What do you hand out at a children’s party? Many parents buy cheap stuff through Ali Express or at Action. And they buy more and more and more and more. But that’s not better, better, better! On the contrary, I am of less is more. As parents, how do you make sure you don’t get a headache from the stuff you hand out at the children’s party?
Children’s party headache number 1: the rolling horn
The rolling horn is nice, but not at the very beginning of the party. If you hand these out at the beginning of the party, you give the children a kind of power tool. And that remedy is making noise. They already have those delightful little voices, of course, but to make noise with them they have to make an effort. Those rolling horns take no effort and you can’t get above the noise.
The roller horns do break down, but that’s the paper, not the horn. So save yourself (and me) a headache by handing out the horns only halfway through or at the end of the party.
Children’s party headache number 2: the fluorescent bracelets
Fluorescent bracelets are seen more and more often. You can also buy these at Action and stores like that, and they are hugely popular. But things can also go badly wrong with those bracelets. It will give you the biggest headache if you put those bracelets in a big pile on the table because it looks so nice. But the problem is: you don’t create scarcity.
The children see those bracelets and start making up all kinds of things with them and then carry them out. For example, it’s incredibly interesting to throw those things around. And that causes tremendous misery. In that bracelet, in fact, there is some kind of poison. And those bracelets are not very sturdy. If a child steps on a bracelet and it shoots open, that chemical mess comes out and that causes stains on your carpet or in your floor or couch that will never come out.
You avoid this by actually handing out the bracelets as bracelets. So you put the bracelet directly on the child’s arm and secure it with the clips provided. Then the kids actually see it as a bracelet and don’t start throwing it around. If you put two together, you have a chain. You direct the children to think of such a fluorescent stick as a bracelet and not as something to throw.
Children’s party headache number 3: the bags of chips and cans of soda
If you have small children, up to about 8 years old, it takes them 15 minutes to empty that bag. And it’s quite a meal for them. It is not a problem in itself, but keep it in mind in your planning.
For example, if you have a DJ with a show or something else that requires the children to actively participate, it’s best not to hand out the bags of chips right before or during that part. Small children especially then go into the mode, “I need to eat a bag of chips.” And that can take quite a long time, because children learn that they have to empty their plates, so even a bag of chips must be empty.
For the slightly older children, ages 10 and up, the soda cans are a headache thingy. As a parent, you think, “Yeah fine, then the prick stays in it. And a bottle can tip over, so a can like that is safe.”
It’s true that the bottle can fall over, but that’s just one bottle at one point in your home. But what if one of the kids thinks, “I’m going to have a good shake with that can and then squirt it around.” And then the other children often follow.
My tip: make sure they don’t get a chance to spray with soda cans. Open a can a little, so they can already stop shaking it.
Headache number 4: foam sticks (with lights)
Just like with the fluorescent bracelets. Super cool, but again, hand them out last. The older children see in it a kind of club with which they can hit each other. And they will. Within three minutes they are broken, but not so broken that they cannot hit each other with them.
Headache number 5: the confetti cannons
HEMA and Action have inexpensive confetti cannons. This is hearty fun, but you need some strength to get them open. And if it fails after the sixth time, all the children stand around it to get it off. If it does then, accidents can happen.
Something else that can happen, I experienced last year. I was in a gym and I have a professional confetti cannon that is electric. I can shoot with that whenever I want and that thing always goes off. At that moment, there was yellow confetti in the cannon and it fluoresced. Then when you shine blacklight on it, it lights up. And I shot it off in the playroom of the school where I was. The children from eighth grade had brought their own confetti cannons with red hearts. Those red hearts were made of crepe paper. Coke had gotten all over the confetti: over the red hearts and the yellow neon confetti. The floor was covered in red stains.
In short, if you want to host a headache-free children’s party, think about when you hand something out and whether what you hand out is safe. I will gladly bring the confetti cannon and can also get hand-held shooters, so that the children can also shoot themselves. But stay away from cheap junk, because it will give you a lot of headaches.
Do you also want a children’s party without a headache? Then contact us to discuss the possibilities. See you at a party!
