Hiring and training party hosts, and when a party needs two

The host makes the party. Who to hire, a three-hour training afternoon, what they do minute by minute, and when a party needs two.

Jul 28, 2026 · 5 min read

Parents remember two things about a party at your place: whether their child had a great time, and whether they themselves got to relax. Both come down to one person. Not the room, not the cake, not the balloon arch. The host.

A great host has 15 six-year-olds lined up for a game within two minutes of arriving, spots the shy guest hanging back by the door, and gets the cake lit, sung and cut without a single child touching a candle. A tired or untrained one stands at the side looking at their phone while the birthday parent runs the party. Same room, same price, very different review.

Who to hire

You don't need a children's entertainer. You need someone who's comfortable being in charge of a room of kids and their parents for two hours. Look first at people who already do it:

• Your own coaches and instructors on a Saturday they're not teaching. They know the space, the equipment and the safety rules.
• Camp counsellors from last summer, who already know how to run a game for mixed ages.
• Students in education, recreation or early childhood programs, who often want weekend hours.
• Teen assistants, as a second host alongside an adult. Check your province's or state's rules for young workers, and your insurer's.

What to look for, in order: they're on time, every time; they can get a group's attention without shouting; they notice the child at the edge; and they're comfortable telling an adult, kindly, "Could you help me by keeping the siblings off the trampoline?"

The best interview is a test. Ask them to teach your staff a five-minute game. You'll know in about thirty seconds.

Whatever the role, check what your area expects for people working with children (a vulnerable sector check in Canada, a background check in the US) and what your insurance requires. Ask before the first party, not after.

Pay them for the whole time

A 90-minute party isn't 90 minutes of work. There's setup before, clean-up after, and usually a parent with questions at the door. Pay the host from when they start setting up to when the room is clear.

At $20 an hour, a 90-minute party with 30 minutes on either side is $50 of host time. Put that number into your package price, not a guess.

A training afternoon

Three hours, once, before a new host runs their first party, is enough. Make it practical:

1. The run sheet (20 minutes). Walk the room with the timing below, from setup to the last balloon.
2. The welcome (20 minutes). Practise greeting the birthday family, finding the birthday child's name and age, and starting the first game while guests are still arriving.
3. Three games for each age (60 minutes). Play them. A host who's only read the rules of a game will lose the room explaining it.
4. Cake and food (20 minutes). Who lights the candles (the host, never a child), checking for allergies before anything is handed out, and serving fast so nobody waits.
5. When something goes wrong (30 minutes). A child who's hurt, one who's crying, one who's wandered off, a parent who's unhappy. Where the first aid kit is, who to call, and how to write it down.
6. What a host doesn't answer (10 minutes). Questions about money, refunds or next year's booking go to the desk. "Great question, the front desk can sort that out for you" is the whole script.
7. Shadow a party (the rest). The new host watches an experienced one, then runs the next with them in the room.

What a host does, minute by minute

A typical 90-minute party: an hour of activity, then half an hour in the party room.

• 30 minutes before: set up the party room, check the activity space is clear and safe, read the booking for the birthday child's name, age and any notes.
• Arrival (0 to 10 minutes): greet each family at the door, check each child is on the list and their waiver is signed, and get early arrivals into a simple warm-up game.
• The activity (10 to 60 minutes): run the main event, whatever your space does best. Change games every 10 to 15 minutes for younger children.
• The move (60 to 65 minutes): a clear signal, shoes on, a line, a head count before and after.
• Food and cake (65 to 85 minutes): food first, then the cake. The host leads the singing, so the birthday child has their moment and nobody's waiting.
• The send-off (85 to 90 minutes): goodie bags, a thank-you to the birthday family, and a head count as children leave with their own grown-ups.
• 30 minutes after: clear, wipe down, reset the room for the next party.

When a party needs two

One host is enough for most parties. A second earns their place when:

• The children are young. One host can run 12 eight-year-olds, but 12 four-year-olds need more hands: bathroom trips alone take someone out of the room.
• The count is high. Past 12 to 15 children, a single host can't see everyone at once.
• The activity needs a spotter. Trampolines, a climbing wall, a pool. For swimming, lifeguard ratios are set by regulation where you are, so check your province's or state's rules.
• The party moves rooms. With two, one sets up the party room while the other finishes the game, and nobody waits in a hallway.

Write your ratio into each package (one host for every 12 children is a common start, fewer for little ones) and price the step. Our post on extra children works through what a second host costs and when the extra children cover it.

Keep your best hosts

Good hosts get asked back by parents, and they get offered other jobs. Keep them with steady hours (the same Saturday slots each week), a little more pay for running bigger parties, and the run sheet and supplies ready when they arrive, so they spend the half hour before setting up, not hunting for the lighter.

In Caletan

Each party package names who can host it and one host for every so many children. A party holds a host who's free for its whole time, including their minutes before and after, so a coach teaching a class then can't be booked to host. A bigger count holds a second, and you can swap in anyone free. Packages and add-ons shows how to set it up.