What makes a good birthday party?

[Clumsykitten]

We are planning a fairly standard whole class type party for our 5yo - church hall, bouncy castle, probably pizza, bit of party music.

But what makes a party like this more fun? For kids and parents? I’m looking for ideas big and small!

I’ve been to lots of 5th birthdays over the last year, including hosting one in a church hall. The best parties had:

• booze for adults (not lots but the beer in buckets etc)
• pizza or hot dogs for kids
• a GOOD entertainer who kept the kids engaged
• ice cream van that rocked up and was paid for by party family
• craft table for kids needing a break
• pinata (our party, kids loved it)

Thanks @Travellingatthespeedoflight! Lots of good ideas there! The piñata is a great shout actually! I think the craft table is a good plan too

What doesn’t work, and I’ve been to far too many of these parties, is getting a too small bouncy castle and then thinking that and a spotify playlist is all you need for 2 hours. It will be chaos and there will be tears. Make sure the bouncy castle is actually the correct size for the number of kids that you’re inviting, plan some sort of entertainment like party games- a professional entertainer who can hold their attention is absolutely worth it and maybe have some craft stuff set up somewhere for kids that want a break. And if you want parents to stay cater for them too- tea and coffee if it’s in the morning, nice selection of soft drinks, beer and fizz if it’s the afternoon.

I have also been to more 5th birthday parties than I care to remember. A good entertainer is worth their weight in gold. A bouncy castle alone is fun, but in a church hall they’re really noisy (was at one last week and no one could hear themselves speak), and combined with sugar, just hype up the kids. So unless you have games or an entertainer it’s just a lot of very hyped up small people running round and round a church hall in a frenzy. You running the games can work but it’s always terrifying how quickly you get through them and/or how little attention the kids pay to you and the games. Which leaves you right back with the hyped up kids bouncing off the walls dilemma. But they do whatever an entertainer tells them. So personally I’d spend your bouncy castle money on a great entertainer, they’ll plan the timings for you and the kids will be entertained and happy the whole way through. Super simple food, a party bag that’s thoughtful and not full of landfill and you’re sorted.

don’t just have a bouncy castle, no other entertainment and hope for the best. It will be a nightmare! You need an entertainer. If not keep it short as possible, 1.5 hours. Even then the bouncy castle will only take a few children. And can distract from the entertainer. I would just hire a disco / entertainer and no bouncy castle. Or do a proper soft play / leisure centre style party.
be very clear on the invite rsvp date, parents can be very rude and not respond. Give yourself enough time to then sort party bags, cake food etc for right numbers. Food boxes go down well as less waste

don’t plaster them with impossible to remove glitter tattoos on a Sunday afternoon when you’ve got school the next day. Nothing noisy in the party bag. Someone once put an actual whistle in there?!!! Make you own sweet cones(asda do sweet cone bags for about £1 a pack) kids love them just loads random sweets

Oh, and they do love a piñata. And face painting if you fancy it. We also went to one party where the entertainer cancelled and the mum outdid herself in providing multiple craft tables with the kind of projects you get on Baker Ross. It was a huge hit in my middle child’s class and was repeated a few more times by other parents. But quite a bit of the class felt under catered to by that approach and there were kids very much at a loose end, which you ideally want to avoid. Mixing the crafts in with a Lego table, or perhaps a different mix of craft options could have worked better.

Being very selective with your guest list, both in terms of children and other parents. That will save you a lot of hassle, trust me.

Agree with all the PP

If it’s not too late, cancel the bouncy castle and book a good entertainer instead

I agree about the noise from a bouncy castle in a hall being extra. Have experienced the same thing. Chuck music on top of that and no one will be able to hear a thing. If you’re going for a bouncy castle don’t also have music.

Also if there are any little ones / siblings etc going be careful mixing that with bouncy castle. The bigger kids will get out of hand and it’s dangerous, speaking from experience here (particularly lots of rough and tumble boys dragging each other around, wrestling etc )

We’ve done one like this before and it wasn’t a nightmare, it was good fun, so I’m not too worried. We know a lot of the families already so it should be a nice crowd. Just looking for ideas to make it even better.

I’m not totally convinced by the entertainer option, because a lot of kids don’t seem to like them, but I’ll think again about that.

Definitely some other activities is a good call, we did a colouring table last time but might go for some more options.

Size of bouncy castle is a good question actually, maybe a bigger one with a slide is called for!

I don’t understand how hall parties are fun if they’ve only got a bouncy castle and nothing else to do they are all running feral! Maybe I’ve just had some bad experiences of kids trying to jump over the sides etc but they get bored so quickly

At 5 lots of parents started dropping their children off and leaving in our school. Do have some adults you know and trust to stay otherwise you have 30 children and just 1-2 adults.

An entertainer is worth it for such a large group. Games are nice but 30 children are too big to organise that unless you really know what you are doing or split them in several groups.

In my experience, parties in halls with bouncy castles just end up being a nightmare. The boys all get loud and hyper (I have one of those boys), someone gets hurt, the boy mums are always on edge. I sit there and count down the minutes!! A better party we’ve been to is either soft play where there’s space to run around, or a party where there was a magician who entertained the kids.

Haha. I suspect parents - like kids - probably fall into the “like a good bouncy castle party” and “prefer an entertainer” category. We like a bouncy castle party, although I think the space matters, a nice big hall with loads of space helps imo.

Anyway, thanks for the ideas - there have been some great suggestions/reminders!

If you haven't booked it yet I would say don't. Make life easier and book a soft play where they do it all for you.
We did this £360 for 30 kids including food. Zero hassle for us except a party bag and cake .
I've done halls with bouncy castle and Entertainers etc and it worked out so pricey.
The last and final one the entertainer was £270. Hall £40 £80 food and drinks £40 party decor and was very basic, party bags and cake. All the set up and the mess.

Haha. I suspect parents - like kids - probably fall into the “like a good bouncy castle party” and “prefer an entertainer” category. We like a bouncy castle party

Well, so far you’re the only parent on the thread who likes a bouncy castle (no entertainer) party! If you can make it work, full power to you and I hope it goes brilliantly.

My top tip is don’t have balloons unless they are out of reach. Some kids always go round popping them and then the more sensitive kids start crying. Bubble machine on the other hand can be great, if there’s enough space to avoid collisions.

A good entertainer. I thought they were all somewhere between crap to mediocre. Seen so many over the years but I took DD to a party and they had an entertainer who was just extraordinary. The kids had a whale, the parents were smiling.

Great thread. My 8 yo has a home party coming up with everyone's but i need a craft idea for 15/20 minutes at the end?

How many children is it for and are they girls or boys?

I don’t know if this is strictly crafting but we did who can build the tallest tower out of spaghetti and marshmallows and the winner got a prize. Went down really well! Otherwise friendship bracelets are usually popular with girls. They also love slime but I don’t love that in my house!

I’ve never been to a party where anyone seemed to enjoy the entertainer. They are all really intense and actually I think put children off engaging. What did work was more a DJ/MC. One of the mums at school moonlights as a wedding dj (she is a teacher by day) and she did a party where she did all the music (there was a bouncy castle), but then she also led them in games (musical statues, pass the parcel), told everyone when to sit down for lunch, when it was cake time. She kept the whole thing rolling like a parent would, but meant parents actually could talk to everyone and spend time with the children. But she wasn’t like Bobby the Clown who made slime and did science-y magic tricks.

I think breaking things up into timed activities is helpful. It’s not 2 hours of running around screaming. It’s 45 minutes of running around screaming, then 15 minutes lunch, then 10 minutes games, then 30 minutes running around, then 5 minutes game plus cake, then party bags.

Chairs for adults to sit down, definitely coffee and tea for adults. I don’t need food or any other drinks. No adult comes to a party expecting to be fed.

Food for kids at a reasonable time and appropriate to the time of day. If party is 11-1, do serve actual lunch, not just a few crisps and cake. I went to a party the other day for 7-8 year olds 6-8pm in soft play. I came assuming there would be hot food (or any food!) served as it was dinner time and the party package normally includes like chicken goujons, chips, beans and squash. Nope. No food served. 😩 The kids got a little snack box of crisps and sweets at 8pm as we exited. They were all just about on the brink of cannibalism by then.

You are right I think about breaking the time up, and also about feeding the kids properly!

My experience of entertainers is similar, usually something like half the party find them either overwhelming or boring.

Good shout on the chairs for adults.

Thanks these are good.

When we’ve had bouncy castles I’ve also hired little cars but can only do that if the halls big enough. You could do some party games yourself like pass the parcel etc to break the time up maybe just before lunch to calm them down a bit.