Help! I’ve invited kids over and don’t know what to do with them!

[WhatToDo82]

So I know I have been a tad unreasonable in inviting children round to our house, for my sons 10th birthday, without having planned any decent activities for them…. it’s the first party I’ve hosted for 9/10 year olds at home (my older daughter wanted a cinema party when she turned 10 which was much easier!)

There are ten children coming, and I have left all my planning a bit late…. the only things I can think of are:

• Letting them do some gaming, a mariokarts tournament etc….
• getting a piñata
• maybe a bouncy castle (is that too babyish for 9 and 10 year olds?)
• pizza, drinks and snacks followed by cake.
• party games? Pass the parcel, musical chairs, pin the tail on the Pokémon…or are these too babyish too?

AIBU or will all this definitely not keep them entertained for three hours!?

Please help - any suggestions welcome! The boys are all into football and gaming but there are girls coming too who possibly aren’t…argh!

a few other ideas
dancing will burn off some energy - you can add games in with musical statutes, keep the balloons up , simon says

funny races - eg two teams and they have to go in relays with stops to eg put on silly clothes eg parents pjs, burst a balloon etc

charades - old one and good one and can last for ages (time goes slowly at kids parties)

pizza is perfect - if doing at home get them to add their own toppings and you could do biscuit/cupcake decorating too, lots of little sweets and buttercream/nutella

let them play around/chat/watch cartoons by themselves after eating and let them graze on sweets then if they want (keeps them quiet!)

Bouncy castle weather dependent so not a great idea this time of the

What about the chocolate game where you have to wear scarves and globes and cut up chocolate?

The 10yo boys I know would think party games/piñata etc are all really babyish. Trampoline maybe if you have one? Gaming? Garden games like archery or something if dry? Pizza, fizzy drinks, cake

Hanging out eating pizza and gaming would be perfect. I think a pinata would go down well too.

Feed them vast amounts of pizza carbs then decant into sitting room with popcorn, pick’n’mix and a film.

Have you got a big enough TV to make it into a cinema party? You could do a pick n mix/popcorn bar for them before they watch the film. Then do DIY pizza afterwards.

Bouncy castle would definitely still go down well at that age but yes is weather dependent.

Is it too late to get some sort of entertainment in e.g. a magician?!

Bouncy castles are certainly not to babyish.
I'd be thrilled to go to a house party with one now

Or get some of them sumo suits

When is the party? As in, how much time do you have to prepare?

@CoveredInCobwebs great minds! Actually I think your idea of film first then pizza is better.

is this an after school event or a weekend, if at the weekend I would walk them all down to a local park for a kickabout first to work off some energy.

A bouncy castle would go down great with my 9 year old but not sure if will still be cool next year when he turns 10. You get more grown up ones like disco domes that you can play music through etc?

I wouldn't do entertainers as that could be seen as very babyish. Pizza and video games will always be a winner I think.

Following as I’ve planned a party for 10 x 8 year olds without a clue on what I’m doing! Some good ideas!

Disco dome without a doubt. They're covered usually so not too horrendous if it rains. Contains the noise a little bit too and is a bit more grown up.

make your own pizza for dinner too.

Bouncy castle too likely to end with injuries for my liking 😂

Best parties I’ve held for my DCs - an absolute banger of a disco for one of them, invited his whole class and used an outbuilding and actual DJ - they all ran in screaming, spend 2 hours dancing and screaming ate pizza while screaming and all declared it the best party ever. Don’t think my eardrums ever recovered but they enjoyed it.

Also a Taskmaster party - if you’ve never watched it then start by watching a couple of episodes to get the general idea of the silliness, then buy the book and choose 5 or 6 tasks which would work well and don’t need too much specialist equipment. Older DCs loved that one.

Piñata and a film with popcorn for that age group?

God 3 hours is a LONG time to entertain them so I think bouncy castle would be ok. Party games would be very babyish for most 10 year olds I know.
maybe some nerf guns for the garden?

Knickerbocker glory making takes time for kids.
Make some jellies, a few ice cream flavours, cream, wafers, flake chocolate, 'sprinkles etc tall glasses (preferably plastic depending on the kid's age) and long spoons. It will get sticky but fun.

have you definitely said 3 hours? 2 is more usual - hour or so of an activity then food

if you have space then definitely bouncy castle good at this age

if you have money and space there are companies that will come round with a tent and a load of consoles and occupy them for 90 minutes

Pizza, gaming, film, popcorn

Quick! Hire a disco.
Everyone loves to boogie.

Another one for the disco dome. I had one last weekend for a 14yo. I hire them for adults parties too, they’re fun at any age really, especially after a few gins 😬with the party games it depends on the set of kids, but I’d say they’re far too old at that age for pass the parcel etc. I know my 6yo would be embarrassed in front of his older friends playing those sort of games. A piñata is fun at any age so I’d say yes to that. I think the best parties aren’t too organised really, I know my kids have a tendency to make up their own games with their friends. I’d hire the disco dome, stick some music on, put some food out, make the gaming station available and just let them crack on. I will say that one thing that’s always a hit at my parties is a mocktail ‘bar’. I get clear plastic glasses and straws and umbrellas, various different juices and fruit and some grenadine. They have a great time inventing their own mocktails.

What does your DC want to do? Mine both had very firm ideas at 10!!

Absolutely brilliant ideas! What a fantastic bunch you are - thank you so much. I’m going to get ordering/buying! Yes it’s three hours as I figured a stay at home party would be more like a play date so could be longer. Not really sure my logic was correct now! But there’s so much here I can work with. We have a big garden but a not so big TV. So I think pizza making is a winner and also a bit of a gaming tournament (my DC’s preference but I don’t want them all gaming for three hours) we have a big trampoline and I can sort some nerf guns and maybe even the disco dome or bouncy castle. That should be plenty for everyone and hopefully take up the three hours. Thank you again! If anyone has any more ideas please do keep them coming!

Daytime or evening?
If it's getting dark - with adult supervision, a fire pit and toasting marshmallows would be fun.
Otherwise I think that the suggestions on her are good - mocktails and make your own pizza and ice cream sundaes sounds great. Disco dome rather than bouncy castle at this age I think.

How long is the party? If it's only 2/3 hours it will be taken up mostly by gaming and eating pizza. Getting them to make their own pizzas will use up time too. A pinata is fun, I usually let them eat a couple and the rest goes in a party bag for them to take home. Some dancing, the rest of party games might be deemed too babyish.

A school mum hired an external company to run a gaming party from her house- saw the pics they decked it out amazingly

also I wouldn’t do a bouncy castle unless you have room for the giant ones with giant sides and climbing attached