One of the greatest gifts you can give your child is the gift of good manners.  Teaching good manners for a birthday party is an essential part of learning how to give and take.  Here are a couple of ideas you could teach or remind your children about before their party.

1. The host or hostess should answer the door and greet their guest with a smile and a good attitude.  Thank them for coming, invite them in, and offer them a seat that has been reserved just especially for them.  The parent should be at the door with their child to make sure everything is okay, safe, and to help direct and teach your child.  Also, it is a perfect time to remind the parents that are dropping off their children what time the party is over, ak if they are going to be the ones that pick up their child, and thank them personally for bringing their children to your child's party.
2. If your guest has brought a gift, thank them for bringing the gift and then place the gift in a designated area. 
3. Have an activity ready for the early party arrivals.  Perhaps the Polly Ester Clown Coloring contest page.  If the guest happens to win, what a great kindness that would turn out to be. 
4. Try to start the party on time.  Try to end the party at the right time also to keep the guests parents from having to stand around or be late for their next appointment.
5. Encourage the birthday child to treat each of her friends equally.  Children have best friends, but at a party, being the hostess, it is important to teach your child that every friend is important.  For best friends, plan a day that they can play together or invite his/her best friend to stay a little longer after the party.
6. When playing games, it is hard for a child to loose.  If you can pick games that everyone wins it is easier.  One way to solve this problem?  Invite Polly Ester Clown to your birthday party.  This is a live entertainment show, everyone gets to help with the magic, or talk with Carl, the soft puppet. This also eliminates worrying about games.  Polly Ester Clown does all of this for you.  You just bring a camera, cake, and guests.
7. If you are serving cake and ice cream, choose a place where spills and messes don't matter.  It will help prevent a lot of stress.  A nice big plastic tablecloth or two is greaat for outside and inside.  If spills do occur have a plan to quickly clean it up.  Perhaps a designated parent or family member could be in charge of this.
8. Opening presents can always be great fun for the birthday child.  The other children are excited also to give their present to your child.  Remind your children that when accepting a present it is important to thank the giver.  Teach them that it is not important for their friend to know that you already have one.  If they receive a duplicate gift, suggest they say something like, "Wow!!  now I have two great toys.  Thanks!!  Kids just want to know that their gift was important to their friend.  That they made a good choice.  That they are a good person and very thoughtful.
9. Designate a friend or family member to write down the name of each person who came with or without a present.  Just because someone didn't give your child a present doesn't mean they don't get a thank you card.  Thank them for taking the time to come to the party, for being a lovely guest and a friend.  The guests that did bring a gift should be thanked for their gift and kindness.
10. Some parents give out the gift bags at this time.  They usually are called goodie bags and have candy and a toy inside it.  Kids get busy checking out their own goody bags and this helps eliminate the desire to play with the birthday childs new presents.  It is also important to do this at the end of the party unless you want the other children to celebrate all of their new things with the birthday child.  Beware, toys do break etc.
11. When the parents arrive to pick up the children, make sure the birthday child thanks their guest.  This is a great time to be an example for your child by thanking the parents for bringing their children to the party, for the gift, and plan a future play day perhaps.
12. Have your children help clean up after the party. 
13. After the party is over or the following day, it is a good idea to write the thank you notes.  This way it is not put on the back burner for when you can get around to it.  As parents, there is always something going on with kids. Also, it is a good time to teach them to thank anyone who helped at the party and write them a thank you note also.