Parties by age: 1st, 2–4, 5–8, 9–12
Specialist · Kids' Parties · 15 min
Length, timing, venue, entertainment and the schedule that avoids meltdowns.
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Specialist · Kids' Parties
Specialist track: Parties by age: 1st, 2–4, 5–8, 9–12; Entertainers, activities and safety; Venues: home, party venues, parks; Food, cake and allergies.
Track masterclass
Specialist · Kids' Parties
Specialist · Kids' Parties is part of the free Event Planner Academy. It has 5 lessons, about 1.3 hours of study in total, and every lesson comes with a narrated video, a printable worksheet and a short quiz.
How to work through it
- Watch the narrated video at the top of each lesson, then read the lesson itself. The video covers the key points; the page has the tables, examples and checklists.
- Complete the worksheet for your own event, or for the running Harbour Gala example.
- Take the quiz and mark the lesson complete. Your progress is saved in this browser.
- Finish all twelve core modules and pass the final exam to print your free certificate.
Entertainers, activities and safety
Specialist · Kids' Parties · 15 min
Magicians, circus skills, balloon artists, face painters; vetting, police checks and allergy planning.
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Venues: home, party venues, parks
Specialist · Kids' Parties · 15 min
GTA costs, what is included, and park permit basics.
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Food, cake and allergies
Specialist · Kids' Parties · 15 min
Nut-free planning, quantities, and the cake moment.
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Favours, themes and budgets under $1,000
Specialist · Kids' Parties · 15 min
Where the money goes and what kids actually remember.
Read moreWho this track is for
This track is written for parents and caregivers planning a birthday, for party venue staff, and for planners who want to add children's events to their services. You do not need to have completed the core modules first, although the budgeting and vendor lessons help. The focus is on what makes children's events different: short attention spans, mixed ages, allergies, parents in the room, and the safety questions that matter more when the guests are small.
What you will be able to do
After five lessons you should be able to set the right length and schedule for each age group, choose and vet an entertainer, compare home, party venue and park options in the GTA, plan food around allergies, and build a budget that spends money where children notice it. The worksheets give you a working plan for your own party by the end of the track.
How the lessons build
The track starts with age, because almost every other decision follows from it. A first birthday is really a party for adults; a party for five-year-olds lives or dies by structure; ten-year-olds want independence and something they can talk about at school. The entertainment lesson then covers vetting, including asking performers about police record checks and insurance. The venue lesson compares the true cost of hosting at home with party venues and park bookings, which in Toronto and most GTA municipalities require a permit for larger groups. Food and allergies come next, with nut-free planning, and the track closes on themes, favours and the budget.
Time and next steps
Allow just over an hour of study plus worksheet time; many parents complete it over two evenings. For the party itself, the kids' birthday planning guide covers timelines and checklists, the kids' birthday ideas article offers themes and activities, and the entertainer cost guide explains typical price ranges in the GTA.