THE INVITATION:

Make a wand with a star on top. Wrap silver foil around the wand (or an icecream/candyfloss stick) and stick a cut out of a silver star on the top. At the back of the star, stick a small print out of the invitation:

TO CELEBRATE MY 5TH BIRTHDAY
MY FAIRY GODMOTHER
WOULD LIKE TO INVITE YOU TO 
CINDERELLA'S BALL.

DRESS CODE: EVENING GOWNS AND TUXEDOS.

DATE:
TIME:
PLACE:

RISHIKA ROOPCHAND

DECORATIONS:

Place a cut out of a carriage at the entrance of the hall. And have a silk red/blue wall hanging with the letters CINDERELLA'S BALL embroidered on it with gold thread. Or you can even use gold paint. Have all the adults in your family dress up like the two stepsisters, the stepmother and the fairy godmother. You can also have a Prince, a king and a queen. Or you can have painted posters or cut outs of these characters. 
Make a 'khoy bag' in the shape of a carriage or a pumpkin and fill it with goodies and hang it in the center of the hall. 
Make a cut out of a huge crown, a castle, a magic wand and a glass slipper and place it in the four corners of the hall. 
 

THE ENTERTAINMENT:

The best way to tackle this section is to put up an interactive little skit. This means that you can have small games at appropriate moments in the play that will make the children have more fun while watching the skit as well as give the characters a chance to change their clothes. In this way the children are not only watching the skit, but are actively participating in it.  E.g. when the fairy godmother is getting Cinderella ready for the ball, have the kids do the BOOGIE-WOOGIE. I.e." put your left hand in, put your left hand out. Put your left hand in and turn it all about. Do the boogie-woogie, that's what it is all about." 
Then when Cinderella reaches the ball, have the children get up and dance with the stepsisters, the prince and Cinderella. Here you can play the BIRDIE DANCE. 
Next Cinderella loses her slipper. So ask the children to get up once again and help Cinderella HUNT FOR THE GLASS SLIPPER.

 You can also have some other games besides those included in the skit. E.g.
MAGIC PARCEL: here you should have the children sitting in a circle and passing around a gaily-wrapped parcel while some music is playing. When the music stops, the child caught holding the magic parcel gets to open it and obtain a small gift placed in each layer. So the big difference here is that instead of a punishment each child receives a surprise gift. You can have small gifts like a key chain, a small puzzle book, a notepad or a small set of four sketch pens hidden in each layer. 
FOUR CORNERS: Here you should use the cutouts of the crown, the castle, the magic wand and the glass slipper as the four corners in the game. Ask the children to run around these 4 corners as you play music. When the music stops, ask each child to choose any corner to stand in. have the names of all the four corners placed on folded chits of paper and pick out any one each time the music stops. Whomsoever is in that particular corner gets disqualified. The winner is the only one finally left in the game. 

RETURN GIFTS:

1. A book of fairy tales.
2. A Walt Disney videocassette.
3. An audiocassette of nursery rhymes and stories.
4. A paint box and colouring book.

THE CAKE:

You can have a lovely cake in the shape of a carriage, a castle or even a glass slipper. If you order it in the shape of the magic wand, it would match the invitation card. Another option is a crown.

THE BIRTHDAY DRESS:

Dress her up as Cinderella at the Prince's Ball (and not in rags). You can make her wear a lacy frock with plenty of frills in white or pale yellow, peach or pink satin. It should be tied up with a huge bow to accentuate her waist. Slim heels or stilettos would be ideal if your child can carry it off. Give her a dainty gold string pouch to complete the outfit. 

AGE GROUP OF CHILDREN:

This theme would be ideal for children in the age group of 3 - 13 years. Even the slightly older children enjoy dressing up and could help you plan the party. You should also get them involved in making the decorations. 

PARTY FOOD:

This theme requires you to cook up dainty little items that are easy to munch. Avoid ungainly burgers or huge sandwiches and go in for finger foods and little bites like:

1. Mushroom, corn and chicken voul-au-vent cases.
2. Baked bean canapés
3. Cucumber and carrot slices with a mild garlic flavoured dip.
4. Chips and dip.
5. Wafer thin cheese and vegetable sandwiches.
6. Miniature idlis with a mild coconut chutney.
7. Chenna - multicoloured baby rasgollas.
8. Dragon rolls or vegetable finger rolls.