http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/ A blog dedicated to Children's birthday ideas en-uk http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/balance-bike-good-thing-or-waste-of-money/ Is a balance bike worth the money? Or is a bike with stablisers just as good? For those who were a little unsure of what a balance bike is - its basically a bike without pedals. The children use their legs to make the bike go and eventually they take their legs off to balance. Its easier to learn how to pedal than balance so once you've mastered balancing on a bike you are half way there. A youtube video that I thought was really useful was this one   My daughter isn't great at balance and can't really use a scooter so she is a good guinea pig to see if they are as good as people say they are. Will see how she gets on!!   1 week later My daughter is tiny for her age so we needed to make sure the balance bike was a good height for her. She chose this bike and this helmet As you can see my daughter is a huge 'Frozen' fan. We have had the bike for 3 days and she has been on it everyday. She is very slow but loves it. So far it has been her favourite outside toy.           http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/girls-birthday-cakes/ Here are a selection of our favourite girls birthday cakes ###GALLERY12### http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/huge-childrens-bouncy-castles/ If you're looking for bouncy castle hire in the UK but won't settle for your average sized bouncy castle then this post is for you. We thought it would be interesting to make a list of the largest bouncy castles around and have added them below along with links to the bouncy castle companies that hire them out. Enjoy! ###GALLERY5### Other bouncy castle websites: Bouncy Castles To Hire Keywords used to find this page: Bouncy castle hire companies UK Large bouncy castles UK Huge bouncy castle hire UK Massive bouncy castles If you are a bouncy castle hire company and would like your links/castles to be featured here please get in touch http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/a-review-of-peppa-pig-world/ Any family with young children will be familiar with Peppa Pig and friends. Vastly popular, this British children’s television series has spread across the world, much to the delight of the children viewing. Since its first broadcast in 2004, Peppa Pig and friends have gained a vast following, with DVD sales, phone app and Peppa Pig club being joined by Peppa Pig World in the New Forest, UK; a theme park devoted to Peppa and friends. Paulton’s Theme Park, located near to Southampton on the south coast of England, is home to the first Peppa Pig themed park in the world. While Paulton’s itself has over large number and variety of rides available to visitors, Peppa Pig World is just a small portion of those, albeit perhaps the most popular. Set in seven acres of land, Peppa Pig World invites visitors to experience Peppa’s world with seven theme park rides aimed at younger children. Toddlers are able to go on rides by themselves, with parents able to remain close in case they’re needed. However, height restrictions do apply on some rides, rather than age so if you have a small child, expect possible disappointment. George’s Spaceship Indoor Playzone offers covered fun in case of bad weather, and has slides, climbing frames, ball play and musical instruments on offer to entertain. Seasonal activities are also included thanks to the Muddy Puddle’s Water Splash Park, an outdoor splash park that requires your children to bring swimming costumes. Only available during warmer months, if this is going to be make or break for your child it’s worth checking it’s open before visiting. Mr Potato’s Outdoor Adventure Playground has swings, slides and jumps available, but is outdoors and so weather dependant. Many areas of the park are buggy restricted, so may not be accessible if newborns in prams are part of the group. Children can meet Peppa and George Pig at set times However numbers can mean that children may not be able to get close enough to the characters to see or talk to either of them. Queues can also be long, especially during summer months, as families flock to the theme park during the school holidays. With the rest of Paulton’s on offer, it’s prudent to visit other areas of the park in the morning and head to Peppa Pig World after lunch as most visitors go straight to the main attraction. Speaking of Paulton’s, with the majority of the entire theme park included in the entry price, it’s well worth checking out the other areas regardless. There are a multitude of rides aimed at children of all ages, from roller coasters to log flumes to tractor treks. With a 4D cinema also on offer, there’s plenty to keep the family busy. New in 2014 is the Robin Hood 4D film, a 90 minute whirlwind following Maid Marion as she meets Robin Hood. The film is 3D with physical effects in cinema creating the fourth dimension. Also new to 2014 is the Double-Decker Victorian Carousel, a beautiful traditional carousel set in period-themed gardens. There are plenty of green spaces to wander, with a series of lakes and gardens covering a variety of themes, including the African themed Jungle Falls Garden. There’s also a host of birds and animals for your children to visit, including penguins and meerkats. Feeding sessions allow kids to see the animals with live commentary from one of the keepers. With a variety of events and shows, water parks, themed areas, rides and attractions, Paulton’s Theme Park is a great place to visit with the family. The parks are well maintained and clean, with flower beds growing alongside rides. Baby changing areas and toilets are in abundance, with child seats on every toilet. With the majority of rides, including bouncy castles, trampolines and kiddy-car rides available at no extra cost, Paulton’s can be a cost-effective break away. Book online for cheaper deals. Car parks are gravel, and open to the public before the park is, which is great for those that prefer to arrive early to avoid potential queues. There’s plenty of places to sit and eat, although purchasing food from the park can be expensive and not the best quality. Those on a budget should consider packing a lunch to help reduce costs. Peppa Pig World, the main attraction, is spacious, clean and contains play areas for children of all ages. Theming is spot-on, looking exactly like the television series your children know and love, and there are lots of characters dotted around for them to see. You may also feel like purchasing some Peppa Pig gifts at the merchandise store in Peppa Pig World. We certainly did anyway and came away with a cute little George soft toy for our daughter who cuddled it around the park from that point onwards. Friendly staff, plenty to do and see, few additional costs after entry is purchased; Paulton’s Theme Park and Peppa Pig World are a great day out for the family, even when on a budget. Kids under 1m tall are admitted free! Check out the new Big Toy Shop, opened Easter 2014, a giant themed toy store filled with toys, gifts and surprises. Located on the edge of the stunning New Forest National Park, make a break of it and enjoy some time away whether it's to celebrate a birthday or just a chance to go out and have fun as a family. http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/having-a-party-acting-the-party/ A party without music just isn’t a party! But a lot of kid’s party music is, quite frankly, a disappointment when it comes to the 6 to 10 year old age range. Many children’s music CD’s are lame, to the point of embarrassment. Party music for this age range has to be upbeat and reasonably loud; bordering on the Top 20 charts but still managing to be child friendly – I’m sure you know what I mean. Deciding to choose your own music however is most likely going to cause embarrassment to your child, “Comm’on Dad that music’s soo last year - we want modern stuff!” All well and good, but music, as we all know, can move on so fast, and who really knows what children’s taste in music is, or is going to be, in three months time. We have found that music hasn’t got to be childish to be child-friendly. It has, however, got to be easy to dance to and fun, without being cringy. If you are having a party and want to devote a bit of time to dancing don’t expect to just pick out your favourite CD at the last minute and expect children to think “Oh, this is cool” because they won’t – and no child is going to want to wait around while you fiddle about saying “er… well ok then, er…how about we try this one?” - it’s a sure fire way to stop a party in its tracks. ‘Now That’s What I Call Music’ style CD’s are excellent for this age range – and a good way for young children to get into their peer music. However, if you buy one of these it’s a must to sort out which tracks are good to dance to and which are not, many of the tracks will be smoochy and not the type you’ll be wanting to play at a child’s party! Again, children hate having any gaps in the proceedings and will wander if there are pauses to the proceedings, so unless you are Fatboy Slim make a compilation CD or a playlist to have ready. Plan the style of music you want if you’re having a game of musical statues or pass the parcel, make sure the piece you choose doesn’t have natural rests or breaks in it. It’s also a good idea to have some very raucous dance music standing by for 10 mins after food, this is when they’ll have their energy back but yours will be flagging. On the other hand, Acting the Party® will not only sort out the entertainment and the party games but it also has the right style of music chosen very carefully for this age group. We have tried hard not to be patronising in our choice of music so children feel comfortable getting up and having …excuse my old-fashioned expression… a good old bop! The Acting the Party audio play, where the children take it in turns to get up and act, has atmospheric music to build confidence. The party games are themed to fit in with the story and the music, like the atmospheric music, is chosen to set the right tone. Plus as we’re the one’s organising the music we can give a new dimension and a twist to some of the games, such as with our ‘reversible’ Pass the Parcel, using two contrasting pieces of music denoting different directions. Acting the Party® comes with character invitations, the Audio Play CD, and game accessories- providing the entertainment, organising the games and sorting out the party music. To look at Acting the Party in action and for further details please go to Acting The Party We hope, whatever you do, you have a very enjoyable party…. and a great bop! http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/kids-face-painting-birthday-party-advice/ When it comes to your kid's party all you want is for them to have fun. These days the old style 'sing-and-dance routine' won't keep them entertained for long. A child's party should be fun with interactive and a interesting activities that will not only keep them amused but also help them develop their social skills. With this in mind have you considered putting on a kids face painting party for your child's Birthday Party this year? What to do in preparation for the party As we all know, children are very impatient, especially when other children are around. If you are considering a face painting party, do you think they would sit there patiently and wait for their turn to either use the paints or be painted? The answer is NO they won't. At a party it is hard to keep everyone happy so why not ask friends to help you manage and organise the children. They can either help you paint the kids faces or depending on the age of the children they could simply supervise the face paint sessions to make sure the kids don't do anything too silly (such as eat the face paints). Here are some top tips to help keep the party running smoothly: Make sure you have enough face paint kits for a group of children. The more children you have the more face painting kits you will need. Choose face painting kits with clear and easy designs. If you have any older children assign a friend or family member to do an elaborate design as an example for the younger children. Make sure you have cleaning equipment nearby in case of any spillages. Prepare a lot of moist and dry wipes. Have at least one or two mirrors around so kids can see themselves. http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/fireman-sam-gifts/ Fireman Sam seems to be well and truly back in fashion for kids. Maybe he always was, but I remember being a great fan when I was a child and was amazed when doing some research for top selling character gifts to find that Fireman Sam Gifts were in the top 3! There are many great Fireman Sam pressies out there, some of my favourites being: Fireman Sam Helmet with Sounds Fireman Sam Intercom Set Fireman Sam Playground Ball Fireman Sam Single Duvet Cover Set Admittedly, I am guessing that children most children aged from 7 onwards will probably have grown out of Fireman Sam by now, but I am sure there are some parents out there with children who love Fireman Sam. http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/jelly-and-ice-cream-recipe/ Ok, this is actually more like just a list of the things you need to make a lovely jelly and ice cream dish rather than a recipe but I thought I would add it here any way! Requirements 1-2 packets of jelly mix (depending on no. children) Ice cream (preferably Vanilla) Dessert bowls & spoons Table Spoon Ice cream sauce or hundreds of thousands Instructions: Follow the jelly mixtures specific instructions (water to add etc) Chill in the fridge until firm which usually takes 2-4hours. When ready to serve, spoon the jelly into individual bowls with the wooden spoon Top with a scoop of ice cream Add any decorations you have such as hundreds of thousands or ice cream sauce. http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/teddy-bear-parties/ Blackberrie Bears offer fun no sew bear kits which are great for gifts and birthday parties. You will receive a kit including: 15” Bear Skin, Stuffing (just enough for the bear) Blackberrie Wish Insert Birth Certificate Drawstring Carry Bag Other kits include a choice of sound, t-shirt and textile pen and much more according to your budget. If you order 10 or more kits then you are entitled to receive their FREE Party Box which contains: Invitations Prizes for Games Tableware Pass the Parcel Party Bags The party box has all you need to host a 2 hour party, all you need to supply is the food and birthday cake! The Blackberrie Bears site also offers some useful information and tips for your kids party. http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/luggage-for-little-people/ Trunki (As featured on Dragons Den) manufacture childrens suitcases that will put an end to any tantrums. Their variety of charcterised suitecases will have your kids driving around having endless fun as you walk and wait around at airports or any other place where you might have luggage for that matter! Trunki suitcases also make great baby gifts so that the child has their own suitcase when they are a year or so older. Check out the video below to see more, or better still visit their website!  http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/kids-party-games/  Party Delights have a great range of Pin The Tail games for your childs birthday party. Aside from the original pin the tail on the donkey, you also have the choice of replacing the donkey for a unicorn, clown and princess.Of course, it is not a tail for these other characters as apart from not making any sense to kids it could also be deemed very inappropriate! As well as 8 pin the tail games on this page, you will also find a Pinata's section. There are many to choose from ranging from giant pink dummies to huge footballs. Most of the pinatas cost from around £10-£15 which is pretty good value. All you need to finish them off is a load of sweeties! Personally I think I would have to go for Maom bars! Party Delights have loads of ofther great ideas and products so they are well worth checking out if your are holding a kids birthday party. I hope you find their website useful. http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/number-of-friends-per-party/ It is always very difficult to know how many invitations to send out to your childs friends. It is even more difficult predicting how many people are going to turn up out of the invitations that were sent out. After doing some research, I discovered that many people invite their son or daughters whole class and usually find that approximately half this number turn up to the party. If we estimate that their are 30 children in a class on average, that means 15 kids will trun up to the birthday party. This is a fair number, but I would not encourage any more than this really otherwise it starts to get expensive and harder to control. I feel that the best advice on the number of children to invite to your childs birthday party would be to agree on a number of atendees before hand. Lets say 10 for example. Tell your son or daughter that they can invite 10 and only 10 people. This way you are more likely to have the whole 10 turn up as they will most probably be closest friends and feel a lot better about coming. http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/childrens-fancy-dress-themes/ Children's parties seem to become much more extravagant events year after year. At toddler birthday parties, the children are content with jelly and ice-cream, fairy cakes, and pass the parcel! As the become school children, those last years of nursery and at least reception class, its all about the soft play area and ball pit. Mum and Dad can chill out with a coffee as the kids go wild for an hour and half, all happily contained in a big safety net (assuming no one falls over!!). However, once children get past year one in school, parties have to be cool. They have to be as good as, or better than, their friends, and they will want a birthday party that is a bit different! So, what are the weary parents supposed to do, especially bearing in mind costs! Well, a great way to offer your child a 'customised' birthday party, which they can actually feel they have contributed to, is to make their birthday party a fancy dress party. Fancy dress parties for children are a fabulous way to allow your child to pick a theme for the whole day, this means that you can tailor invitations, party decorations, the cake and even the food (making your life a whole lot easier!) the trick however, is to get the theme right. Whilst your little angel may like dressing up as a fairy princess with her younger sibling, they may not want a princess pink party with their friends! And your darling little boy might love to wear his superman pyjamas to bed, but he may want his friends to think he is a more grown up! This is why it is essential to choose the right theme for your fancy dress birthday party. Popular themes include: Latest film or movie High School Musical is very popular, surprisingly with boys as well as girls! This theme will also provide you with the music for your party as well! Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus, more popular with girls than boys! Purple seems to be Hannah s colour, so plan your decorations to suit! Monsters Vs Aliens are big at the moment, but the costumes might be a bit tricky! Pirates Ooh Argh, me hearties! All kids love pirates, and most parent can whip a pirate costume up with a few days notice! Superheroes Batman, Spider man, Wonder girl, Superman... the wonder pets... lets all save the DAY! Ben 10/Power Rangers Themes for the girls! Disney Princesses/Fairies Most little girls will have a Disney Princess costume in their wardrobe and a Disney princess party is the perfect excuse to wear it with their friends! Beware fashion faux pas – and try to get the birthday girl something a bit special so her friends do not come in the same costume! Colour co-ordinated Its a bit different, but if your little one loves a certain colour, then why not got for it! Beware, inviting boys to a 'pink' party, may not go down so well! TV Characters/shows Lazy Town's Sportacus and Stephanie are very popular, so are Dora and Diego (with younger children), Tom and Jerry could inspire a cats and dogs themed party, and the Simpsons appeal to children of all ages! So, whatever theme you choose, you are sure to be able to find suitable Fancy dress costumes online. Just be sure you make it clear on the invites what is expected of guests, and maybe invest in a spare costume of two, in case a child turns up not in costume, so they do not feel left out. http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/popular-kids-birthday-party-themes/ Children`s birthday parties shape their childhood and help them learn to socialise with other children. They can help kids to learn about sharing, congratulating each other and interacting thoughtfully and meaningfully. They are also tons of fun! If you`re thinking of setting up a birthday for a little girl or boy you might be slightly stumped for ideas. In this article we`re going to take a look at some of the best and most popular themes for kids parties this year. Birthday Boys Boys love physical play so incorporating some in to your party is a great idea. Try to make games co-operative and praise children for co-operating rather than creating a competitive environment where some children feel left out or better than others. For football parties why not have a casual game of football in the back garden or a local park. Let the kids eat sugary and colourful food before they play to get them full of energy and then let them work it off by playing kick about. For pirate parties (which are incredibly popular following the Pirates of the Caribbean films) why not arrange a proper treasure hunt by burying (or hiding) a wood or metal box packed with sweets or party bags in the back garden and arrange a game around the search for the buried treasure. Girls love the intrigue and mystery of games like this too and also adore the pirate theme. Birthday Girls Fairy princess parties are immortal and girls love talking to each other and indulging in imaginative play so why not invite guests to also bring along a favourite toy. One twist on the fairy party is a teddy bears picnic which will encourage children to talk about their toys and introduce them to each other; you can also clean up easier after hoards of kids if you keep them on a blanket on the lawn! Good games for girls include fairy cake or cookie decorating with coloured icing (boys obviously love this too!) and face painting. You can buy face paints cheaply and if you`ve got lots of girly guests you`ll also need plenty of make-up grade glitter. Then you can make a motley crew of garden fairies, lions, vampires and other creatures to cavort around the garden. Hints and Tips Children often eat too much junk at birthday parties. After the initial sugar rush this can end up getting them grumpy afterwards. Combat this by structuring your party carefully. When they arrive get them to use up plenty of energy by playing a game or dancing. Then, when they`re hungry serve fruits and vegetables (they`ll fill up on this, sharpish!) and then, when the cakes and other high energy food stuffs come out they`ll eat less of it all, being full of carrots and apples. After food, get back in to a high energy game. That way, by the time the party is over they`ll hopefully be murmuring for their Peppa Pig duvet. http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/personalised-party-invitations/ I found a company called 'Zazzle' that specialise in printing customised apparel but also personalised birthday invitations, thank you letters and happy birthday cards. In the invitation featured on the right, the child having the birthday party features on the front twice with a cheessy grin. These photos can be changed pictures of your son or daughter. All of the text on the invite is also totally customisable and the invites start at just 85p each. To start the party process in a stylish way then head over to their website to find the whole range which is constantly being added to by the public. For added convenience on the part of your invitees, consider including return address labels that they may use to return their rsvps http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/cupcakes-recipe/ This is a simple cupcakes recipe. Arrange your childs favourite sweeties and icing on top for the perfect finish.This recipe makes 14-16 delicious cupcakes. Ingredients: 125g/41/2oz plain flour 125g/41/2oz unsalted butter 125g/41/2oz caster sugar 1tsp baking powder 2 eggs, beaten 85g/3oz strawberry jam For the icing: 350g/12oz icing sugar, sifted Fresh lemon juice Edible food colouring Edible cake decorations Put 14 to 16 paper cases into bun tins. Sift together the flour and baking powder and set aside. Preheat the oven to Gas 4/180°C/350°F. Cream the butter and sugar until pale and light in a mixing bowl. Gradually beat in the eggs, followed by the jam. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until smooth. Spoon into the paper cases and bake for about 20 minutess or until golden. Turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool. Tip the icing sugar into a bowl and add enough fresh lemon juice to make a thick icing. Add colouring if you fancy and spoon the icing over the cakes. Arrange edible decorations on top such as Smarties, jelly tots or chocolate chips. http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/personalised-birthday-sash/ Partybox offer a personalised birthday sash facility on their website which is second to none. Check it out as it will definately be a great addition to your daughters birthday clothing. The extract below is taken from their website Experiment with Text, Fonts and Colours - have fun being the designer! Have a different message front and back and even choose images to enhance your theme. Your messages will be repeated once on the front and once on the back of your 1.8m long sash - just like your on-screen preview shows. Each sash comes with a badge to secure the ends, ensuring the best fit for the wearer. Don't wait another day to get it sorted - make your Party Sash order today. http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/jungle-animal-fairy-cakes/ Whilst surfing the internet I found this great post from Trudy of the 'bake me a cake blog': Individual sponge fairy cakes. These are jungle themed animals (tigers, elephants, giraffes, zebras and monkeys).  Sponge cake topped green royal icing.  Each animal modelled from coloured sugarpaste with royal iced features. These cakes can be made as extra cakes for the table or more popular they can be individually wrapped as party bag cakes.  Whichever way they are a great favourite with the children.  The client ordered these together with the Giraffe jungle cake also found on this site. I think these would be a great addition to the party food table and really bring some imagination to scrumptious fairy cakes! http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/old-favourites-sweets-hamper/ Wow, a classic selection of sweeties that will have your kids mouths watering. Inside this delicious collection are: Rhubarb & Custard 100g Cola Cubes 100g Toffee Bon Bons 100g Mint Imperials 100g Pear Drops 100g Mint Humbugs 100g Rosey Apples 100g Winter Mixture 100g Haribo Mini Jelly Babies 100g Haribo Jelly Beans 100g Werther's Original Classic Cream Candies 100g Chocolate Eclairs 100g Why not put a small bag containing a few different sweets in your childs birthday party bags? View Sweets Hamper http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/loopy-rabbit-at-park-holidays-uk/ As many of you caravan holiday fanatics may have noticed, the Park Holidays UK website has been totally revamped allowing you to book your next Park Holiday a lot easier! If you have ever been to one of the 20+ holiday and short break destinations that Park Holidays UK have to offer then you will be very familiar with Loopy Rabbit. He has become quite famous around the resorts and the kids absolutely love him. Why not treat the birthday boy/girl to a Park Holiday? You can even take the dog along too at selected parks. Click here to find out more and visit the site. http://www.yourkidsbday.co.uk/childrens-birthday-blog/chocolate-chip-cookies/ This recipe produces 12 large cookies that would be a fantcastic addition to the party food table. Ingredients: 100g / 3½oz good dark chocolate 125g / 4½oz unsalted butter 100g / 3½oz granulated sugar 75g / 2½oz soft brown sugar 1 egg 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract 150g / 5¼oz plain flour ½ tsp baking powder A pinch of salt Method: 1. Heat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Chop the chocolate into little chunks and set aside. 2. Heat the butter in a small saucepan very gently until it has just melted. Meanwhile, put the two types of sugar into a mixing bowl. Pour the melted butter on top of the sugars and beat well with a wooden spoon. 3. Add the egg and the vanilla and beat until well blended. 4. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the mixing bowl and stir them in, then add the chopped chocolate. 5. Dot heaped pudding spoonfuls of the mixture over the lined baking sheets, leaving plenty of space in between them--they really spread out while baking. 6. Wearing oven gloves, put the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies are just turning golden brown. (If you have a glass door on your oven, watch the extraordinary transformation as these cookies bake--one moment you've got lumpy brown dough, the next, you have pale golden cookies, their shiny surface a network of cracks.) 7. Leave the cookies on the baking sheets to harden for a couple of minutes, then carefully lift up the baking parchment and transfer them to a wire cooling rack. 8. You can eat these cookies warm, but they are also good cold, and they store well in an airtight tin.