Traditional British party

[Howhotisitjeeez]

I’m British but live abroad and dc was born where we are. It’s coming up to their 4th birthday and I’d like to do a traditional British mini party at home for grandparents & cousins etc.
So far I’ve got sandwiches, jelly & ice cream, donuts, popcorn, mini pizzas, sausage rolls, crisps & mini British cakes-Mr Kipling etc.
We’ll do pass the parcel, musical chairs, musical statues, Superman song, Birdie song…anymore ideas?
Trying to recapture/remember my 80’s childhood 🤣

What’s the time mr wolf is a good game

Party rings!! We just had Dds first birthday and I found them in the cupboard the next day, completely forgot to put them out! I was devastated 😂

You have to play Hunt the Thimble - that classic 80s party game.

And have paper chains as decorations.

Definitely need a cheese and pineapple hedgehog.

Don't forget the Hokey Cokey!

Imagine if you live in France or Italy or somewhere like that and invite local friends. They'll be sagely agreeing with each other that English food really is as awful as they were always taight.

Do you have room to play hide and seek? It's a good idea to do pass the parcel as the last game, because if you give little prizes to the winner of musical chairs, pin the tail on the donkey etc. then it's easier at the end to engineer the winner of pass the parcel to be someone who hasn't already won something (or who isn't playing up and being a little shit). Don't forget blind man's buff - and also don't forget to move painful obstacles out of the way first, because even though you're recreating the 80s you need to have a 21st century health and safety perspective!

Pink biscuits?

French fancies!
Chocolate fingers
Party rings
Jelly and ice cream
Pineapple and cheese hedgehog of course

Lemonade to drink, a prize in every layer for the pass the parcel and the jelly must be shaped.

@Tomanyhandbags When it was the Christmas parties at school in Primary school and the parents all sent in an item, my mum always sent me with the bloody Cadbury’s fingers 😅

Twiglets, mini sausages on sticks, jelly and icecream

@BorisJohnsonsHair 🤣I’m getting quite into planning this now

Tizer - don't know if it exists any more, birthdays and Christmas was the only time we were allowed fizzy drinks.

Robinsons squash

Don't remember doughnuts & popcorn at any British kids party. And pizza is a bit modern & fancy! To be truly authentic you want limp white bread sandwiches (filled with 'plastic' cheese) that the kids then refuse to eat.
Also, heavily diluted and lukewarm orange squash - or Ribena, if you're being upmarket.
Plus a piece of cake in a napkin that the child squashes on the way home so that it can't actually be separated from the napkin and the whole lot has to be chucked in the bin.

I mean even as a child in the 70s and 80s we all knew that parties were a bit rubbish and were just glad when parents bailed out and said that next year we could take a friend to the cinema instead.

The chocolate game was my favorite. You need a dice, which everyone gets to roll once, in turn. When you roll a 6, then it's your go.

When it's your go you have to put on the items of clothing provided, like a scarf, hat and gloves. Once they are on you get to eat the chocolate provided using a knife and fork. But once someone else gets a 6, then your turn is up.

I just remember frantically trying to get some chocolate before my turn was up - great fun

@Hbh17 You’re right, I’m removing donuts, popcorn & pizza from the list, they were first when I was doing the list and a *Normal kids party…now I’m going to run with the 80’s theme 😁

Oops Upside Your Head. For the adults.
Honey Cokey and Conga as previously mentioned

Not just jelly and ice cream, but jelly races

Line up, race to your bowl of jelly (on the floor) eat it without using your hands, run to finish line.

Good memories

Music

Fame (everyone stands on chairs then jumps of at the chorus “fame!” (Although that might have been just my school)

The Chicken Song (from Spitting Image)

Breakdancing competition

Konga. (Do, do do, come on and join the konga)

Superman (comb your hair, go for a walk. Spray, spray …. Superman!”

Iced gems.

A hedgehog! I remember someone saying at the sports club I was part of they would bring a hedgehog to a party. We had to explain to some non brits that it wasn't actually a hedgehog.

Food
Banana sandwiches
Chocolate fingers
and Party Rings or it isn't a party

Games
Squeak piggy squeak
Flip the kipper
Duck duck goose

And remember it isn't a proper party if the birthday child doesn't break down in tears at some point.

Balloons & paper chain decorations.
Those party blowers & hats.
Playing Simon Says.
Cadburys chocolate animals, iced gems or foxs party rings & pink wafer biscuits.
Jelly shaped like a rabbit.
Lemonade, Dandelion & Burdock or Shandy seemed to be the drinks of choice at parties I remember if there was fizzy.
Orange Squash or Ribena if not.

Sleeping lions for when you want a rest!

Sleeping lions? Sleeping? What modern, sanitised non-80s nonsense is that? It's Dead Lions!