Tag: kidsparty

We know pinatas are great for kids parties and all kinds of celebrations, but where are they really coming from and what is their real meaning? This post of today will take you right through all relevant and curious information. At the end you will be a pinata specialist and who knows you might make your first crazy pinata. Here we start.

Pinatas are culture, fun and always a synonym of happiness with colours, candies, and toys inside. In addition to all of that, they can be used in many different types of parties and are definitely not only for children. Plus, all the fun you get when having a pinata is not comparable to anything else.

The post of today covers:

• What is a pinata?
• History
• When to use it
• How to fill it
• Ways of breaking it
• The weirdest pinata I’ve made.

What is a pinata?

Basically, pinatas are mache paper art made in different shapes. They are used to celebrate something, anything. You fill it and hang it to let people take turns to break it later on.

The pinatas in Mexico are made from mud and decorated with coloured papers. However, the mache paper technique makes it easier to adapt it to any shape.

History of pinatas

When we think about pinatas we associate it directly with Mexico, their culture and colours.  And Mexico definitely brought this concept to the next level. However, pinatas originally come from China. Chinese used to make them to celebrate the Chinese New Year. They made big pinatas in shapes of cows and filled them with seeds. At the end of the New Years day they burnt them and kept the ashes for themselves.

Later, Marco Polo took some pinatas with him on his way back from China to Europe and showed them around in Italy and Spain. After that, pinatas we brought all the way to America in the colonizer’s ships.

Pinatas arrived in Mexico and were used to teach faith by the Spanish. Since then, Mexicans have used them in their religious celebrations. A curious fact about them is that the original pinatas have 7 peaks or cones. Each peak represents a capital sin. Therefore, you need to break the pinata blind folded because you need to show your blind faith.

When to use a pinata

Usually we use pinatas at kids birthday parties. But I believe they are ideal for every occasion! Because you bring so much fun and togetherness that it is all worth it. Some surprisingly occasions where you can use a pinata are:

• Team building events

  

• Bachelor party
• Bachelorette party
• Baby showers
• Adult birthday party
• Workshops for kids
• Office party
• Engagement party
• Kids birthday at home
• Kids birthday at school
• Kingsday (in the Netherlands)

How to fill it

The most important thing when filling a pinata is imagination. Besides that, everything is allowed inside it! For instance, you can use just toys, or make it healthy by addings (small) fruits or make it appropriate for an adult version.

I personally love to use confetti for filling, but some people might not appreciate that, so better check on your public before using that colourful (annoying) confetti.

In addition, other interesting fillings for kids are:

• Raisins
• Little tangerines
• Whistles
• Peanuts
• Stickers
• Headbands
• Kids jewelry
• Crackets

Ideas to fill an adult pinata:

• Postcards
• Chewing gums
• Small plastic liquor bottle
• Eatable cigarettes
• Penalty dices
• Jewelry

Ways of breaking a pinata

We arrive at the most conflictive, but fun part of a pinata: How to break it! Some parents find pinatas violent and dangerous. But, in my view that depends on your approach at the moment of breaking it.

There are 3 ways of breaking them and I suggest each of them depending on the public age.

Adults and big children (plus 8y/o)

It is important to hang your pinata outside to prevent accidents. After that, use a scarf to blind the person who is in turn and give him/her a stick. Before letting this person go for it, give him/her 3 turns around herself and 3 chances to hit it. Move the pinata up and down while they try to hit it, just to make it extra challenging.

Children from 4-8

With children of this age it’s better to leave their eyes free to see where to hit, you can either move or leave the pinata static. After 3 chances the next kid will take the turn.

Babies and kids till 4

Small kids love pinatas, you only need to make it kids proof. Therefore, glue pieces of rope under it and give one to every kid, sit them all together around the pinata and when you say now, they need to pull it off. All the filling will come under it and the kids will take what falls on the floor.

The craziest pinata I have ever made.

I love customizing pinatas for the reason that I have the chance to put my creative ideas into it and work with structures and colours. In addition, when I get a new order I get excited and full of energy, this really brings me fulfilment. In the past years I have been making pinatas mostly for kids parties, themes like monsters, sports and minions were some of the topics I covered.

Last year I got a call from a customer that changed my perspective of pinatas and its uses. He asked for a very crazy pinata. He and his friends were coming to Amsterdam to celebrate a bachelor party, of course they wanted a pinata, in the shape of a marihuana leaf.

I must admit this was the craziest and more challenging pinata I had made so far. I had to create a 3D leaf of marihuana, keep it straight and stable enough to survive a bachelor party. I loved it and since then I do believe pinatas can be used for any occasion.

Do you want to know How to make a pinata? read our post here.

Conclusion

Pinatas are loved by everyone, use them to bring colours and laughs to your celebration. There is a pinata for every occasion and you can make it yourself. Still if you prefer to enjoy a very customized and special pinata you can always call me.

Check our prices and themes.

Kids party 

Your kids birthday is getting closer again, and you want him/her to know how special they are. Therefore, you intend to throw a party to celebrate this important date, friends and family might like to join too. Independently, if you are a new parent or you already have experience with previous birthdays you might’ve wanted to make it different this year. But how do you start? What decoration do you need? Which activities are the best? This post gives you 5 tips to plan that special day of the year.

When you organize a fiesta, for kids, adults or business, details and preparation are important. This photo on the side is of my third birthday party, I keep that day as a great memory in my heart. Anyway, there are a couple of things that could have gone even better if my parents would have followed these tips. Which are so simple but will definitely make a difference in your kids party results. Take paper and pen, here we start.

1.      Date (because of weather)

Planning the date of your kid’s party is really a top priority. We live in The Netherlands, where weather is unpredictable, and most of our plans move around sunny or rainy days. Consequently, I suggest you check the forecast of the day you want to have your gathering and organize it on the sunniest possible day. Why is this important? Because location and activities at your kid’s party depend entirely on the date (weather).

As an example, your kid’s birthday during summer day. Therefore, you expect it to be warm and sunny, thus you plan the party at a park. What a great idea! You are so creative that you also hired face painting to treat you little guests. Unfortunately, you did not check the weather app for that day, and it turned out to be cold and rainy. As a result your guests might not come, and the face paint will fall over because of the rain.

2.      Location (indoors/outdoors)

Location will define your kids party. With your weather research, now you know that your celebration should be outside or inside. Choosing to host the party at home, at the park or at a specific location is up to you and your pocket. You can have it great at any of these places. Most important, think about your guests’ ages.

For instance, if you are having the celebration at home or at a park, it allows you to be in control of details and budget. Besides that, you can show your creativity by adding a pinata or theme decoration. However, remember to check for obstacles or objects that can be of danger.

On the other hand, if it is going to be at a specific cafe, ask about the facilities and activities they offer for children. In Amsterdam there are plenty of great indoor and outdoor locations to host a kid’s party.

3.      Activities

The extra touch at your kids party are the games you plan for them. Usually, we invite children to play together and have some cake, but you can go beyond that and add extra fun. Hiring someone to entertain children like a clown, kids tour guide or a magician can be of great help.

Anyways, you can also be in charge of that fantastic party. For instance, while hosting a party at home, DIY activities are loved by children. This might include cooking your child’s favourite dish or decorate a present for the birthday boy or girl.

Other types of activities you can have during your kid’s party are: face painting, a pinata, or glitter tattoo. Besides that, games that involve balloons are the best and will make them go crazy (in a good way).

4.      Theme

Choosing for a theme party will be the coolest decision, even if it is a simple one. Nowadays thematic kids’ parties are very trendy, why not try it? Many people think that throwing a theme party is expensive and exhausting, which is not true. You can plan that theme party with truly little preparation and not many materials.

For instance, think about what fruit, colour, or cartoon your child likes and go with it in as many details as possible. 

• Decorate the entrance and the party room with the main colour of your theme
• Make/get a costume or t-shirt of the theme
• Customize your pinata and goody bags, 
• Find snacks with the colours you need
• Make sure your guests know the theme as well

5.      Inviting guests

Party with no people = no party. People make the party. Together with your kid make a guests’ list and send invitations. On top of that asking for confirmation is important. Most parents in Amsterdam have an agenda with different activities for their children. Make sure to send the invitations 2 weeks in advance otherwise you won’t have guests at your kid’s party. In addition, this information is important because you provide snacks and drinks, you need to know quantities.

Conclusion

Planning your kid’s party is wonderful, you only need a bit of preparation to make that day special. My tips talk about: Date, location, activities, theme, and guests. Follow these suggestions to go flawless and enjoy together with your guests. However, if you need extra help you can always call me and together we create that crazy party that your kid deserves.

Baby shower

When we organise a baby shower there are some things we should definitely do and take care of. Read this post, let us know what other tips you suggest and of course share it.

The arrival of that special new member of the family is approaching and we want to celebrate it. Therefore, we throw a baby shower party. You decide between something small and simple (with your close family and friends), or big and fancy.

Doing everything by yourself can save you some money and helping the bounding with your sister or mother, involving family in law is a great idea too. I am sure they will be happy to help you out. If you go for that option check “baby shower box“, which contains most of the things you need when organizing a baby shower at home. On the other hand, if you have decided to throw a big party, you will not regret it, this celebration is as special as your wedding was. However, some extra help would be needed contact NIAparty and make it unique. (Belly art, balloon decoration, games, etc).

Tips

1-     Add important details in your invitations. For instance, specify if it is a “only women” party and if you are planning activities for kids. In that way your guests know if they can bring their partners or children.

2-     Have vegetarian/vegan/gluten free snacks available. Even if you know all your guests there might be someone who recently moved to a new diet. That is why it is better to be ready. Check my post about healthy snacks to get some inspiration about food for your party

3-     Music. Have your favourite playlist ready. I recommend having background music to give a more vivid ambiance. Check the Spotify playlist “niaparty–baby shower”, it has relaxed as well as energetic songs using the word baby.

4-     Infusions of water are a super option for your baby shower. Since you are not drinking alcohol, and maybe some of your guests either, including infusion water is a great idea.

5-     Decoration. When decorating your baby shower, try to use neutral colours if you have not shared the gender of the new member of the family yet. Another option is to combinethis celebration with a “Gender revelation activity”, in that case I recommend using baby blue and baby pink for the decoration.

Conclusion:

To summarize, planning a baby shower is the sweetest thing before the arrival of the little one. Anyway, it can be a hectic activity. Therefore, asking others for help is a great decision, plus is a super bonding plan. Besides the 5 tips above check tendencies about colours and games you can have during your celebration, like the baby shower box. Remember, this is all about you and the miracle growing inside you.

Planning a thematic party

Creating a thematic party can be either stressful or fun, for NIAparty its always the second. When you organize a thematic party, you need to know what your guest love, and go with it in every detail: decoration, costumes, colours, pinata, goody bags, snacks, well in most of it. Above all of that, your guests need to follow the theme, so make sure they know it and like it too.

Last weekend NIAparty went to Den Haag to celebrating the birthday of two sweet girls, it was a bit cold but thanks to the “party deal” we managed to have fun. The thematic this time was “Minions”. Therefore, their pinata, balloon decoration and activities were focus on that topic. Most of their friends from school were there, 20 children enjoyed every service we brought. Most of them got two glitter tattoos, and more than two shapes with balloons. When the time of facepainting came I expected to be asked for all the minions shapes, but surprisingly it was not the case. Most of the girls were into “jungle theme”, asking for: cheetah, tiger, and lions. So, I am wondering if they all knew about the thematic party.

Making sure your thematic party is a success

A thematic party differs of a normal party on the details. When you are planning a normal party, specifics do not play a role, you can just go with whatever you have. In the other hand a thematic party is based on details like the main topic, colours, clothes, flavours, music etc. The two most important parts when planning a theme party are:

1 The organizer.

This is you, (or better NIAparty) the person who knows everything about the theme and has control over all details. Who chooses the playlist, the kind of snacks the colours for the balloon decoration and the right position of everything.

2 The guests.

A party without guests is not a party. Therefore, to have a successful thematic party you need to make sure your guests know it is a thematic party and you need to get them in the mood of it. Otherwise they will not appear.

How to make sure they follow the thematic? My recommendation is, since you are planning it all thematic, send an old fashion card including the topic and suggesting an idea for them to feel included and to cooperate. After that, find pictures, or music related to the theme and share them on social media tagging your guests, this will excite them and motivate them to go.

Going back to the party in Den Haag, the activities we had with the children were exciting. Kids were cooperative and competitive, they wanted to get the prize not matter what. Therefore, the games you prepare for your theme party most involve everyone or a big majority. Focus on the details, guests’ age and taste more the activities and your guests have in common higher the success of your party.

Finally, I would definitely suggest to do the pinata outside to prevent any accident. Security for our guests is important too. Although, pinatas are about danger and excitement, right? A bit of this and that is part of a fun party.

HASTA PRONTO…….. SEE YOU SOON …………………………. TOT ZIENS!