Make a giant splash with your child’s birthday party

What better way to hold a summer children's birthday party than with a pool party? It’s the perfect way to keep all the little ones entertained for hours, whilst (hopefully) enjoying the sunshine on a warm summer’s day.

If you’re lucky enough to own your own swimming pool, party planning should be any absolute breeze. Alternatively, most public swimming pools have dedicated slots allocated for private party hire, but make sure you book early as they are very popular in the summer.

Once you’ve got the pool organised, get those invites out quickly. Choose a lovely summery birthday party invitation which is inspired by swimming. It’s a great way to get your child and their friends excited about the upcoming party.

A swimming party invitation is a useful means to tell the parents a little more about the party and what their child should bring, such as a swimming costume, towel, goggles, arm bands, flip flops and sunscreen. It’s also a great opportunity to ask them to let you know if their child has any special dietary requirements, so you can make sure they are catered for.

With an event such as a pool party it is also helpful to offer some reassurance about safety. If you have booked a public pool, there will be a safety briefing at the beginning and lifeguards supervising the event; if it is at your own pool, you should undertake similar precautions and make sure there are adults who can swim to keep watch and, ideally, have some lifesaving or first aid knowledge.

Once the little ones are splashing around in the pool, what are you going to do to keep them entertained? Most public pools offer the option to hire giant inflatable play stations, which are great fun and offer no end of play options. If you’re at home, plan lots of fun pool party games, or even disco dancing in the pool! Be careful to avoid competitive-style games as you want to make sure all the children are included and having a good time.

One final tip is to make sure you have a few spare towels and swimming costumes on hand as it’s more than likely someone will forget to bring them - it happens more often than you’d think!