Engaging a good professional entertainer for your child’s birthday party is almost a sure-fire way of making the party an enjoyable and successful one. But what type of entertainer fits the bill?
The most important consideration is the age of your birthday child. If he/she is between 1- 3 years old, you may want to keep things simple. Children of this age are generally unpredictable and there is no cookie-cutter formula on choosing the right entertainer for children of this age. Children of this age tend to have shorter attention spans and varied temperaments.
On the other hand, kids aged 9 -12 consider themselves all grown up and usually scoff at what they consider “kiddy” forms of entertainment. But if your kid is between the ages of 4 – 8, then he/she is at an age where they are old enough to understand jokes and enjoy fun-filled interactive games or activities with lots of movement. This makes hiring an entertainer for kids in this age group easier and more worthwhile for all.
When it comes to hiring the entertainer, the many people think of hiring a clown. Clowns are bright, colourful and perform weird tricks that make people laugh right? Well, be careful before deciding to hire a clown for your kid. Coulrophobia or fear of clowns is not uncommon in some kids (and even grown-ups). To them the bright colours and weird clown makeup just add up to a really scary experience.
We recommend that instead of a clown, there are some other popular choices of entertainers to consider for your kid’s birthday party.
Magicians
Magicians, specifically those specializing in children audiences, are common choices as kid’s party entertainers. Good kids’ magicians perform bright and colourful magic such as producing a huge bouquet of flowers from an empty vase or making colourful handkerchiefs appear and disappear in the blink of an eye.
Magic is a popular choice of entertainment for children because it gives the children a sense of wonder where they can suspend their disbelief. When a magician makes an object appear, disappear or float in front of their eyes, it lets them believe that such things are possible and that they may one day be able to do such things as well. It inspires creativity and wonder that is only lacking in today’s modern world.
Children within the 4 – 8 year range are generally the most appreciative and participative audience. 1 – 3 year olds are too young to really comprehend magic while the 9 – 12 year olds are more interested to find out how a trick is done than enjoy the show. This is not to say that these kids will not enjoy a magic show, but rather the kid’s magician will have to tailor his show accordingly to suit children from these age groups. If you looking for a magician, check his experience and ask how he intends to tailor his show to cater to your young audience.
Jugglers
Jugglers are fast becoming a popular entertainment choice at birthday parties. Their sublime juggling skills combined with entertaining routines make them a hit not just with the kids but the whole family.
Jugglers who perform at kid’s parties are usually prepared to demonstrate different kinds of juggling skills. They may also juggle with different items such as balls, clubs, rings and more. Their props are usually brightly coloured to give them more visual appeal as there is nothing more eye-catching than seeing a juggler keep 3 or 4 different coloured balls in the air at the same time.
Some jugglers also involve the audience in their routines, making the show audience participative and fun for the whole family. It is also not uncommon to see jugglers who combine elements of magic into their show as well.
As with magic shows, juggling shows require the audience to appreciate the skill that the performer is exhibiting. Younger children may not fully understand or realise a juggler’s skill while older kids may tend to get bored after a while seeing the same performer attempt to juggle different things. However a good performer will be able to make his/ her routines entertaining enough and engaging enough to suit most kids of different ages.
Puppeteers/ Ventriloquists
Puppets add an extra dimension of fun to any party. Kids love to see a funny looking puppet animal telling stories and cracking jokes. Puppets also make the entire show look bigger as it appears that there is a cast of performers rather than just one performer doing the show. This is one of the main reasons ventriloquist shows are a hit at parties.
The classic image of a ventriloquist is usually of a performer sitting on a stool with a wooden dummy on his or her lap, performing with that character throughout the show. However, many ventriloquists these days perform with brightly coloured foam or latex puppets instead and they usually have more than one puppet character in the show. This adds an element of variety to the show, which is crucial for keeping kids engaged. Some performers also add more interactivity to the show by getting the puppets to interact directly with the kids and crack impromptu jokes with them.
A ventriloquism puppet show is versatile enough to entertain almost all kids and even adults. Younger kids will be captivated by brightly coloured talking puppets while older kids will be able to appreciate the jokes and interact with the puppets. A ventriloquism puppet show is something that can be a fun for the whole family.
The good news is that these days you don’t just have to settle for one or the other. There are professional birthday party entertainers who provide multi-dimensional performers. So the next time your kid has a party, consider looking for a magician who is also a ventriloquist or a ventriloquist who is also an expert juggler.
The choice is yours!
