Help me plan a party at home for a 7 year old...please!

[snowgirl1]

It's DDs 7th birthday soon, she wants a party at home. She's been saying she wants it at home pretty much since her last birthday. For previous birthdays, we've done soft play or village hall with an entertainer. I could do with some help planning what to do to keep them entertained (when I asked DD she said she'd like games, like pass the parcel).
So...
3pm children arrive - what do you get them to do to keep them entertained until everyone arrives??
3.15pm - start party games: pass the parcel, musical chairs, limbo, musical statues. 5 - 10 minutes a game, that's only 20 - 40 minutes so would take us to 3.25pm - 3.45pm. What other games can we play?? I'm guessing I need something that will take me up to 4.15pm
4.15pm - birthday tea
4.45pm - birthday cake. Cut it up and put in party bags
5pm - children get collected

I've told DD she can't have her whole class - she's fine with that, but what's a realistic number? Do you get other people to help? Do I need to think of a theme?

Hit me with your tips for parties at home, please!

Have you got space for a little parachute and do parachute games?
Also team races - ones where each person has to run and put on a silly outfit or collect balls etc
I’d have music and disco lights on when they arrive with balloons everywhere- kids will be happy throwing balloons and running round for 15-20 mins

Unless you have a mansion then I would say 6-8 kids is plenty!

Decide on a theme. DD has a hello kitty party so we did - cupcake decorating, bracket making (some hello kitty kits I got in home bargains) , picture colouring, pin the bow on kitty, etc etc

I would have colouring when they get there, then do games and activities. I would probably also have a short film or something on standby so you can sit them down with some popcorn if they get too unruly.

My tip - make the parents leave!

Definitely drop off only! Eating chocolate with gloves on and knives and forks game (child who throws a six gets a go meanwhile other children are trying to throw a six)

I would have music on in one room so that they can dance and leave you free to greet the guests who are arriving.
Paper party bags that they can decorate before the games, that way they have somewhere to put any little prizes that they win. I think one year I bought white paper cups and plates that the kids could name and decorate after a previous party when everyone's drinks got muddled up!

Arrival.
They will probably happily 'free play' for a while. Stretch it as long as possible. Your DD must put away any toys she doesn't want them to play with, preferably in a cupboard.

Games.
Take less time than you think.
Pin the tail on the Pikachu.
Simon Says.
Corners Game if you have enough room.
If you have a room that can make a mess then here are two chocolate games:

• take in turn to throw a dice. if you get a 6 you have to put on hat gloves and scarf and use a knife and fork to unwrap a chocolate bar cut off a square and eat it. While you are doing this the others are trying to get a 6. If someone does you have to stop, undress from the gloves etc, they dress up and take over.
• make a sandcastle from flour in a small-medium bowl. balance a chocolate on the top. children take it in turns to slice off the flour trying not to make the chocolate fall. if they do they have to use just their mouth to rescue and eat the chocolate.

Hide and seek always goes down well in our house but you need enough rooms to make it work. Sleeping lions is a good one for just before meal.

I never did a party at home for longer than 90mins. I think the last 30mins things run out of steam (from other parties I have attended).

I think you'll be surprised by how long party games can take, actually, but it's a good idea to have some in reserve just in case. Off the top of my head:

Wink Murder
Grandmother's Footsteps
What's the Time, Mr Wolf?
Eat the Chocolate (two teams: get them to line up and each team member has to take it in turns to put on a hat, scarf and gloves, cut off and eat a square of chocolate off a big block with a knife and fork before taking off the woolies and running to the back of the line while next team member takes over. Winning team is the one whose members all manage to eat a square first)
Heads Down, Thumbs Up (good for calming them down if over-excited!)
The sweetie game: put a load of pick and mix sweets on a table, preferably with one or two bigger/more exciting sweets mixed in. Each child takes it in turn to go outside the door while those inside decide on a sweet that is "it". Child comes back in and starts taking sweets one by one to put into a bag. When they choose the "it" sweet they have to stop taking any more and it's the next child's turn.
Bus Stops: have four corners to the room with different "bus stop" style names (local places etc). Put music on and let children dance about. When music stops all run to whichever corner they like. Then you read out a (pre-prepared) card with a spiel about why the bus going to one particular stop isn't coming. Children in that corner are out. Game continues until only one child is left in. They are the winner.
Stop Thief (blindfolded child has to sit on a chair and listen while another child tries to sneak up and steal some keys or similar from underneath the chair. If blindfolded child manages to point straight at approaching child, they win. If approaching child manages to get keys, they win).
Pin the tail on the donkey
Twister, if you have or can borrow a set
Balloon tails: each child has a balloon on a string tied to his/her waist. Children run around trying to pop other balloons while avoiding having their own popped. Winner is last owner of an intact balloon. (Do not play this if you have children at the party who are v rowdy or liable to get out of hand!)
Treasure hunt with coded clues (make clear in advance if there are any rooms out of bounds)

To break up party games you can also do a few magic-trick style games like the "mindreading" game.

To keep them entertained at the start you can provide them with a paper plate or paper party hat and some felt tips or crayons and get them to colour them in. They then get to use said item later in the party.
Realistic number depends on how big your house is and what help you might have on the day. I wouldn't do more than half the class maximum if you're not doing a whole-class party.

I did the following for DDs 7th bday
Pin the carrot on Olaf ( just bought a poster and made carrots from card)
Musical Lilypads ( card on floor that they stand on instead of musical chairs)
Pass the parcel ( twice) they love it.
We decorated book marks etc , so plenty of colors, stickers, feathers etc.
Lucky Dip ( lots of wrapped up stuff from pound shop)
I used a whistle for stop everything and dance, hop, jump whatever...

Treasure hunt with clues leading to another clues.

Oh, thanks so much. These are brilliant ideas. I used to play the chocolate game when I was a child and loved it - how I forgotten about it!

We sat around the table and decorated cupcakes.

Dd’s had been given loads of bead sets, so the girls sat down and made bracelets and necklaces.

We did the usual of pass the parcel and musical statues. It only lasted 2 hours including food and singing ‘Happy Birthday’.

I have always loved doing parties at home.

Have a treasure hunt planned for when they arrive that can be staggered so it finishes just after the last one has arrived.

Get each child to write their name and decorate a brown payer bag on arrival or cardboard cup. Use it for them to collect any prizes in.

Then pin the tail, nose, hat or whatever on something.

Musical statues.

Pass the hat - Sit in a circle pass a hat around each one puts it on then passes it over. Whoever is wearing it when music stops is out.

Corners - pictures in each corner of the room - in keeping with the party theme. They dance around and when music stops all choose a corner (sometimes they all go together sometimes split up). A helper with back turned chooses one of the four corners by picture and everyone in that corner is out.

Duck duck goose if you have room

Ring on a string.

Musical cushions (like chairs)

Sleeping lions

Tea - have place settings written on balloons to avoid arguments.

Pass the parcel

Then a lucky dip

Dance competition - prizes for “best pirouette”. “Best now”. “Best hopping etc”. Chance for each child who hasn’t won something to win.

I always have a “losers bucket” filled with small treats - stickers, fun sized chocolate bars, chocolate coins etc so each child picks a treat when out - it goes in the decorated cup or bag.

Have a theme. One year I bought plain white t shirts and did iron on pictures of our theme as “party bags”.

I usually managed about 15 children at home. Parents drop and go. But make sure you have a couple of helpers.

what about :

Eating doughnuts off string.

Roll dice, put on hat/scarf/gloves, ear chocolate with knife and fork.

Young girls might like dancing, put on some music.

How many guests depends on house size really.
I wouldn’t worry about scheduling every minute. A few games and some balloons to bat about and some music to dance to will be more than enough. They will probably want some time to just chat and play together.