To ask for recommendations for children's party?

[RubyGoat]

I've never done a proper proper birthday party before - DD will be 5 this spring. We've booked a local church hall so far, just a few minutes walk from the town centre. DD's year at school has 2 classes so there will be a minimum of 25, maximum of around 50 kids (please God no more...!) It's an afternoon party, 1-3pm on a Saturday. Please could you help me with...

What kids food generally goes down well. So far I've thought: sandwiches - cheese, ham, egg mayo, jam. Veg sticks & hummus dip. Mini sausages. Cheese, variety of crisps. Bread & butter. Fresh fruit cut up, jelly in little pots, cake (obviously). Water, fruit juice to drink.

• What other dips do kids like? Do most 5YOs like fizzy drinks?

I'm planning to do nibbles for the parents too - what would go down well? Crisps, LDC (obvs ). I might make one of these as well if I have time. Hot drinks & coke, lemonade etc. Somethings else savoury - sandwiches? Would most parents have eaten before or not had time?

Prizes for games - any suggestions? I've got 3 each of these, these, & 4 mini packs of plasticine. Also may get some of these. We're planning pass the parcel, musical statues, & flappy fish, which will all need proper prizes. Also many sweets etc...

Sorry for so many obvious questions! DD is really excited & I don't want to want to get anything wrong. DH has exams the week before & after so I am on my own to get it sorted... hence the advance planning.

Are you SURE you want to invite that many kids?! Sounds overwhelming for your DD and I can't begun to imagine the logistics of getting 50 small kids to play pass the parcel.

Nearly every party min have been to, in a hall at least, has had a bouncy castle
Never seen any fizzy drinks at a party just juice or squash
Liking the prizes

50 kids? Bloody hell. Surely one class is more than enough

I'd do ham, cheese and jam sandwiches. Crisps, mini sausages, carrot and Cucumber sticks, mini cakes, biscuits like party rings, and maybe some strawberries and grapes. Squash and water to drink - jug of red, jug of orange, jug of water - done. Coke and diet coke for the parents and coffees and teas if you can, and maybe some biscuits.

For entertainment you will have your work cut out with that many kids as you are going to have loads that don't want to play the game you're doing right now. Bouncy castle is a good shout, as is lots and lots of balloons chucked all over the floor, and a craft table with some drawing and sticky bits could also help. Good luck!

Oh and prizes for everyone for everything. At all times. Mini bags of Haribo will do fine but at that age if it moves, give it a prize! They can learn life lessons about winners and losers at someone else's party...

You need some entertainment or you will have a riot on your hands!

Pizza? That always goes down well.
Here's a tip - on the possibility of a child arriving with allergies, keep the food separated, don't mix things up on the serving plates. I did this at my sons last party and it meant that the child in question could eat some of the food. Also keep packaging from any pre-made food so ingredients can be checked.
Bouncy castle - good!
Lots of balloons. We got our old paddling pool out and filled it with balloons, that was fun!
Don't do pass the parcel with the numbers you may have coming. Too slow!
If you are doing party games, have lots of consolation prizes for those who are 'out'. Chocolate coins are good! I forgot that on the first party we did
If the church hall has an urn, make use of it. The parents will thank you!
Piniata is a good way to spend the last bit of time after the children have eaten. Let the smaller kids go first! Have some back up sweets for anyone who misses out.
That's my experience of hosting parties, hope it helps!

Worth booking an entertainer for that many children. We did for DD's 5th birthday party (oldest in year so invited whole class). Kept the children entertained while we set up food etc. You'd have to get a very big bouncy castle to accommodate all those children and you'd need someone to supervise (bitter experience at nephew's party).

In my experience, don't do too many sandwiches because they don't get eaten (ham/cheese/jam and allow for at most 1 full sandwich each). Mini sausages, cheese cubes, bread sticks, biscuits, crisps all go down well.

Rope in grandparents/other friends to handle making drinks for parents who stay.

Orange/blackcurrant squash or water for 5yo, I would think.

If you do party games, make sure you do several parcels for pass the parcel or it goes on forever and be prepared for tears in the competitive games. Doesn't really matter what the prizes are - they'd probably be equally happy with bags of haribo but yours look nice. Mine would have been happier with a "best dancer" competition or similar, so someone wins but they don't gradually all lose.

Balloons are a good idea (again get someone to help blow them up).

Make sure you've got enough time before/after the party to set up and clear up.

And good luck!

I'd do 1 class.

No fizzy drinks at 5, just water or squash.

Wouldn't bother with egg sarnies, or humous.

Just jam, cheese & ham sandwiches. Crudités, fruit, chocolate fingers?, crisps. Job done :)

Wouldn't feed adults, just offer drinks

Right!! Calm this down seriously 50 kids?! Why? No no no! Max max 25!!! Her class that's it. Finally food buy some ready made boxes from Amazon when the invite goes out ask them to RSVP with Ham, Cheese or Jam. In the boxes put a sandwich/roll a couple piece of fruit (grapes halved) a biscuit or chocolate bar or small fairy cake and a juice drink with water on offer NO dizzy drinks. Parents a couple of boxes of M&s biscuits and tea or coffee. Finally book an entertainer. No one wins prizes for doing their own party like you're doing for 50 kids!!jeez madness

Tea/coffee for parents - don't bother with special food for them either.
Squash & water for kids, kids food sounds good but don't do too many different things, too much hassle & most kids like the basic simple stuff.

Can you just invite 1 of the classes or do they play together a lot? 50 kids is an awful lot.

Can you put some music & flashing lights n for a mini disco in 1 corner too? You can get disco light bulbs & glitter balls too which tends to go down well. If you've got that many kids I'd plan for double prizes for the games (& 2 circles for pass the parcel too).

Oh and crisps in the box! And put stickers on the box with kids names on them

Wow. This is ambitious OP. Hopefully it will be closer 25 than 50!
I think your food is a little worthy for a kids party tbh. Unless all the school Mums are a bit crunchy, the kids will probably be expecting something a bit different.
I do: pizza, little sausages, tomato and cheese pin wheels, crisps, cherry tomato's if you must. Then: more crisps, biscuits, cup cakes. Then birthday cake! With so many guests I would stick to stuff that can be emptied out of packets as much as possible. Put out savory stuff first if you want any of it to get eaten!
Your games sound great. I also like parachute games because you can do them with any number and no one "loses". You need a parachute and possibly a ball. There's loads of games if you Google for them.

Make jelly your self in plastic cups so much cheaper than brought stuff

I like to set some jelly sweets in the nicebiscuit I was going to suggest this but then I like thought "sod making 50 of them"

I would recommend lots of balloons. At that age, a lot of them seem to love running around and hitting balloons.

No fizzy drinks, just water and very weak squash.

Ask the parents to stay, to help the children when it's time to eat. I wouldn't have hot drinks if there is a group of five years olds running around!

Could you get a magician? We had one for my DD's fifth birthday and she had all the children completely under control! She did some games too.

"I would recommend lots of balloons."
I agree. I would also get sticks so the kids can take them away as party favours.

I know you've said you bought it but we always order delivery pizza and have a few snacks out. Always goes down well and minimal effort

All posters suggestions sound good. Remember they won't eat much. Half will probably arrive at that time with a full lunch in them already. kavvLar 's points I agree with - it's v hard to get all to engage in games. You need alternatives. You are going to need some other adults to help you on the day. And lots of prizes as 5 year olds can still cry when they don't win. Remember water and ditch the hummus! I think pizza is way over ambitious unless you are serving it cold - and whats the point of that!

We did a party with that many kids and it wasn't a problem. Had a big bouncy castle and an adult making sure too many didn't get on at once. Also party games. Pass the parcel in a massive circle was a big hit despite me thinking the kids would be bored. Have a few parcels going around at once is my tip.
Poundshop prizes are fine and get some big tubs of Haribo so the kids can take one when dismissed from games.
Food sounds great. I'd maybe add some party ring biscuits as I don't think a kids party is complete without them. And I wouldn't mind my kids having pop at a party but be prepared for some parents to give the face because it's on offer and they don't want their kids to have it but would rather pretend that no kids are allowed it/it doesn't exist than actually have to say no!

I went to one without an entertainer for 25 kids and it was a bit of a riot to be honest. Kids no listening, wandering off, etc.

I would get an entertainer and restrict it to just the one class as 50 is really too many.

You know you don't have to invite the whole year? You don't even have to invite the whole class, but if you've got a hall you may as well.

Keep food simple and "obvious". IME kids are not tha bothered about sanwhiches at parties. Pizza, crisps, cheese cubes, biscuits, cucumber sticks. Cocktail sausages. Half the kids my dc know wouldn't have a clue what hummus is.

If you have an oven at the hall, consider pizza and oven chips.

Drinks in bottles (fruit shoot type bottles) will prevent spillages.

My dc (5 and 8) don't like fizzy drinks and treat them with a large degree of suspicion.

Don't feed the parents, but if there is an urn in the hall, heat it up and leave stuff for people to make their own drinks.

Children's parties are exhausting and, at 5, their concentration lasts about 5 mins. You would do well hiring an entertainer/magician/DJ to keep them entertained for an hour or so, while you sort the food. Party games go really quickly!

Pass the parcel tip - with lots of kids have 2 or 3 parcels on the go at once or they get really bored. same number of layers on each parcel.

A bubble machine can kill minutes...

If you can get hold of a parachute 5 year olds love parachute games.

You can give whatever you want as prizes, but kids really just want stickers and Haribo.

And yy to loads of balloons.