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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to hate Pass the Parcel?

26 replies

AndiMac · 20/12/2012 19:06

DD 6th birthday is this weekend. She is expecting Pass the Parcel. I hate this party activity. I never did it as a kid, so have no fond memories of it, so that can't guilt me into it. I think it's a huge waste of my time having me wrap the thing this close to the party (never mind Christmas!) and also a waste of paper. Then there's the keeping track of all the kids to try and make sure they all have a turn unwrapping the present, with added paranoia to wonder if you put a sweet into each layer.

I don't want to do it!

Is there anything else of a similar sort that people could suggest? I was thinking of making a tape ball but I've not done it before, so not sure how well it'll work, nor how much tape I need, how many pieces of tat small toys to include.

OP posts:

MummyDoIt · 20/12/2012 19:09

Have a bag of small gifts or sweets. If you don't want to wrap them, use a drawstring bag so they can't see the presents. Pass that round and they each take something when the music stops. Also make them stand up to play and then sit down once they've had a turn. The bag only gets passed round the kids standing up so you don't have to worry about keeping track.

Iggly · 20/12/2012 19:09

Have presents for everyone in the middle? That's what someone did when I last went to a party (plus something in each layer). Worked well and everyone was happy.

SallyCinnamonandNutmeg · 20/12/2012 19:13

Sorry but I think YAB a tiny bit U. Doesn't take long to wrap a pass the parcel unless you have dozens and dozens of kids (in which case don't think they all need a turn) Use recycled newspaper if you are worried about wasting paper. Every group of children I have ever seen playing pass the parcel love it!

SilentSplendidSun · 20/12/2012 19:13

If you are willing to spend a fiver, you can buy a parcel already wrapped. Like this

Looks alright to me. May get it for DDs party....

LeeCoakley · 20/12/2012 19:16

It's a lovely game because everyone sits and calms down for 15 minutes. It needs two adults to remember properly who's had a go.

Pocketsocks · 20/12/2012 19:31

At our library christmas party, they passed around a cuddly santa toy and whoever the music stopped on had to do a forfeit like pulling a silly face. The kids loved it. Maybe you could do something similar, no wrapping required!

RobotLover68 · 20/12/2012 19:43

You need really cheap paper because its thinner - also a "warning layer" so that you know that there's only one layer left - we played it at cubs last week - anyone who didn't get an unwrap got a sweet from the bag

thewalrus · 20/12/2012 20:19

YANBU. I agree, and I don't do it at my kids' parties. They have enough other games/craft activities etc to fill the time. It's the one standard party thing I won't do - they can play it at other people's parties. I'm with you

SomeTiggyPudding · 20/12/2012 20:24

You'll be in time out if you do that again young lady!

If you don't want to do it, don't do it. Just don't whine about it to other people and spoil the ancient ceremony of pass the parcel. A ceremony that has been passed down from generation to generation, until the music stops.

IHeartKingThistle · 20/12/2012 20:26

If you had to invent a game to bring out the worst in children, it would be pass the parcel. I'm aiming to get through without ever doing it!

Treasure hunt went down well at DS's.

elfyrespect · 20/12/2012 20:31

Mummydoit's way is fab
I'm so going to remember that

moajab · 20/12/2012 21:58

I hate wrapping parcels. One year I wrapped a present and then stuck all the sweets on the outside. When the music stopped they removed one sweet. Once there were no sweets left the next person would be the winner.

Dancergirl · 20/12/2012 22:12

YABU

If she wants to do it, then do it! It won't be long before she's too old for pass the parcel. Use newspaper for the layers and just put a small sweet in each layer and a prize in the middle. It's really not a big deal.

How many children will be at the party?

OddFrog · 20/12/2012 22:18

We had an outdoor party for DS and didn't want wrapping paper litter everywhere. We had a small bag of prizes and a bag of sweets/plastic tat that we used for all the games and races. Instead of pass the parcel we did pass the ball. It was a big group so I used 2 balls at the same time to speed it up. When the music stopped those holding a ball were out and chose from the sweet/ bag. The two left at the end chose a prize. They mostly passed round the circle, but there was some throwing too, which was fun...

Wallison · 20/12/2012 22:21

MummyDoIt that is brilliant!

Ime pass the parcel often ends in tears, especially with younger ones who just don't 'get' that they're being given a present and then have to pass it on to someone else.

maresedotes · 20/12/2012 22:24

mummydoit you're a genius!

pourmeanotherglass · 20/12/2012 22:33

I've always thought it the most boring party game ever - but the girls used to ask for it when they were little, so I did it a couple of times. Used code to remember what was in each layer (eg red=girl present, blue=unisex). Used newspaper and/or tissue paper for most of the layers. Didn't take that long to wrap up, and calmed them down for 10 mins or so.
Once they were bigger, they preferred to have a pinata in the garden, and I enjoyed making those - I was quite proud of my 'dalek' pinata when DD1 was into doctor who - and it is quite funny when you see a tiny little girl give it some welly and bash the thing really hard.

MsVestibule · 20/12/2012 22:47

It takes an absolute maximum of 10 minutes to make! Use newspaper, a chocolate coin or 10p bag of Haribo in each wrapper and a big bag of maltesers/sweets in the middle. I did pass-the-parcel for DS's 3rd birthday and needed a Valium afterwards but a 6th birthday party will be a doddle.

Stop being such a bloody wet blanket and keep your DD happy!!!

Original poster

AndiMac · 20/12/2012 23:37

I am NOT being a wet blanket! I spent all of Tuesday evening making blummin' wands for everyone going to her Harry Potter themed party, never mind the rest that I have happily and willingly done in the name of this birthday party.

I do agree that MummyDoIt is a genius with her idea for the game. I can sell it as magical bag of requirement or something similar to pass off the things.

OP posts:

princessnumber2 · 21/12/2012 00:04

YANBU. I hate it too. But when dd asked if we were doing it I always did, as she loved it. My worst one ever was a mixed age party with kids from 1-5 and had to rig the entire thing so each layer present was age appropriate. I pretty much had an excel spreadsheet open with layer info on it.

smilingismyfavourite · 21/12/2012 00:07

YANBU I bloody hate it too!

Original poster

AndiMac · 21/12/2012 08:00

Princess2, no wonder you hate it so much with that kind of effort needed to pull it off! I'm sure it was very successful because of it, but I'm just not prepared to go to those lengths.

OP posts:

BikeRunSki · 21/12/2012 08:14

You want one of these.

Sonatensatz · 21/12/2012 08:19

Get a Pinata instead, you can get them ready made and ready filled and let the kids take turns whacking it to get the toys out. (make sure you leave the more boistrous children till the end for their turns and swing it bit so it lasts longer)

MummyDoIt · 21/12/2012 21:03

Why, thank you all . I run a Beaver group and came up with my method as I never know how many kids are going to turn up so impossible to wrap a layer for each child, plus it's a nightmare trying to keep track of who's had a turn.

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