Choosing The Right Birthday Party Entertainer for Children Aged 4 - 8 Years Old

Engaging a good professional entertainer for your child's birthday party is almost a sure-fire way of making the party an enjoyable and successful one. But what type of entertainer fits the bill?

The most important consideration is the age of your birthday child. If he/she is between 1- 3 years old, you may want to keep things simple. Children of this age are generally unpredictable and there is no cookie-cutter formula on choosing the right entertainer for children of this age. Children of this age tend to have shorter attention spans and varied temperaments.

On the other hand, kids aged 9 -12 consider themselves all grown up and usually scoff at what they consider "kiddy" forms of entertainment. But if your kid is between the ages of 4 - 8, then he/she is at an age where they are old enough to understand jokes and enjoy fun-filled interactive games or activities with lots of movement. This makes hiring an entertainer for kids in this age group easier and more worthwhile for all.

When it comes to hiring the entertainer, the many people think of hiring a clown. Clowns are bright, colourful and perform weird tricks that make people laugh right? Well, be careful before deciding to hire a clown for your kid. Coulrophobia or fear of clowns is not uncommon in some kids (and even grown-ups). To them the bright colours and weird clown makeup just add up to a really scary experience.

We recommend that instead of a clown, there are some other popular choices of entertainers to consider for your kid's birthday party.

Magicians

Magicians, specifically those specializing in children audiences, are common choices as kid's party entertainers. Good kids' magicians perform bright and colourful magic such as producing a huge bouquet of flowers from an empty vase or making colourful handkerchiefs appear and disappear in the blink of an eye.

Magic is a popular choice of entertainment for children because it gives the children a sense of wonder where they can suspend their disbelief. When a magician makes an object appear, disappear or float in front of their eyes, it lets them believe that such things are possible and that they may one day be able to do such things as well. It inspires creativity and wonder that is only lacking in today's modern world.

Children within the 4 - 8 year range are generally the most appreciative and participative audience. 1 - 3 year olds are too young to really comprehend magic while the 9 - 12 year olds are more interested to find out how a trick is done than enjoy the show. This is not to say that these kids will not enjoy a magic show, but rather the kid's magician will have to tailor his show accordingly to suit children from these age groups. If you looking for a magician, check his experience and ask how he intends to tailor his show to cater to your young audience.

Jugglers

Jugglers are fast becoming a popular entertainment choice at birthday parties. Their sublime juggling skills combined with entertaining routines make them a hit not just with the kids but the whole family.

Jugglers who perform at kid's parties are usually prepared to demonstrate different kinds of juggling skills. They may also juggle with different items such as balls, clubs, rings and more. Their props are usually brightly coloured to give them more visual appeal as there is nothing more eye-catching than seeing a juggler keep 3 or 4 different coloured balls in the air at the same time.

Some jugglers also involve the audience in their routines, making the show audience participative and fun for the whole family. It is also not uncommon to see jugglers who combine elements of magic into their show as well.

As with magic shows, juggling shows require the audience to appreciate the skill that the performer is exhibiting. Younger children may not fully understand or realise a juggler's skill while older kids may tend to get bored after a while seeing the same performer attempt to juggle different things. However a good performer will be able to make his/ her routines entertaining enough and engaging enough to suit most kids of different ages.

Puppeteers/ Ventriloquists

Puppets add an extra dimension of fun to any party. Kids love to see a funny looking puppet animal telling stories and cracking jokes. Puppets also make the entire show look bigger as it appears that there is a cast of performers rather than just one performer doing the show. This is one of the main reasons ventriloquist shows are a hit at parties.

The classic image of a ventriloquist is usually of a performer sitting on a stool with a wooden dummy on his or her lap, performing with that character throughout the show. However, many ventriloquists these days perform with brightly coloured foam or latex puppets instead and they usually have more than one puppet character in the show. This adds an element of variety to the show, which is crucial for keeping kids engaged. Some performers also add more interactivity to the show by getting the puppets to interact directly with the kids and crack impromptu jokes with them.

A ventriloquism puppet show is versatile enough to entertain almost all kids and even adults. Younger kids will be captivated by brightly coloured talking puppets while older kids will be able to appreciate the jokes and interact with the puppets. A ventriloquism puppet show is something that can be a fun for the whole family.

The good news is that these days you don't just have to settle for one or the other. There are professional birthday party entertainers who provide multi-dimensional performers. So the next time your kid has a party, consider looking for a magician who is also a ventriloquist or a ventriloquist who is also an expert juggler.

The choice is yours!

Shawn Chua AKA Captain Amazing is a professional birthday party host with Singapore Birthday Party entertainment provider Mighty Magic Factory. He is a Master Ventriloquist and award-winning magician. As Captain Amazing, Shawn heads a team of dynamic performers and has 6 years of live performing experience. Find out more about him at Singapore Birthday Party Company. Visit Singapore Birthday Party experts: Mighty Magic Factory Read his blog at Singapore Birthday Party Blog

Birthday Party Entertainment - Three Danger Signs You Should Watch For!

Hiring birthday party entertainment is a big decision! A good entertainer can make a mediocre party seem extraordinary! A bad entertainer can bring down even the most well planned event.

Chances are you're going to spend a fair amount of your budget on entertainment. Unfortunately, it can be hard to tell up front who's a seasoned pro and who is trying to make a quick buck off unsuspecting parents!

Here are a few warning signs you should look out for when hiring a professional entertainer.

Lack of Response to Emails and Phone Calls

A true pro who makes their living off of entertainment is going to want your business. It's reasonable to expect a response back to any inquiry within 24 hours. If your entertainer is out of the office they should note this on their voicemail and set an "Out of Office" response on their email.

Professional people behave in professional ways. No business professional in the real world would leave voicemails and emails unanswered for any length of time. It's acceptable to expect that level of professionalism from your birthday party entertainment.

Bad Grammar / Text Message Speak in Emails

This should go without saying, but any written communication from your entertainer should be free of major grammar and spelling errors. Nobody's perfect, but it should look like they at least attempted to use spell check before clicking send.

One of the worst offenses we've seen in recent years is "text message speak". I actually saw the following in an email sent from an entertainer to a friend of mine planning their kids birthday party.

"LOLz! How RU? We gonna have G00d Timez at ur kidz PAR-TAY! ;-) ;P"

Emails don't have to be Pulitzer Prize material, but they should at least be legible and professional.

No Formal Contrac

Every professional entertainer uses formal contracts. These protect both sides by clearly outlining what is or isn't expected. If you see an entertainer working without a contract, it probably means they aren't professionals.

Don't be surprised when your entertainer requests a deposit at well. They aren't trying to make your life intentionally difficult. Veteran entertainers tend to learn from experience quickly. You should see these as positive signs that you're bringing on an entertainer with experience!

Next, check out the fantastic 12 Step Guide over at http://www.birthdaypartyplan.com. It contains more information about birthday party planning, including information on hiring birthday party entertainment! [http://www.birthdaypartyplan.com/entertainment.html]

How to Enjoy Your Own Party With Easy Entertaining Recipes

Even just a few shorts years ago, when you wanted to entertain friends, you may not have thought twice about picking up the phone and making reservations at a nice restaurant. Unfortunately, that's all changed. Now, you may entertain friends at the upscale restaurant on occasion, but these days you lean more towards entertaining at home, purely for economic considerations. Well, this is not such a disaster. In fact, you can organize a dinner party at home that vies with, or even surpasses the carefree restaurant experience. Here's how to make home entertaining a gracious and memorable event.

You should think first of all the kitchen conveniences and appliances we now have at our disposal. In the economic heydays, we used our bread makers, convection ovens and do-ahead recipes to make everyday family meals a stunning success. As an example, bread makers have 'dough only' settings, as well as bells which alert us to the proper time to add fruit, nuts or cheese. This great appliance gives you the wherewithal to produce artisan breads your guests will surely applaud, with just a few minutes of your time. As well as also for the Convection ovens are another handy appliance when you're entertaining at home. You can roast a gourmet chicken dish in no time at all, with very little supervision required on your part. And likewise to do-ahead recipes, there are literally thousands of delectable dishes which may be prepared ahead of party day and are actually enhanced by sitting in the fridge, marrying seasons and flavors to perfection.

Well, entertaining at home used to summon up visions of long hours at the stove and last-minute preparations which left us worn out before the party ever began. Wanting to provide a top-notch meal for our guests seemed beyond our reach or reserves of energy. This is simply no longer the case.

When you throw a party, at some point everybody has to entertain in their home. This event can be a wonderful time if you know how to plan, cook and serve the meal. Of course, you want your guests to enjoy good food and have a good time. What you might not realize is that your guests also want to enjoy your company and conversation as well. If you spend all your time in the kitchen, continuing to fuss with this or that last-minute dish, you're robbing your guests of your company and it's not much fun for you either! Here are some tips for throwing a party you can enjoy too. The secret? Easy entertaining recipes!

These great recipes for entertaining are designed to make the day of your party a relaxed affair. Main dishes that you prepare ahead of time may be gourmet concoctions you can prepare at your leisure anywhere from one to three days prior to party day and which benefit from waiting in the fridge before being served. In fact, every gourmet cook knows that the flavors of almost any complex meat dish improve when the meat, seasonings and sauce 'marry' for a day or two sitting in the fridge. Some examples include Cajun-style gumbos, chicken and lamb currys, osso bucho and French ragouts. These easy entertaining recipes make stunning entrees with exotic taste results you wouldn't get if you cooked and served on the same day.

Here are some of the luscious desserts, which includes cheesecake or four-layer cakes can be baked and frozen a week ahead of time. Cheesecake may be made, ready to serve, before freezing. Just remove it from the freezer a few hours before dinner and top each serving with a dollop of glazed fresh strawberries. Your cake requires just a few minutes time to assemble the layers with fruit filling and whipped cream, topping it off with chocolate frosting. Cakes assembled while frozen are easier to work with and make impressive desserts.

Another easy entertaining recipes for side dishes include roasted potatoes, rice pilaf and cold pasta salads. Roasted potatoes require little more than popping them in the oven. You can cut the potato wedges the night before and store them, covered in water with a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice. This makes for a crisper potato when roasted. Rice and pasta salads are usually better the next day.

Apparently, a visit to the deli counter can supply a sumptuous selection of appetizers, from cold cuts and cheeses to antipasto platters and crab cakes. Large cooked shrimp on a platter with a choice of a couple of dips and gourmet crackers are wonderful munchies, as are Nicoise or Kalamata olives and marinated mushrooms.

The basis of your choices on the occasion, either it's a casual of fancy easy entertaining recipes allow you to attend your party and have as much fun as your guests. By party day, all you need to do is choose a nice outfit, greet your guests and mingle!

The main course is the main event, and will make the most impression on your guests; so it's worth putting some extra care into choosing what you serve. With a little careful coordination and planning, entertaining at home can be a snap. Once you realize that entertaining at home can be so easy, it will also be apparent that not only are you saving lots of money, but your guests may also enjoy the conviviality and comfort of your gracious home more than going out.

Having a few ideas and the supplies to match will ensure your friends always feel welcome. But above all, being prepared will allow you to enjoy the most important ingredient whenever you entertain, your guests. When the party's over, you simply slide into bed with happiness for a successful party you have.

For more ideas about entertaining at home, or to leave your entertaining ideas, please visit our web site.