Kids party ideas – RI, MA
Steve Zany has been performing at kids parties, gathering and events across Rhode Island and Massachusetts for more than 25 years. Now, you can take advantage of his experience and insights for kids party ideas and planning your own kids function. This section provides you a wealth of information for kids birthday party and event planning. You’ll find all sorts of topics discussed — from how many kids to invite to a party, to kids party theme ideas to selecting kids entertainment to the best time of day to have a party. If you’re someone who doesn’t throw many kids parties, children’s gathering or family events all that often, you’ll find Steve Zany’s advice a great resource to make your next occasion a magical time.
How long should your kids birthday party be?
How long should my kids birthday party be? This is a frequently asked question that I receive. My best advice is to make sure you feel your kid’s birthday party is manageable in two ways: Limit the number of children. While it may feel necessary to invite your child’s whole class, this can be a recipe you may regret. There’s various rules of thumb. Some children’s party planners suggest inviting the same number of children to the birthday party as your child’s age. I would extend this suggestion and say that...
read moreSuccessful Kids Birthday Party Formula
As a kids party magician in Rhode Island for nearly 25 years, parents often ask me for a successful kids birthday party formula to make their child’s party the best ever. Well today I performed at two birthday parties. One parent took my advice. The other did not. At each kids party both birthday children were five year olds. I gave both moms who hired me the same advice at the time they scheduled my magic show: Take their child’s age, multiply it by two and that would provide them with the ideal number of children their child could...
read moreGo with your gut – Kids birthday party planning on your own terms
The latest insights from RI kids party magician ventriloquist Steve Zany: Enough is enough say some parents when it comes to making their kids birthday party overly elaborate or hosting it at a commercial venue. Ironically, I fell victim to the trap last weekend. At my wife’s insistence we held our son’s party last weekend outside the home at the local YMCA. Of course, being a kids party magician, I would have loved to have had a magic show themed party for my boy at home. Since my son loves sports, we had the party at the local...
read moreKids party behavior – Do’s and don’ts for parents
During the course of 25 years, as you might imagine, I’ve been to a lot of kids birthday parties. Often times moms and dads will ask me how I deal with inappropriate behavior. “By the kids or adults?” I jest, with a touch of seriousness to my reply. While often, when you imagine a kids party, you might think about the actions of the kids, sometimes, believe it or not, it’s the parents who aren’t on their best behavior. Parents who are loud talkers – When performing a magic show, every once in a while,...
read moreKids birthday party dilemma – Being excluded from another party
So you’re thinking of having a birthday party for your child. What would you do if your kid’s current circle of friends exceeded 30 children? Would you invite them all? In all likelihood, no. You’d have to start excluding because perhaps your house isn’t big enough, or you don’t want that many kids taking over your home or maybe having that many children at your kids birthday party wouldn’t be economical. Of course, other parents sometimes have to make the same types of decisions. I talk with moms all the...
read moreKids party photo magic tips (continued)
I’m glad many of you found my last post about kids birthday party photography of interest and helpful. So, let’s continue our discussion about other ways you can capture those great photos at your child’s birthday party, because those enchanting photo opportunities often can pass you by in an instant. The following tip may seem like common sense, but often it isn’t common practice. At your kids birthday party take lots and lots of pictures. I’m talking a ton. More than you think you’ll need. Here’s...
read moreKids birthday party photo secrets for capturing the magic
So your child’s birthday party has finally arrived and everything is going according to plan. What’s left to do? As a kids magician in RI, it might come as no surprise to you that I would recommend something magical. But it may not be what you think. I suggest being sure to capture the “magic” moments at your party. Below, I am going to share with you a simple secret I use when I take photos at my own kids’ birthday parties (i.e., my son’s and daughter’s). This is probably a good time to add a...
read moreKids birthday party planning success tips based on child psychology (Pt. 3 of 3)
So you are planning a kids birthday party. You don’t need to be a magician like me to make it magical, (although I can certainly help in that department). All you need to do is take into account some basic child psychology and consider where the kids are in their stage of development. Then you can take advantage of those factors to make your child’s birthday party a wonderful time for all. Below, is the conclusion of a three-part series that looks at planning a kids party by the ages. In the first post, we looked at parties for...
read moreKids birthday party planning based on kids’ stages of development (Pt. 2 of 3)
In my last post, we began to talk about the types of things you can expect, as it relates to your child’s age, when planning a kids birthday party. Starting with the one-year old child through their preschool years, we discussed how you can leverage to your advantage knowledge about your child’s stage of development to plan a fantastic kids party. Below, let’s take a look at what you can expect at each step of the way between ages 5 and 8. Age Your child’s expectations How many kids to invite? Number of adult...
read moreKids birthday party planning based on ages and stages (Pt. 1 of 3)
Your child’s birthday is fast approaching. Where do you begin your party plans? What’s appropriate? What can you expect based on the age and stage of development of your birthday child and their young guests? These are three questions that moms often ask me when I speak with them about their party planning efforts. So here’s a two-part guide that helps answer those kids birthday uncertainties and will give you a better idea of what you can expect as you plan a birthday party for your child. In Part 1, we’ll look at the...
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