Have you ever felt frustrated by people speaking during your movie?
Annoyed when someone spilled a drink on you in a crowded restaurant?
The movie itself would have been great. The food at the restaurant was probably delicious. But the loud movie-goers and the crowded restaurant ended up ruining your experience.
Your experience of entertainment is a product of the conditions under which you consume it.
The same is true when you book professional children’s party entertainment.
Take just 1 minute to read the most common mistakes people make time and time again when arranging birthday party entertainment, and you’ll know how to set-up a birthday party that leaves your child beaming, belly-laughing and having a blast.
Food and drinks: Audience participation is the secret to keeping kids engaged and entertained. The more interaction there is, the more fun the kids will have.
But if you schedule birthday party entertainment while kids are eating or drinking, then chances are good that you’ll watch in horror as your vision of a fun/engaging experience melts into a train wreck.
Children’s Party Tip #1: Serve food and drinks either before or after the magic show.
Seating arrangement: Young audiences haven’t been conditioned to sit still and quietly during a performance.
If you make the mistake of giving kids seating options (chair OR floor, kneeling OR sitting, on the carpet OR on the beanbag), then you’ll end up watching kids switch seats instead of having the time of their lives during the entertainment.
I recommend giving them 1 seating option. For example, explain that everyone will be sitting “criss-cross-apple-sauce” on the floor. Parents can either sit or stand behind the children.
For really young audiences (ages 2 – 3 years), have 1 or 2 adults sit on the ends of the rows.
Children’s Party Tip #2: Set clear expectations for seating at the beginning.
The background: In life, anything in our environment that moves, changes or makes noise will instantly attract our attention. That’s why it’s so hard to focus on enjoying a movie while someone else is talking.
The same logic applies to a children’s party entertainment. Are people talking? Is the background distracting? If so, it’s taking away from the experience of the entertainment.
Children’s Party Tip #3: Make the background as ‘boring’ a possible. Have one space for enjoying the entertainment; and another space for parents to talk.
Toys, balloons, party favors, etc. Although we like to think we can multi-task, studies in neuroscience, psychology, education and more are showing that attention is a limited resource.
In other words, we simply can’t devote the same amount of attention to several tasks at the same time. Whether you’re texting and driving or watching television and speaking with loved ones, one of the tasks inevitably suffers.
Children’s Party Tip #4: Clear the performing space so that everyone can enjoy the show and sit comfortably.
The show must go on, of course. But I highly recommend letting my experience performing for over 1,250 birthday parties guide the call.
Here’s my promise: do your best to eliminate distractions, and your child will be able to focus, laugh and engage in the most fun and memorable birthday party ever.
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