How do I run a pizza-making activity at a party?

Choose the pizza bases and toppings

Use one kind of base for the main activity. That way you can check its cooking instructions and how many fit on a tray before you buy for the whole party. Individual dough bases, naan and English muffin halves are all possible starting points, but they make different-sized servings. Try the one you plan to serve, then decide whether guests will need seconds or a side dish.

Put sauce, cheese and each topping in separate bowls. For example, you could offer pepperoni, bell peppers, mushrooms, olives and sweetcorn, and change the selection to suit your guests and recipe. These are examples, not a set menu.

Tell families whether the pizzas are the meal or part of a snack party. Don't assume guests have already eaten. If pizza is the main meal, plan full servings and possibly a side. If it is one item on a snack table, smaller servings may be enough. Your trial batch will help you decide.

Once you've decided whether pizza is the meal or a snack, plan the sides, drinks, dessert and serving time around that choice. The guide to a pizza party menu and serving schedule covers deciding whether to order or make pizza and choosing toppings.

Set up the table and test your oven batches

Arrange supplies in the order guests use them: bases, sauce, cheese, then topping bowls. Give each bowl its own serving spoon or tongs, and put ingredient information beside it. Leave room for each guest's plate or tray instead of covering the whole table with bowls. Keep refills nearby.

Set aside one spot for pizzas waiting to cook and another for finished trays. Name one adult to handle the oven and trays, and have someone else help guests at the table. Keep drinks away from the path between the table and the oven.

Before the party, give each adult a named job: who handles the oven, who helps at the assembly table and who watches guests waiting away from the oven. Agreeing on parents' roles in advance means each adult knows their job when guests arrive.

Before the party, cook a test batch using the base, tray and oven you will use on the day. Follow the recipe or package directions for temperature and cooking. Count how many pizzas fit on the tray, then work out how many batches you need. Illustrative example: 8 individual pizzas with 4 fitting per batch means 2 batches. That number doesn't tell you how long cooking will take. Write down the actual directions and allow time for changing trays and serving.

Show guests how to make their pizzas

Keep the demonstration to about a minute, then help guests one at a time. Try the steps with your chosen base beforehand so you know what to show.

• Take one base and find your place. Everyone starts with one pizza, and a helper writes down whose pizza goes in each tray position.
• Add sauce and cheese as shown, following your recipe's amounts. Guests can leave either off if that is the version you agreed with their family.
• Choose toppings using the spoon or tongs that belong to each bowl, and leave them with that bowl.
• Hand the pizza to the adult doing the cooking, who puts it in the recorded tray position. Guests then go to the waiting activity instead of crowding around the oven.
• A helper clears the place, replaces utensils if needed and refills bowls before inviting the next guest.

What to do while the pizzas cook

Put paper and markers on a separate table. Guests can draw a pizza for an imaginary restaurant menu, give it a name and show it when they're done. There's no winner, and guests can stop when their food is ready.

For a short guessing game, try I Spy with things everyone can see from their seats. One guest chooses an object and says its color. Go around once, giving each guest who wants to play one guess; anyone can pass. Reveal the object after a correct guess or once everyone has had a chance, then the next guest chooses. When food arrives, reveal the current object and stop. Don't start a long game when the next tray is nearly ready.

Example 90-minute pizza party schedule

This is an illustrative schedule, not a baking-time recommendation. Only use it if your test batch shows that all the batches, tray changes and serving fit into the cooking period. If they don't, start cooking earlier, make the party longer or simplify the food. The schedule assumes pizza is the meal, with dessert served afterwards.

Check the whole party, not just the cooking: arrivals, assembly, your tested batches, eating, dessert and pickup. A guide on whether 90 minutes is long enough for a kids party points out that its sample food time is for snacks, not a full meal.

• Total: 10 + 20 + 25 + 20 + 10 + 5 = 90 minutes. Add time wherever your guests or cooking setup need it.
• A cupcake-decorating activity is an extra activity with its own tools and time. It won't fit into the 10-minute dessert slot.

Write down your oven batches

After your test batch, write down the base or recipe, its cooking directions, how many pizzas fit per batch, the total number of pizzas, the number of batches, and the names of the cooking adult and table helper. During the party, keep a simple record for each batch so pizzas go back to the right guests. Keep any individual food arrangements in notes for the people handling the food.

Finish the activity and check you're ready

The activity ends once everyone who wants to take part has made their agreed pizza. Before pickup, collect drawings and belongings and clear the activity table. You don't need prizes; guests have their meal and can take their drawing home.

• Confirm who is eating, including staying adults and siblings, and follow up on food needs before you shop.
• Cook a test batch with your actual base, trays and oven.
• Write down how many fit on a tray, the cooking directions and the number of batches.
• Gather bases, sauce, cheese, toppings, bowls, serving spoons or tongs, trays, plates and napkins.
• Count the places at the table and write a turn order if guests need to take turns.
• Name the cooking adult and the table helper.
• Set up paper and markers at a separate waiting table.
• Set out wipes, trash bags and a spot for used bowls and utensils.
• Confirm the food, finish time and pickup details with families.

Sources and further reading

• Pizza Making Party Activity

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