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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder if whole class parties are a real 'thing'?

111 replies

BaconCabbage · 17/11/2022 08:21

Where do these happen? How do these happen?

It seems on mumsnet to be the norm for small children to have whole class parties in nursery/reception etc, but I haven't actually experienced this happening. I live in inner London so wonder if that's something to do with it?

I'd love it if this were a 'thing' but my daughter has a summer birthday so I can't try and set a trend or anything.

What is the norm for kids parties at your young kids' nursery or primary?

OP posts:
Hankunamatata · 17/11/2022 08:23

Of course they happen. Hire a hall, play few games and do a buffet. Did it all the time when mine were in primary.

Cyclingforcake · 17/11/2022 08:23

Round here, yes for the first few parties in reception it seems to be a thing. By Y2 they’re already smaller with just the boys/girls/10 friends and now in Y3, thankfully it’s 3 friends for a sleepover. We missed Y1 thanks to Covid!

MajorCarolDanvers · 17/11/2022 08:25

Primary 1 and 2 - we had a party nearly every second weekend to go to.

It was relentlessly a real thing.

MaryShelley1818 · 17/11/2022 08:26

DS has a whole class party in a couple of weeks for his 5th Birthday. Its his first one but he went to loads at Nursery.

megletthesecond · 17/11/2022 08:27

Yes. In reception year. And stil quite busy in year 1.
I had a few years of non stop parties with my dcs. Was quite nice tbh as it meant I saw adults at weekends.

WutheredOut · 17/11/2022 08:27

I did joint whole class parties for my two until DD was in year 4 and DS was in year 2. There birthdays are two weeks apart in the summer so we had a big bbq, bouncy castle, pool party every year

Then I realised how destructive other peoples kids are and my garden was being trashed so I stopped having them, now they do trips out with friends, bowling, trampoline park, zoo etc - it’s much less stressful but I enjoyed it while they were little

CakeCrumbs44 · 17/11/2022 08:27

I don't think it's the norm but it's not that unusual. My daughter went to maybe 2 whole class parties in year R.

underneaththeash · 17/11/2022 08:27

MajorCarolDanvers · 17/11/2022 08:25

Primary 1 and 2 - we had a party nearly every second weekend to go to.

It was relentlessly a real thing.

I remember that too. Luckily here by year 1 they were mainly joint ones for 2-3 boys.

ToastAndJames · 17/11/2022 08:28

Normal here until Y3.

PuttingDownRoots · 17/11/2022 08:28

It will depend whats available locally... we used to be able to hire a private soft play centre for 50euros. Or a pub garden for 10euros, plus bouncy castle. Private hire of swimming pool for an hour with inflatables... 70euros. Whole class birthday parties were easy.

If its all pay per head venues, I can it being smaller groups!

SD1978 · 17/11/2022 08:29

Nursery, y1 and y2 we did, then smaller ones after that.

AmeliaEarhart · 17/11/2022 08:30

Yes, they were a thing in KS1 at my children’s primary (and we’re in central London). It was normal to get together with a couple of other families whose children’s birthdays were close and have a joint party to share the cost, then hire a soft play or church hall and entertainer etc. I kind of miss those days now my kids are older! The parties were utter chaos usually, but I liked how inclusive they were and it was a nice way to get to know some of the other parents.

Marmite27 · 17/11/2022 08:30

We’re still getting whole class party invites in year 2. Probably because we missed the in Reception and year 1 because of Covid.

Whereisthehugeteddybear · 17/11/2022 08:30

I had a whole class party when I was a kid. My parents hired the church hall and arranged party games, did food etc.

My kids have been to whole class parties when they were younger but they tended to be ones where you bought the entertainment (I've no idea how my parents held the attention of 35 x 5 year olds!😳) eg soft play, hire a hall with entertainer or inflatables, or a gymnastics or swimming party. Sometimes they were joint parties eg 2 kids in the class with birthdays a couple of days apart.

mumonthehill · 17/11/2022 08:33

We did whole class parties for years! Hired a hall, sometimes had a bouncy castle, one year a magician. I actually found them easy as kids entertained each other, food was very simple party food. Other parents helped out .

Thepeopleversuswork · 17/11/2022 08:39

I did a couple of these when my daughter was in early primary. Church halls, soft play centres etc. it’s not cheap but these places will do deals. It kind of makes sense at that age because they don’t yet have a set peer group, so you can treat them as one homogeneous group.

Glad I don’t need to do them again! Most stressful thing I have ever done.

DelurkingAJ · 17/11/2022 08:44

We’ve had them in Reception (and Y1 for DS2 as COVID scotched parties the year before) - maybe a third of each class had them. Come Y2 they seem to be much less common. DS2 seems to want another and, frankly, it’s cheaper than taking 6 of them bowling and for pizza so we may do so.

DrunkOnHim · 17/11/2022 08:45

We never did them. There was always a handful of children in the class that my children didn’t like because they hit, pushed, called names, scribbled on their work and similar. No way was I paying to have them come to my child's party and risk them upsetting my child.

Our children chose a smaller group for either a part or a day out.

A few parents dis whole class parties for reception and year 1.

DrunkOnHim · 17/11/2022 08:45

part = party

bluechameleon · 17/11/2022 08:49

Seems to depend on the class in my experience (2 DC so not a very wide sample!). DS1 had v few in Nursery, quite a few in Reception before Covid hit and had a couple in Year 2 and 3 (none really in Y1 bc Covid). DS2 had a lot more in Nursery and is still having a lot in Reception. We live in a small town. I teach in Inner London and hardly any kids have whole class parties. I don't think they can afford them and there are a lot of cultural barriers as well I think.

AriettyHomily · 17/11/2022 08:51

Reception and y1 totally the norm. Thankfully by y2 they get smaller. Dts are august birthdays so we did one in September y1 and didn't do another one.

OhmygodDont · 17/11/2022 08:54

Yup we hire a massive soft play so actually did whole year parties inviting 60 kids. In reception and yr 1 the classes basically shared a massive classroom and only split off to their class sections for certain parts of the day so felt mean to only invite half.

Luana1 · 17/11/2022 08:58

We are in London too and whole class parties are definitely a thing. I'd say around 90% of the class had a whole class party in reception then about 50% in year one and by year two they are not very common.

mondaytosunday · 17/11/2022 09:01

Yes we did it. I think by Year 4 it has petered out a bit but some still has them. Bowling parties, play centre, hire a hall and entertainer, that sort of thing. I live in London too.

WhatTeaspoon · 17/11/2022 09:04

I had a whole class party for my sons first birthday after he started school, I did the food myself. It was soft play downstairs for an hour then food and pass the parcel and some dancing in another okie at the local leisure centre. We then went smaller at home with his clos friends DS so always about 10 kids. Then it went to about 5 as he got older and stuff like bowling/laser quest and dinner out.

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