Player Centred Entertainment
Here's how to throw a laser tag party that they will never forget without you going crazy and without breaking your budget.
It's a laser tag at home party.
Birthdays are cause for celebration but as some kid’s parties get more and more outlandish parents can feel pressure to keep up with the Jones (or the Kardashians).
Here are seven tips to help you plan an awesome laser tag party without loss of sanity and without it costing an arm and a leg.
Start with a simple "to-do" list. This has been a massive help to me. If you are anything like me you are busy.
Busy at work, helping at school or your local sports club, and very busy with the family.
So having to organise yet another thing, like a birthday party, can be a bit mind-boggling!
But breaking down all the things that need to be done, and by when (and heaven-forbid you might even be able to delegate some tasks) by whom can really help the party process along.
If you have kids, young or old, it is always going to be hard to fit in a birthday party bash around sporting and school commitments.
Check out your schedule and theirs around the time of your child’s birthday and see what calendar dates already have something one that day.
Also, consider whether or not you want to have a party during the school holidays.
You might also want to think about big calendar events like Mother’s Day and Grand Final Day that you might want to avoid. Consider the time of day you want to kick off. A 2 pm start time usually means that your party will conclude by 5 pm.
This after lunch and before dinner. All you will be expected to provide is snacks.
Where to throw your party is an important decision.
Forget the nightmare of the commute and having to battle over a car-park. If you throw the party in your backyard then you’ll know that your child is just playing with their own friends.
If your backyard is not big enough then consider hosting the party in a local park.
Being local means that your child’s friends and their parents are likely to be nearby and are more likely to be able to attend. (This helps avoid the traumatic situation called "my best friend can't come!".)
Throwing a laser tag party lends itself to a lot of party theme options.
Themes like army parties, sci-fi parties, or super-heroes, or come up with your own idea! If your children are anything like mine they are quite vocal as to what they like.
And what they don’t.
You might also get some cool parties ideas from what’s popular now.
Do your kids play Fortnite, the video game?
Or have they pestering you to see the movie “Ready, Player One”.
That movie might lead you on to throwing an 80s inspired backyard party!
Take your cue for party themes from what your kids love.
If you have a good idea of what you want to spend, you’ll have a better idea of what’s achievable within this budget.
For instance, if your total budget is $500 you could rent a laser tag set of 8 cobras taggers with scopes and collect them for the Laser Tag in a Box shop in Shailer Park on Friday, rent for Saturday and get Sunday for free and then return them on Monday.
The rental would cost $276.
With this package, you could have 16 kids and play a round-robin game format (two teams on / two teams off). Your budget entertainment budget could be around $17 per person.
This would leave a good amount for other things like party food, decorations, and of course the birthday cake.
Go modern and create a digital invite; you can create a private event on Facebook so you don't have to worry about printing and posting invitations.
Plus, you can track your RSVPs and you can post additional info like directions online.
But before you send out the invitations I recommend you do one vital thing.
Ask your child who they desperately want to come to their party. Phone or text their parents to check if they can make it on that day. That way you can send out the party invites knowing that your child will not be devastated if joe-bloggs cannot make it.
Another way to not break the bank is to consider a joint party. My kids have their birthdays within a few weeks of one another so we have (especially when they were a bit younger) often thrown joint parties.
Or if that is not a go-er, consider if your child has a best friend or cousin who has a birthday at the same time of year.
As they say, a problem shared is a problem halved.
And in this case, it is party shared is a party halved!! Don’t forget when you rent from Laser Tag in a Box you hire for Saturday you get Sunday for free. So you can invite the friends and buddies over on the Saturday and get the family over on the Sunday.
That's two parties for the price of one!
There is so much choice of birthday cakes nowadays. Ordering a supermarket mud-cake might just not be good enough or even big enough.
Cake 2 The Rescue offers a yummy Laser Tag cake kit.
A good tip is to bake the cake a couple of days before the party and then decorate the night before.
That way you are not up in the middle of the night after waiting for the cake to cool.
Or if you are not a confident baker then consider ordering the birthday cake from your local bakery or specialist cake shop.
When renting a laser tag set it makes the party games a cinch. Laser Tag in a Box offer lot of ideas and inspo for games to play. Add in a game box to your rental and play a fun game called “Capture & Hold”.
It is just like the old King of the Hill game.
Divide the group into two; red team and blue team. Let’s say the game runs for 10 minutes, kids need to tag each other and the box. When the red team tags the box it issues a sound effect “dong!”.
And with the blue team tags the box it says “Ding!”. With this game, there is a lot of action and fun sound effects.. The computer in the box times how long each time has it in control. At the end of the timed game, the box will flash the winning team’s colour.
Make the most of your kid’s special day, enjoy it! Being organised in advance, following these party tips, and delegating tasks where you can mean you will throw a fun backyard party.
And, hopefully, you will be less stressed on the big day.
Booking a birthday party in your own backyard can be an economical alternative to going to a traditional laser tag arena or go-karting or a high-ropes challenge.
