5th birthday party veteran mums...

[Jet888]

Help a mum out with ideas/decisions.

Have booked sports hall that comes with bouncy castle for son's 5th birthday in month or so. We can put other things, toys etc whatever really in the hall. No problem, thought I.
I was in the hall today for a baby group and thought, Holy s**t this hall is big! So now I'm panicking. I've got some ideas. Tell me which are good, which will be rubbish and hit me with other ideas please!
I'm happy to organise stuff and make stuff (within reason...) Don't want to spend tons more cash. Food bit all sorted so it's just activities when they're not on bouncy castle. 25 kids, mainly boys, aged 4-5. Bonus points if you have suggestions on a cars/disney Cars specifically theme..

Ideas so far.

Throwing Beanbags into buckets
Hula hoops
Splat a rat
Pass parcel
Musical bumps
Simon says
What's time Mr wolf
Duck duck goose
Parachute games
Bouncy castle
Balloon popping/keep in air
Corners
Decorate crowns with stickers/ craft table/playdoh
Hokey cokey
Water based tattoos
Balloon over head, through legs game
Skittles with a ball
Car mat out with cars/trucks, train tracks out
duplo box out

THANKYOU!!!

I think it depends what you are envisaging - and if you are used to getting 25 small people who are hyped up to do something you want, all at once.

If they are just turning 5, then I'm going to presume they will only just be starting school. Plenty of those games are good with Beavers or Brownies, and so on, but the children are another couple of years older, and usually have less than 25 there and usually have the example of most of the other dc knowing what the game is all about. Without all that, I think you'd be very lucky to be able to organise big circle games and keep them interested. (I don't know, maybe you are a Reception teacher, but I figure, if you were, you probably wouldn't be asking )

I am of a time when a party wasn't a party without Pass the Parcel, and things like Musical Statues / bumps / etc are great time fillers, but PtP is really difficult to keep things focused with a circle bigger than about 8 or 9 dc, IME. Even at school Christmas parties in Reception we used make more, smaller circles and not try to play with one big one.

So I'd be inclined to set it up more like a playgroup, with the duplo and some craft if you like rather than trying to herd them all into activities. Then take a music / speaker system and can always do impromptu musical games if it seems right.

I've been to parties where there has been craft stations and biscuit decorating but to be honest at that age my DS loved the standard bouncy castle and some ride on toys.

@Kite22 thanks so much for the ideas and advice! I am a teacher but ks2, definitely not reception so good to be reminded that large scale group games probably won't work.
Il split the pass the parcel into 2 groups or maybe even three? (My family are all teachers, they'll help!)
Then setting up different 'stations' seems like a good idea with options for games we can do easily like musical bumps if kids want it

@2020nymph ride ons are a good call!

Can you upgrade the bouncy castle to one of those assault course style ones with different areas and a slide (if you know what I mean)?
You'll struggle to get a group of 5yo boys to do what you say and play organised games I think. Tattoos and face painting would be nice, you can do these yourself for not much outlay. Balloons and space hoppers? Diddy cars? My local bouncy castle hire place offers Diddy cars as an add on, ask them what they have?

At that age blow up some balloons and throw them around everywhere and they'll sort themselves out bouncing on the bouncing castle and batting the balloons.

Honestly they do not need entertaining just corralling.

Make sure you either have the parents on hand or some extra adults because at some point each of the little darlings will need escorting to the toilet.

Party should be about 2 hours long, any longer and they start getting over tired.

1 Hr of bouncing and balloons

30 mins of eating and singing happy birthday

30 mins at the end for them to do a last few bounces and for you to sort cake slices into party bags and clear the mess off the food table (18 spilled drinks and more crumbs on the floor than you could possibly have imagined).

Kit to take with you:

• binbags
• kitchen roll
• paper tablecloths - soaks up some of the spills and avoids puddles on the floor
• duct tape to hold the tablecloths in place
• paper plates
• paper napkins
• sharpie
• plastic/paper cups - write their names on them or take 3 times as many as you will need as they get abandoned everywhere.

Then setting up different 'stations' seems like a good idea

Don't forget the "wet paper towel" station for head bumps if you have a bouncy castle

You’ll not struggle if you’re confident

How many at a time are allowed on your bouncy castle? That will dictate your split as they won’t all get on at once unless it’s massive.

Split them into 3 groups - give them a colour. One lot on the bouncy castle. One at the tattoo/face painting section. One at the hula hoops/games/running around section.

Start with a big game - musical bumps. Then onto the split.

once everyone has had a turn on the castle have a game of pass the parcel - have multiple parcels going round the circle at once so they all need to stay focussed - then food.

Thanks everyone! This is so helpful!
Cant upgrade bouncy castle unfortunately as it comes with the room hire, it has a bouncy bit and slide at the slide.
A rotation of groups for bouncy castle, and other activities definitely sounds like way forward.
And don't worry, party is one hour playing then into food room for last hour!