Do people still throw children's parties at home?

[Gigis]

When I was little, from about 4 to 10, I always used to have a birthday party at home. They would always be themed and wed play a mix of party games like pass the parcel and a mix of just running around burning off energy in the garden like tig. Mum and dad went to huge lengths to organise them and instead of pre made party bags everyone would take part in a treasure hunt at the end to find individually wrapped little toys or packs of crayons and sweets to collect and put in a party bag to take home. All my friends have commented since that they loved these parties more than the swimming pool ones/roller skating ones. I could only ever invite up to 10 people or so.
I see on here people talking about inviting entire classes to birthday parties which I guess youd need to rent a function room for or do an activity, so I was just wondering if old fashioned at home parties have totally died out for little kids or if anyone still does them?

Yes I’ve done lots for them at home (they are 8 and 12). Also done bowling, ski bobbing, cinema, so not at home. Also a combo of soft play or something out, then back to ours for tea. The eldest’s last 2 birthdays have been movie/pizza night at home.

We’ve never had a whole class party - always max of 10 depending on cost/location, sometimes only 4/5 for example.

Thanks! Very interesting to hear. As we got older we did more cinema, make your own pizza, movie night type parties too. I have really fond memories of them and my little one is too little for birthday parties at the moment but it got me thinking about when shes a bit older what I'll do. If a whole class thing is the norm when she starts school I suppose I'll feel some pressure to do that, but I think I'd feel a bit sad at not getting to do the at home with a handful of deliriously happy kids charging around outside on a treasure hunt!

I'd love to be able to do a party at home but our house is absolutely tiny, not much of a garden either! My daughter went to a party in a boys large garden where they had a bouncy castle and a BBQ and it was a lot nicer and more laid back than the usual soft play/village hall parties but obviously not something everyone has the space for.

I've only ever done home parties and most of DD's class does too. Maximum of 6 children invited (once did 8 and it was way too many). We don't have a garden so do craft or slime etc. Kids take home what they've made as their party favour plus some sweets and/or chocolates. Both mine have winter birthdays so I have to plan for indoors.
I could not afford a whole class party or renting somewhere or an organised activity for a group.

That's a very good point about space. I was incredibly lucky that my parents had a large enough space and garden when I was growing up (it felt massive when i was little but looking at it now it's not as big as I remember!) where we didn't feel restricted. My own house isnt as big, just a standard mid terrace with small garden out the back so I would have to limit the number of guests more than my parents did.

The cost of hiring out a room for an afternoon is something I've wondered about before too. And then if you invite the whole class - where do you store all the presents?! (And what do you do with duplicate tat?!)

My eldest is 4 and at pre-school and the majority of parties we've been to this year have been at the birthday child's home. They've been great, really relaxed.

Usually some sort of craft activity (decorate your own party bag, making super heroes masks, etc), a game of pass the parcel and some running about in the garden, then a birthday tea, cake and home.

Quite common where we are for parents to stay and have a glass of wine as well.

DD is 5 in November and I'm a swithering between doing the same, or hiring a hall so we can do a whole class party, as she'll still be fairly new in reception and so might not have particular friends yet.

I have four dc and I've only ever done two parties at home. Both were fourth birthdays and we hired a bouncy castle and did party games even though everyone enjoyed it it was hard work.
All the parents stayed so there were around 50 in total including kids. We are fortunate to have a decent size house and garden so space wasn't really an issue however it cost us much much more than doing a play centre and the clean up afterwards was a big job!
I really wouldn't do another one at home.

I have an october baby and December one on the way so use a hall because i can't rely on being able to chuck them in the garden!! Would be much simpler if i could

We had our 1st non at home party this year for our 11yo (go karting) prior to that we have had all parties at home for both our boys
We are lucky with late spring/early summer birthdays and a big garden (large conservatory & cheap gazebo when it rains)

Home parties are the best. Push your furniture up against the walls. Can you imagine a group of say 15 kids sitting in a circle? If yes then you've enough space.

Kids parties seem mad these days and they cost an absolute fortune and involve the whole class. It's like people are trying to our do each.other to make their kids party the best. When I was a kid you just invited your best friends and played a few party games.

I have done a couple of parties at home when my dd was older and really into crafts / baking. Space is key at parties I think so they needed to be old enough to be left (so you don’t have all those adults staying) and interested in things that involve sitting still or less space! So at 8 years old a craft and decorating pizza party worked really well at home - parents dropped and collected. At 9 she then had a successful ‘onesie’ party where they came in pjs, decorated cupcakes and watched a film with blankets etc.
Younger kids that need space to run around and all have an adult (and often uninvited siblings ) attending = hiring a hall ....

And yes - DD is a winter baby!! Should have mentioned that as otherwise garden is an option and I might have attempted more parties at home !!!!

Parties at home for first kid. Summer born, bbq, bouncy castle, trampoline type affair. One where I took 4 friends to the cinema with a party bag of food. That’s it.

Kid no 2 tea parties at home with butties, cake and toy boxes out. Only 2-3 of his friends though.

We have been to numerous whole class invited church hall/soft play room hire outs etc. Too much, too expensive, too much fuss, too much stress at who will and won’t turn up. So no, we won’t do these.

It doesn’t even cross my mind to do the big thing. I once priced it up, no, it’s not our thing at all.

I've done todler parties at home but our place is really too small for any number of bigger kids.
We're part of a block that backs onto an enclosed green space though. One year, if the weather looks reliable, I'm tempted to comandeer the entire area for a massive game of Capture the Flag follwed by a BBQ.

I would referee from the deck access walkway.

We’ve been to one whole class party. All the rest have been a selection of friends.

Whole class party for first year of school and had that in a hall as no way I’d have them all in house! Next year though it’ll be smaller so maybe have it in house then...I like the baking/craft/movie idea.

We didn't used to, as our old house was too small really. But we have just moved to a decent sized house so DD has asked for a party at home. What makes me nervous though is that I work pretty much full time but juggling it around the children being in school/in bed, so finding the time to prepare for the party is going to be tough! So despite having a suitable house now I think I will still lean towards zero effort 'hosted' parties mainly.

What I won't ever do again is any "price per head" parties as too many parents have no social skills and don't reply /fail to show up etc making it really stressful. Which is a shame because I would happily pay for them if people had the decency to RSVP. I've seen mums who have stretched themselves to pay for this type of party and then a handful of people don't show up as and it's just so thoughtless and wasteful.

We only did a big party at home once (when the hall we'd hired got cut off by snow). Our house is tiny and the DCs were only 4 so all the parents stayed (probably about 15 each of adults and children), they couldn't all be in one room but filled the entire downstairs, so there were no party games, snow was too deep for the garden, we just got all the toys out and let them play, then did food and cake as a buffet from the kitchen counter. We did smaller tea parties later but limited to about 4 friends. I can only dream of a living room big enough to fit 15 children in a circle.

We’ve done both. Both were fun but we found that parents stayed even at our house (6th birthday so we’d said people didn’t have to) so it was quite crowded (6 friends plus siblings as we have DS2 too). Both were quite fraught in terms of time to set them up etc.

Next year I’ve persuaded DS1 that pizza and bowling is the way forward. More expensive but at lot less hassle for me.

I think lots of children have their friends over to play and for tea a lot of the time nowadays ( my DC always have friends here) so a Birthday party at home doesn't seem like an 'event' when every weekend our house is full of friends eating and running wild playing games.

My 6 all have home parties and I always invite the whole class!

Sometimes I rent out a bouncy castle and bbq but it depends on whose birthday it is, I have 4 winter borns!

Have had to stop doing at home parties now my dc is school age. Loved it in the toddler years. But found each child brings usually both parents and often a sibling (or even two! In a couple of cases). So inviting just 8 friends turned in to big gathering of 25-30 people including us. More than our tiny house can comfortably accommodate and no fun at all to host and tidy up after. Hiring somewhere / activity is easier.