Seasonal ideas for an autumn garden party with children

Plan around the light, not the clock

The most common mistake with an autumn party is treating it like a summer one with jumpers on. In late September you might still have daylight until around half seven in the evening, but by the end of October sunset can land before half four, and once the clocks go back the darkness arrives with no warning at all. Work backwards from sunset rather than forwards from lunch. If you want a solid two hours of play, start at two o'clock and finish with food indoors or under cover. If you are hosting after school on a weekday, accept that much of the party will run by artificial light and plan for it from the beginning rather than improvising at five o'clock with a phone torch in your mouth.

Set the scene with pumpkins, lanterns and a cosy corner

Autumn gives you the best free decorations of the year. A few pumpkins on the doorstep, a bale of straw to sit on, and a string of warm-white fairy lights will do more for the atmosphere than any amount of paper bunting. If you want the children involved, set up a pumpkin decorating table with acrylic pens and sticky foam shapes rather than carving knives, and keep sharp tools for adults only at a separate table well away from where children are running.

A cosy corner is worth its weight in gold. Push a couple of garden chairs together, pile on blankets and cushions, and you have somewhere a tired or overwhelmed child can retreat to. It also gives adults somewhere to sit with a mug in hand while keeping an eye on everything.

• Pumpkins in mixed sizes for steps, tables and a decorating station
• Fairy lights on a battery pack, so no trailing cables across wet grass
• Waterproof picnic blankets or a tarpaulin underfoot if the ground is damp
• A basket of cheap fleece blankets that can be washed afterwards

Get the best from a bouncy castle in cooler weather

Inflatables work brilliantly in autumn, but the ground conditions matter more than the temperature. Damp grass is slippery, so ask for the castle to be sited on the flattest, best-drained part of the lawn and have a groundsheet or mat at the entrance so muddy shoes do not go straight onto the bounce surface. Check the anchoring carefully: in soft ground, stakes need to be long and well driven, and on hard standing you will need sandbags or weight bags instead.

Wind is the real risk. Inflatables should not be used in high winds or heavy rain, and any reputable hire company will have a cut-off point they work to. Have a plan for what happens if the weather turns mid-party, because standing around watching a deflating castle is miserable for everyone. If you are hiring, mention that it is an autumn event and ask what they recommend for wet grass. Most will supply a cover or advise on positioning, and many will let you move the booking indoors to a hall if you give enough notice.

Keep a towel by the entrance and wipe the bounce surface down between groups. Children in wellies should take them off before bouncing, and it is worth having a box of spare socks to hand.

Warm drinks, simple food and somewhere to sit down

Hot drinks transform a chilly party. Hot chocolate is the obvious winner, but spiced apple juice goes down just as well and is dairy-free. Serve in insulated flasks or lidded cups so nothing gets knocked over onto a bounce surface, and set up a drinks station on a sturdy table away from the play area.

• Hot chocolate with marshmallows and a jug of squirty cream
• Spiced apple juice or warm squash for children who find cocoa too rich
• Tomato soup in mugs for a savoury option that fills everyone up
• Sausage rolls, cheese straws and apple slices rather than fiddly party food
• A flask of tea or coffee for the adults doing the supervising

Keep food indoors or under a gazebo. Anything left out on a damp afternoon goes soggy fast, and wasps are still about well into October.

Always have an indoor plan B

Decide in advance what the trigger is for moving inside, whether that is rain, wind or simply a temperature that has dropped too far. Tell parents on the invitation that the party will move indoors if the weather turns, and make sure the indoor space is ready before guests arrive rather than being cleared in a panic. A living room with a den-building corner, a craft table and a film queued up will hold a group of six-year-olds for far longer than you would expect. If you have booked an inflatable, ask the hire company about their wet-weather policy at the time of booking, and find out how much notice they need to switch to an indoor venue.

Light the way for early dark evenings

Once the light goes, safety matters more than atmosphere. Give each child a torch or head torch, which they will treat as a party favour anyway, and use battery lanterns rather than candles anywhere near play equipment. Keep paths, steps and the route to the loo lit with a few solar or battery lights so nobody trips in the dark. Glow sticks in a jar make a lovely centrepiece and cost very little.

Avoid trailing extension leads across wet grass, and never run cables near an inflatable. If you are using outdoor heaters, keep them well away from children and from anything that could blow into them. With light, warmth and a flask of something hot, an autumn garden party can be every bit as good as a summer one, and considerably more memorable.