Kids’ party checklist

Tick as you go; your progress appears in My Planner. Print it for the fridge. The list is built for a two-hour party for ages 5–8 and scales down for toddlers (drop the entertainer and the games) and up for ages 9–12 (replace the games with the activity venue’s program).

How to use it

Work the phases in order. “Decide” and “Book” happen in the same fortnight, eight weeks out, because in the GTA the Sunday-afternoon room and the good entertainer go first. “Invite” is a single pass four weeks out, with the allergy question on the invitation rather than at the door. “Food” and “Program” are the week before. “Safety” is the part parents skip and should not: a police record check and insurance for the entertainer, a parent in the room at all times, a first-aid kit, and the allergy list beside the guest list. “The day” is a two-hour run of show with about eight cues; “After” is the thank-yous and the review.

Maya’s 6th, the example used across this hub (eighteen kids, Sunday 1–3 p.m., an Etobicoke community centre room, $900 all-in), was planned off this list in seven weeks. The items that mattered most in hindsight were the written nut-free confirmation from the bakery, booking the room from 12:30 to 3:30 to allow setup and cleanup, and telling parents “pick-up at 3 sharp” twice. The one item that was missed was asking the community centre whether a candle was allowed; it was not, so the cake photo used a battery candle fetched from a car.

If you only do ten things on this list, do these: book the room, book and vet the entertainer, ask about allergies on the invitation, order a nut-free cake in writing, write the run of show, pack the kit, brief one helper adult, keep a parent in the room during the show, say the end time twice, and send the thank-yous.