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Original poster

Ds1 party at home......help please!

33 replies

ImFree2doasiwant · 06/07/2021 12:59

DS1 is desperate for a birthday party. I've decided to have one at home. Have invited about 12 few more to hand out. Hoping about 6 will turn up Grin

I'm going to do party games,traditional birthday party stuff, but got 2 hours to fill.

Pass the parcel
Pin the tail.
Sleeping lions

Musical statues.
If I can get hold of one to borrow, hook a duck.
Food and cake.
Should I do an activity??
Anything else?

If its nice weather they can play in the garden too.

OP posts:
BlueChampagne · 06/07/2021 13:04

A craft activity would fill time and give them something extra to take home (so you can do smaller party bags). Does the party have a theme?

PunishmentSnart · 06/07/2021 13:06

How old is he?

ApolloandDaphne · 06/07/2021 13:06

Try not to do too many things with rules because they get so hyper that they don't listen. Do a dancing competition where they all dance and you dole out small 'prizes' to all of them. A tub of small sweets for them to choose from will suffice. They probably won't be interested in an activity. If it is dry just let them tear about the garden. Maybe set out an obstacle course for them to gallop over like horses.

ApolloandDaphne · 06/07/2021 13:07

In my head I thought I read he was 6 but now I see the age isn't mentioned!

TeenMinusTests · 06/07/2021 13:11

That won't fill 2 hours, you need a lot more planned.

Dependent on numbers and weather and size of house:

Arrival - free play. Make sure your DS has put any favourite or new toys out of reach/sight and only things he is happy to have played with by others are available. String this out for as long as possible, but be ready to stop it with a game as soon as they become wild/over exhausted.

Games - The ones you have are fine but will last about 15 mins tops if you don't watch out. Additional games - musical bumps, corners, simon says. Numerous with small prizes and make sure everyone gets a chance at winning. Plus prizes for musical statues like best dancer etc.

Activity - cookie decoration, or some kind of easy craft based on theme. If good weather make a fort and have a water fight? Mini football 'tournament' penalty shoot out?
Hide and seek around the house if you aren't too bothered, hunt the straws in the garden.

After food free play again.

I only ever did 90min parties at home. You can have too much of a good thing...

Tickly · 06/07/2021 13:11

What about decorating biscuits with icing and lollies, pile of garden toys to run around with?

Original poster
ImFree2doasiwant · 06/07/2021 13:13

He is 6. There will be mostly 5 and 6 yr olds, boys and girls. Occasional 4 yr old.

I wondered about "rules". I'm just worried about the weather being crap and being stuck in the house.

OP posts:
Original poster
ImFree2doasiwant · 06/07/2021 13:15

Space theme. Decorating biscuits sounds like a good idea.

@TeenMinusTests that's my worry, I feel like I want to give them stuff to focus on. Some sort of garden hunt is a great idea too

OP posts:
TeenMinusTests · 06/07/2021 13:17

I think you need to be clear in your own head about what is or isn't allowed.

  • can they go upstairs to play - if not then set up a no entry sign, or on all the rooms upstairs if need to use toilet upstairs
  • are you happy for them to be elsewhere once games have started (I wouldn't be - they don't have to join in but should be in the room)
  • wash hands before eating, food and drink at designated place only
  • channel your inner teacher if need be
TeenMinusTests · 06/07/2021 13:19

Space theme. lovely. Smile
decorate your own planet. make your own alien mask (that's a good one for early on, and they can wear them for games).

If you don't know them all then stickers with name on will help you a lot, so much easier to be able to say a name when needed.

TeenMinusTests · 06/07/2021 13:22

(NB. I don't do well with chaos, so I probably go for more structure and less free flow, you may be far more relaxed).

ChocolateRiver · 06/07/2021 13:27

Could you hire a bouncy castle for the day? These have always gone down well in the past.

namechange93andaquarter · 06/07/2021 13:29

Personally I'd avoid the tub of sweets for prizes thing as the combination of over excitement, dancing, jumping about and sweets often ends in one or more of the dcs being sick. Or maybe it's just mine that do that!

Baker Ross have some great craft kits that are good fun and not expensive

Baker Ross

ZingDramaQueenOfSheeba · 06/07/2021 13:36

depends on age.
for primary & lower junior they like decorating their own pizzas.
I buy the smaller ones (6"/15cm diameter), anything bigger and you'll end up with a lot of waste.

alternate one calm activity with one hyper.

this is what we do:

  • free play on arrival
  • once everyone is there we do cake & sing happy birthday (not eating it at this point), then do pass the parcel & musical chairs.
  • decorate pizzas with me.
- go for treasure hunt all over the house with DH. this takes and good 15 mins While the food is cooking I cut up cake and put wrapped slices in party bags.
  • eat food
  • free play in garden or house, they can build a tent with blankets or play with toys/lego. not fussed at this point.
jellybeanteaparty · 06/07/2021 13:39

Have more up your sleeve than you think you need - you can move on quickly if they are not enjoying something. Adapt familiar games e.g. sleeping lions becomes sleeping astronauts ( gives you 5 minutes of quiet time!) Parce the moon rock etc. Moon walk relay using weighted adult shoes and some kind of rocket matinence task like threading a rope through a tube. Space food tasting like freeze dried ice cream and space dust. Make meteorites with scrunched up Newspaper and have a meteor storm where you let them throw them about along with some foam shooting stars. I was always surprised how much they enjoyed simple things like that!

TheTeenageYears · 06/07/2021 13:40

If you have some space, balloons will keep them entertained for a while. We once got them all to decorate a sheet of paper with stickers, colouring etc and then stapled them into cones. Put a tray of sweets in the middle of the kids in a circle and they had to take it in turns picking a sweet to go in their cones. They were surprisingly well behaved and all took it in turns, we just went round and round until they were all gone.

MikeHat · 06/07/2021 13:46

A good garden game.
Two teams.
Hide lengths of brightly coloured wool , say red and green around the garden. Lots of them.
One team collects red and one green and they tie the pieces together
Set a timer and the team with the longest length at the end wins.

Original poster
ImFree2doasiwant · 06/07/2021 13:50

Love these ideas, thank you!! I'm feeling a bit better about it now!

OP posts:
Lettitbee · 06/07/2021 13:53

Wrapping each other up in toilet paper (like an astronaut?) is a game that's gone down well at DDs parties when she was little. Maybe could have an activity to make a 'helmet' from junk too?

smaragda · 06/07/2021 14:04

Collect a bunch of loo rolls, cereal boxes etc and they can make rockets or space ships, alien masks out of paper plates and bit of wool to tie,

PunishmentSnart · 06/07/2021 14:09

A Bouncy Castle and outdoor play. Don't do too much 'organised fun' at that age.

If there's over 6 of them don't do pin the tail, they'll get bored of waiting for their turn.

Musical statues/bumps and pass the parcel is good though. Dance competition?

Talipesmum · 06/07/2021 14:15

Agree that having a quiet v simple craft activity at the side is good for the shyer or tired children who don’t quite feel up to joining in. You could just print out loads of colouring in space rocket / alien pictures and have pencil crayons and foam stickers etc to decorate with.

If giving out small prizes throughout, make sure they all have a bag they can put said prizes in as they go along, or there will be giant arguments and tears.

Piñata toys are excellent for small plastic tat prizes.

Musical funny faces (or “funny alien faces”) is my fav game for little kids parties - they pull funny faces / silly poses when the music stops and you choose the funniest face. Obv you fix it so they all have a chance at winning, and nobody is ever out, so no chance of tears.

Pass the parcel is a good one to have before party food - it gets them all sitting down in preparation rather than having to summon them inside from wild running around.

Ask your child how the teacher gets the class attention at school. Our infant school had a special clap which the teacher did, and all the kids would stop what they were doing and clap it back, and listen quietly. I used it no end at parties. It was like actual magic.

Talipesmum · 06/07/2021 14:17

Oh, and pre-write two sets of name labels (on those white parcel address labels) in bright sharpie for each child. One label goes on their water bottle - saves mixups and less spillage than cups - and stick the other on the child as they arrive. On their back is good so you can summon them as they disappear round the corner!

motogogo · 06/07/2021 14:34

Great activity that is also food is make your own pizza (you provide bases or mini cheese & tomato pizzas plus toppings)

KingscoteStaff · 06/07/2021 14:42

I always had a big roll of lining paper and HAPPY BIRTHDAY outlined - early arrivals spread along it colouring in (scribbling) with crayons + pens and then we drawing-pinned it to the fence. You could staple on rocket colouring sheets too.

I love the 'astronaut suit out of loo paper' idea.