With school holidays just around the corner, many event planners may soon find themselves faced with the task of pleasing the toughest guests of all: children. And while the oft-quoted W.C Fields-ism warns of the dangers of working with animals or children, he never said anything about working for them.
As any entertainer can tell you, kids can make for a demanding audience; they aren’t bound by the same social niceties that stop us, say, getting up and walking around during a classical concert or loudly announcing “I’m bored!” during an interminable production of Hamlet.
But for all the difficulties and challenges of entertaining youngsters, they can also be among the most rewarding crowds to perform for, and if you manage to entertain them successfully they can make the whole experience worthwhile. So here, we’ve offered up a few top tips on how to entertain children at your next event. Read on for more…
CREATE A “KIDS ONLY” SPACE
It might sound like something out of an early-90s Nickelodeon promo, but if you’re expecting children at your next event, it makes sense to create a space where they can feel like they’re escaping their parents/guardians, giving said parents/guardians a much needed break from their usual antics. It might be a place tucked away for special, kid-friendly performances, or just an area with some fun games and activities set up. Both young and old will thank you.
GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO TAKE HOME
It’s not just swag-hungry adults who like a goody bag after an event; kids always enjoy having something to take with them from the party, and parents also appreciate giving them something that might occupy them on the journey back. Entertainers like caricaturists and balloon modellers create keepsakes as part of their “act”, offering the perfect memento from the event. But if you’re after something a little bit more original…
TRY A CREATIVE WORKSHOP
Considering they’re taking some time off from school, you might not think trying to teach children something would be a good idea, but workshops are the perfect way to get younger guests involved and engaged with your event. You can book all kinds of workshops, for groups of all sizes; from arts and crafts, to weird and wonderful science experiments. As entertainment lovers, however, we often like to suggest workshops that might create the next generation of brilliant performers in music, magic or dance.
WHAT ABOUT… Y’KNOW, ASKING THEM?
For most of us, it’s been a while since we were children being dragged along to a grown-up event, and though you may feel like a kid at heart, it’s not as easy as it seems to get back into thinking like a child. So why not try talking to one? Whether it’s your own kids, nephews, nieces, godkids, friend’s children; try asking them what they’d like to see at a party. Their answers will probably surprise you, and they might give you some ideas.
GO TO THE EXPERTS
As we’ve already touched upon, entertaining kids is a special skill. You can be the most talented, incredible, and highly skilled performer in the world and still not have what it takes to please a group of howling tots. Thankfully there are acts who specialise in delighting families and children, who’ve honed their shows over years; comedians, kids DJs, ventriloquists, magicians and more, who’ve carved out a niche in the market that many other artists are unable or unwilling to break into. (And if you need help identifying the best kids performers around, you can always turn to your friendly neighborhood entertainment agency.)
For more ideas on how to kids entertainment at events, try our sister agency Sternberg Clarke’s blog about entertaining children at a wedding.