If you were planning to wow your friends and family with an amazing cake for a special occasion you would certainly want to use the best ingredients that you could find. Not everyone is a good cook and sometimes the end result is not up to expectations. Making sure you have all the right ingredients is a good start.

When it comes to jobs not everyone is cut out to be an electrician, a nurse or an accountant. Whilst we could all have a go at most things there is no doubt that our personal attributes, aptitudes and abilities mean that there will be some jobs for which we are perfectly matched and others which we are never ever going to be really good at no matter how hard we try.

children's entertainer

So what makes a good children’s entertainer? It’s easy to go out and buy a box of tricks and knock up some kind of fancy costume but this is just on the outside. It’s what’s inside that really counts. Here are some of the essential ingredients required in a good children’s entertainer.

• First and foremost anyone aspiring to be a children’s entertainer has to like kids! This may seem obvious especially if you are a loving parent but the fact is that there are plenty of people who would rather not have children running round under there feet or can only tolerate them in small doses. Unfortunately there are people who work with children in various occupations who do it just because it’s a job and not because they genuinely enjoy it.
• The next essential quality is patience. Children can be very challenging. When children become excited they can be noisy and silly and sometimes naughty too. A good children’s entertainer needs to have an abundance of patience.
• Must be energetic! This does not mean that an entertainer has to be bouncing around like a kangaroo all of the time but an energetic person brings a performance to life.
• A good imagination is also important. Children have incredible imaginations. They can quickly conjure up a world of make believe. A children’s entertainer needs to have the ability to step in and out of imaginary situations when story telling, improvising or performing shows and routines which have imaginary settings.
• Adaptability. Every audience is different by age group, gender, numbers and behaviour.  Venues also vary enormously too. It is necessary to be able to adapt to whatever situation presents itself on arrival for a show.
• Reliability is another essential quality. A children’s entertainer must be both reliable and punctual. Failing to turn up would leave the party or event organiser with a massive problem.
• A friendly personality, good manners and a sense of humour are also highly desirable.
• Enthusiasm! They say enthusiasm is infectious and it’s true, especially when working with kids. An enthusiastic person who loves their work will be able to keep the children interested and entertained without too much difficulty.

These are what could be described as the natural ingredients required to be a good children’s entertainer.

To this must be added knowledge gained from training courses, attending seminars and lectures as well as studying relevant books and video resources.

Last but not least is experience gained from years of practice and performance.

Being a children’s entertainer is a demanding job but one which is also very rewarding. Not everyone is suited to this type of work. Have you got what it takes? Do you agree with my list? Let me know what you think.