Childens party- please give me your tips! I’m terrified!

[Crayzeefrog]

So DD is going to be 4 soon and I’ve invited 15 kids to our house for a party. Parents will be staying (god knows where we are going to seat all of these people)

Please please please give me your best tips for kids food/adult food/games/party bags/prizes/getting people to leave etc

Last year we were in lockdown so I haven’t thrown her a proper party before and everyone else seems to have gone for soft play parties (for a very good reason it seems!). I feel out of my depth.

@ExplodingCarrots

I hope you have a big house. I done this for my DDs 5th birthday party . House is a medium sized bungalow but big garden. I underestimated how behaved 4/5 year olds would be . They won't stay where you want them to and will want to go in your bedroom and destroy everything . Also try and raid your fridge. Tried again for a Halloween party and kids were 7/8 years old and they behaved worse. Vowed never again. Make sure there's plenty of structure . I agree something like a 20 minute disco with musical bumps etc .

I think this pp has been unlucky. We’ve never had fridge raiders or bedroom crashers!

DGD was at a party at the weekend on an estate. They had a full size bouncy castle in one of the rooms.

I meant a paper bag per child for the food. And yy to pp who said they won't just sit where they're told to, although having the parents there should help with that - do you know at least some of the parents well enough to ask them to guard eg the stairs??

Just be aware those with a younger child or a child a year older will likely bring them to. So when you ask people to RSVP ask them to tell you exactly who will be attending as in one or both parents and names of all children.

In regards to fridges being raided, people going into bedrooms, etc make sure you invite other adult family members or friends with their children around the same age you know well, who at home in your home to stop any poor behaviour. (Poor behaviour includes stopping people putting shitty nappies in inappropriate places. )

Oh and offer the same food plus alcohol to the adults.

Oh my goodness thank you - so many excellent tips already! You are all geniuses! Party is for 2 hours from 11-1 so definitely lunch will be involved. Parents are mostly our friends and family.

I wouldn't encourage parents to stay. It's much easier to tell children what to do without them there. Definitely have a holding activity e.g. colouring, for everyone to do on arrival until they are all there. I would say nobody allowed upstairs except for the toilet. Plan and write down what activities you are doing. You will need more than you think. Premade boxes or bags with sandwich(jam/nutella/houmous), crisps, bun and carton of juice is easier than a buffet tea. You need party bags to signal the end so they all leave I wouldn't do booze for adults to be honest. Leave out stuff for tea and coffee and let them help themselves.

Something I learned is to give kids juice boxes / fruit shoots / little water bottles. If you give 3 - 4 year olds open cups there will be liquid everywhere. Mine managed to spill her cup all down herself at one party, and the table got covered by someone else, so when the next party we went to had juice boxes I thought what a good idea!

I did a few parties at home when dc were younger. I used to write a plan for the party. Iel. List the games, food time etc.

Games
Musical statues
Pin the tail
Pass the parcel (after food)
Sleeping lions
Etc

Sometimes sit and sing some songs

Party bag - I used to do these, and often put a book in with some sweets in.

I’ve never had kids go into my bedroom or fridge.

Food - small sandwiches, crisps, sausages rolls, pizza etc,

Have some busy games to start with to work off some energy and some quieter ones later to chill out. Statues/sleeping lions,.etc.
Anyone any good with face paints? Have a quiet corner with someone doing a simple motif/design or stick on tattoos (really easy to do)

I’d make sure there are lots of toys out for general free play as well as party games. I was at a party for 3/4 year olds this weekend and it felt awkward as there wasn’t much to play with and some kids didn’t want to play the games (they did pin the tail on the donkey with a scarf round the eyes and my daughter was terrified!)

I did a party at home for my 4 year old last week. We only had a few children but I put the party bags in the centre of the pass the parcel so all children got the same. My daughter had told me she would be upset if she didn't win pass the parcel! I also got some crafty bits from Baker Ross which were cheap and easy.

Hot dogs (veg) & pizza are easy party foods that work for most.

It will be the first and last party you ever do!!

Keep it simple. Good if you can have a calm activity away from the chaos if any kids are over whelmed

I’ve just come home from a party at a friends house.

We had hot dogs, crisps, party rings and grapes.

The kids had colouring out for an activity, they did pass the parcel, musical statues and musical spots (like musical chairs but with sport spot markers). Every child gets a sweet as they’re out, then the winner gets a plastic medal and a sweet.

The sweet is key, as they’re happy to be out!

When my DD had a 4th party at home I set up free play activities in the different rooms to keep them occupied in between times: i think we had something like a marble run in one, magnetic fishing game in another, stilts and space hopper outside…

I always do all food veggie. Unless you know all the dietary requirements it's easier as there is often a vegetarian child/ child who eats halal/ kosher. I once made the mistake of doing jelly and this caused a big fuss.

Party bags an absolute must to signal time to leave. At this age a party can be even shorter - 1.5 hours is fine

Lots of adult helpers is useful

We did DD’s 4 birthday at home and whilst it was a lovely experience (😂) I am forever grateful that one of my friends quietly deliverooed me a bottle of wine that appeared as the children were eventually leaving!
Simon Says worked well when the chaos hit its peak. Definitely have a plan, we didn’t, stupidly had an open door policy (lots of relatives and friends kids were a similar age) and although it was fine in the end I have never felt so frazzled in my life! Party bags were cake, a sheet of stickers (£1 for 5 in sainsburys) a balloon and a little packet of haribo.
Good luck!

Arrive.
Music/dance.
Party games - prizes when you are 'out' too. Bag of lollipops. Book prize for winner.
Lunch - sandwiches, pizza, crisps, party rings, chocolate fingers, grapes, cucumber and baby plum tomatoes.
Sing happy birthday.
Eat cake.
Go home with a party bag.
Paper plates and cups, balloons, banner, squash.

Be prepared for spillage and mess.
If you have cream carpet and sofas then cover them up
If dc have favourite toys hide them away so they don't get broken or lost or damaged

Party bags
Small box of smarties
Fun size chocolate bar
Lollipop
Pencil
Colouring in sheet
Sheet of stickers

This is all low waste, cheap to source, and well received.

15 kids is a lot for a party at Home. I did a lot of home parties when mine were little but don't think ever had more than 10 including birthday child. If not to late I'd reduce the numbers a bit.
Be prepared that a few kids won't join in or will just play with toys rather than party games .
Hedgehogs is a good game - they crawl around the room then all go 'to sleep' and you cover one child with a blanket and 'wake' other kids up and they have to guess who's covered up- a good game cos kids like it but no prizes needed! Also things like grandmothers footsteps .
Be prepared for lunch to be very quick- kids tend not to eat as much as you think and avoid sandwiches so don't plan on that taking very long.
It's worth having some kind of easy craft type thing that you can bring out if you run out of activities or a little disco . With 15 kids though things likepass the parcel will take quite a while as you need a layer for each kid really.
Don't get into making tea for the parents as that's a massive faff when you're trying to run a party- either get them to help themselves or just leave out cold drinks. In my experience parents of kids this young wouldn't drink at a lunchtime kids party so I would save your money on booze, I offered it once at my sons fourth birthday party and some of the mums looked a bit shocked!

Just to add the kids will find it such a novelty coming to a party at home and will love going to something that's not a soft play type thing for a change

@LethargeMarg hedgehogs game is genius, going to add that to the list!

What about getting some white tshirts and fabric pens? Time spent decorating their tshirt and they get to take them home.
Make some big bowls of colourful jelly and get some tubs of ice cream and paper bowls.
I agree with cartons / harder to spill drinks.

Make your pass the parcel layers obviously different eg. Wrapping paper then newspaper then magazine pages, and don't wrap too well.

Musical statues. That Superman! song and hokey cokey.