A kids painting party is a great way for your children to get to know their new schoolmates. The difference between a painting party and any other party is that is has a structure in that there is an obvious set activity. Not only is this much more fun for the kids but it also ensures pandemonium will not break out as kids get bored or run wild.



The party itself is fairly straight forward- all it requires from you is a little bravery! The key to success is really in the planning. Before you do anything else, send some invitations two weeks in advance so that everybody has time to arrange other plans around it and so that you have a fair idea of the number of children attending. As a fun precursor to the party, involve your children in creating some fun personalised invitation cards. Remember to include the date of the party, your telephone number so that people can reply or ask any questions they may have and your address so that they know where to go. When you have received most your replies it is time to stock up on party provisions. You will need enough paint brushes to go around, lots of paper (A3 is best) a selection of paints (water colours, poster paints or any water based paints a best as the are safer than oils and can be washed from surfaces and fabrics), an apron for each child and perhaps yourself- if you can't find aprons, cheap T shirts will do the trick, though stick to one colour to avoid tears and the threat of an uprising and mutiny. Other things you may want to include are some blank pieces of pottery for the children to decorate and take home for their parents and name badges. For party food, cartons with straws are always popular and avoid spills, Satsuma's, yogurts, sandwiches, cupcakes, jelly, miniature sausage rolls and chicken drumsticks. Some children may have special dietary requirements or allergies that you will need to cater for so be sure to discuss this fully with their parents well in advance of the day.

A nice little touch is to stencil the name of each child on their apron or T shirt. Not only will this help you remember who is who but the kids will feel really special. Obviously you would need to know exactly who is coming otherwise it could cause more trouble than it is worth.

On the day of the party, blow up balloons and tie together with some bows that you can create out of some cheap fabric, you can also use this fabric to cover the table and any other surfaces you would like to remain paint free. Clear away anything hazardous or breakable and prepare the food in a separate room. Structure the day by painting first, eating second, that way all the newly created works of art will have had time to dry before they are taken home. Ahem….simple really….