Choosing the Right Birthday Entertainer for You

If you find yourself panicking at the prospective of entertaining preschoolers for an afternoon party, you may want to consider hiring a children's entertainer.

The two most important things to consider before choosing a performer are: the age group and your child's interests. Some younger children love clowns, others are afraid of them. Older preschoolers might like magic, younger ones likely won't understand it.

For the under three crowd, keep it simple. Attention spans are short, so musical performers are a great option. Try to find a performer that brings instruments for the kids to play (cymbals, bells, shakers).

Younger children may also enjoy visits from their favourite TV characters. But remember, in person, these characters will be considerably larger than they are on television and can be intimidating. Before booking, find out what kind of party involvement you can expect from them.

Older children (4+) will enjoy more "sophisticated" entertainers, as well as visits from favourite characters. Magicians make great impressions, especially if they incorporate comedy into their routine. Complex magic shows won't yet appeal to this group so confirm that the magician offers a suitable show.

With longer attention spans, this is a great age to invite in artists to run art activities (painting, pottery, sculptures, collages), as well as puppet shows, caricature artists and science "labs" (where kids can make anything from rockets to slime and rock candy).

A note regarding animals at parties: make sure you know what you're getting into before committing to one. Do any party goers have allergies? Are they afraid of certain animals? What happens in the event of an animal biting a guest or damaging property? Finally, only hire a well-known, reputable animal ‘handlers'.

By Rochelle Strauss