Theme Birthday Parties ‐ A Complete Planning Guide is a self‐help guide for parents who want to host their children’s birthday parties themselves. The majority of children’s parties nowadays are held at soft play centres, fairy emporiums or leisure centres with staff employed to watch and entertain the children, thereby relieving the birthday child’s parents of the burden and possible damage involved in inviting 10‐20 children into your home. Many parents are truly terrified of the prospect of entertaining and catering for groups of children, preferring parties outside the home. This is leading to a loss of knowledge of traditional games, party food and entertainment etiquette, and I believe it represents a missed opportunity for parents and children to enjoy planning and hosting a party together, and welcoming friends, old and new, into their home.
However, with the aid of Anita Smith’s excellent ideas and sound advice, based on years of experience, parents can successfully hold memorable and imaginative parties at home or at an appointed venue, for example, beach or playground. The key to success is organisation and the introduction to this book includes helpful planning tips, ideas for budgeting, number of guests for various age ranges and adults required to supervise, invitations, decorations, food, going home bags and thank you letters. Anita Smith emphasises the importance of involving your child in as many aspects of the planning of the party as possible. Family parties, where invitations are hand‐designed, food home made, games planned out in advance, are likely to be remembered long after the visit to the soft play centre, where the venue is neutral to all children and the birthday child has no specific involvement.
The book consists mainly of chapters covering a complete party on various themes; for example, for younger children, the Teddy Bear Tea Party and for older children, for example, the Race Car, Fishing, Dinosaur and Airplane Parties. My guess is that the author has hosted parties mainly for boys because the themes are more male rather than female orientated. There is a fashion party, but little girls also like fairy parties, etc. However, many of the games, crafts, food and decorations are adaptable between themes.
The book concludes with an interesting section on pinatas, which are not common on the British children’s party scene, but nonetheless sound great fun to make, break and enjoy. Traditionally pinatas were used to celebrate a good harvest. They were made from clay and filled with fruits and vegetables. Nowadays pinatas are made of papier maché and are usually filled with sweets. Pinatas are broken open by the children who take turns to break it open with a ball or bat. The child who succeeds releases the sweets and is supposedly blessed with good luck.
This is a fabulous book with lots of fun‐packed ideas for creating a really imaginative birthday party which will be long remembered. It is also a book with a message that families spend precious little time together celebrating and creating traditions and memories, and the planning and hosting of a birthday party is not an event to be feared, but an opportunity to enjoy one another’s company and to pass on family games and create memories to share.
