vegetarian jellies also work; use different coloured jellies to add a splash of colour. There is no need for spoons because the children will eat them as they do when given a quarter of an orange – biting the jelly away from the peel.

November and December were full of parties both business and personal; so many happy faces that my monthly blog had to be ignored due to all the preparations that had to be completed.

Four of the parties were return visits to families I have worked for in the past. It is a privilege to entertain the same children over several years and their siblings and see their enjoyment at playing new as well as favourite games. Familiarity gives confidence to many children.

October has been a busy month with parties all over London and abroad. For the first time in years I had a child cry at a party in London. I organised a team game with animals representing each team. To prevent every guest wanting to be on the birthday child’s team I have worked out a way of allocating him or her so that the teams are evenly matched. The crying child was in the wrong team, she wished to be a different animal. The solution, break the rules and quickly and state that a mistake was made (in this case by me) and, of course, the child should be in the team she had wanted. At a child’s party there should be no hard and fast rules and if games don’t quite turn out as planned but everyone is  happy and laughing at what is happening then all is fine.

During September I had several requests for parties for 3 year olds with just 8 or 9 children invited who were aged mostly 2 years old. Of course, it is possible to sing songs and play simple games with this age group. However, depending on the host parents’ time, to pay for an entertainer to sing a few nursery rhymes, do the Hokey Cokey and tell a story is helpful if both the parents of the invited children stay and the hosts have to entertain those adults too. If there are grandparents, aunts, uncles and older cousins they can all chip in and entertain or watch the children play with sit and ride toys, larger vehicles or fluffy animals. The friends, cake and song are special to the birthday child. When the invited numbers are more then a specialist entertainer is needed. At one party, I entertained 27 children this month who were 3 or nearly 3 years old and the parents of all the children joined in the fun to help their offspring enjoy the games. That is a perfect party for this age group when one or both parents of a child join in the fun no matter how many guests there are.

August is a quiet month because most children are on holidays. This gives me a chance to wash my props, look for new games, complete a tax return and have some rest. Early September dates get booked in June/July by experienced parents whose children have birthdays at the start of the academic year and who know what a busy birthday time this can be. It is the first year children whose birthdays fall in early September who often miss out on a special party. Their novice school-gate parents have not yet realised that September birthday parties are booked weeks ahead.  Parents, your child will love whatever you choose to do; if it is a small party with close family or a picnic in the park with a ball. They will be happy that you are there, that there is a cake (no matter the size) with candles and you sing “Happy birthday” to them.

I have been organising children’s parties professionally for over 15 years and, for the first time last July, a father baked and iced his child’s birthday cake. It was an impressive sponge cake – big, covered in pink icing with perfect lettering. Adults and 23 children all ate this wonderful cake so there was none to take home. More fathers should try baking because the admiration they would see in their child’s eyes would never be forgotten.