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Some parents comment that their children have a difficult time behaving at a birthday party ~ either as a party guest or as the birthday kid. Sometimes a party may seem overwhelming to a child. This could be for any number of reasons: so many activities, so many children, not being the center of attention and/or being the center of attention. No matter what the reason, there are a few steps you can take to help your child learn how to behave at these happy events. Here are a few thoughts:
1. Prepare your child for the party. Let him know what is going to happen and how it is going to be at the party. If the child is the birthday kid, discuss how to be a good host for his guests and how to be welcoming and polite to everyone, not just his best friend.
2. You could role play a few scenes with your child to give him a very practical idea of how a party will go. As an example, you could role play the “opening of the gifts” scene. If your child is a party guest, you can role play being attentive while the gifts are being open, how to remain calm when the gift he brought is being opened, etc. If your child is the birthday kid, you can role play how to open gifts politely saying thank you to each of the guests as the packages are open, etc.
3. If a child misbehaves at the actual party, simply take the child aside and have a small word with him to let him know what is going on and what your expectation for his behavior is. Make it clear, but don’t keep the child away for too long. If a child continues to act up throughout the party, perhaps the child needs a break from the party activities. If you have a helper, perhaps have her take a small walk with the child, or take him into the kitchen and give him a drink of water and let a little time and space apart from the party calm him down.
4. If a child cannot seem to settle and is upset and disruptive throughout the party, feel free to call his parents and let them know what is going on. Perhaps they will be able to come earlier and remain at the party with their child which may help the situation. This is one reason why it is so important to have the contact information for the parents if they are not staying for the party.
Most of the time, children are just psyched and excited for the party. Being mindful of good behavior is essential for any party so that all of the kids can have fun and will learn how best to behave so they can have as much fun as possible!
