Host a party at home?

[Freeasa]

My 4 year old wants to have a party with about 10 friends from school. We usually just head to soft play but he wants to have it at home. We have a garden, a swing and a trampoline. Can we keep 10 4-5 year olds entertained with just that? I don’t want to have to hire a bouncy castle etc if at all possible as I am a bit skint.

Any ideas for entertainment welcome!! Also wet weather alternatives. It is usually warm enough for outdoors here though.

Could you accommodate 10 kids inside if the weather isn’t good enough to be outside? If so, then definitely. Have some traditional party games planned (pin the tail; pass the parcel; musical statues for example). When we had parties at home we always ended with watching some cartoons to calm down before home time. You could always watch an age appropriate but not too long movie if the weather is bad .

traditional party games can be indoor or outdoor

sounds like you have good outdoor space so timed obstacle course runs with small prizes can exhaust them nicely

Arts and crafts stuff - decorate your party bag, decorate a cookie to take home

Most of my dcs' parties were at home. At that age, lots of parents want to stay which can take up a fair bit of space.

We generally did some kind of craft activity so there was a focus (decorating cakes with icing tubes is easy).

Are you in the UK? If so I’d focus more on inside than out just incase!

Do some garden play

Pass the parcel and a game of musical statues / musical chairs and you are set.

Maybe a craft thing like decorating a biscuit or cupcake

We hosted lots of children's parties, at home and only once had a bouncy castle (we'd just moved house and finally had a big enough garden). But a swing AND a trampoline will be more than sufficient. I'd have some organised activities as well, some simple party games or something crafty (I usually made biscuits and let them decorate them, you could buy small fairy cakes if you're not a baker). DH would do the party games and I'd do the food.

Now the teenagers just sit in the garden gossiping and drinking Smirnoff Ice.

Musical bumps, pass the parcel, treasure hunt, face painting, bubble machine, cake/jelly/party rings. Best birthday parties are home birthday parties.

Absolutely - although my top tip for any child's party, but especially one at home is that an hour and a half is enough! I aways found when I went for a 2 hour party the last 30 minutes dragged and that's when the wheels started to come off.

Do a drop and run so your house isn't full of parents and you don't feel like you need to be making them a cup of tea etc (plus the parents will love you for it!).

If it gets too wild Dead donkeys/sleeping lions and grandmothers footsteps. The best going home presents are ones you can take to school in a pocket or pencil case.

If you have room for ten kids and some additional parents, then have it at home. I did it a few times. You need to be organised - have games planned but it’s good fun (and exhausting).

Thanks for al the ideas! We are fortunate to have a big house, and I had thought of some games but the craft ideas are great too!

For sure but just have a plan for inside too. Big house plus fun garden makes for an easy and affordable time. I always do make-your-own ice cream sundaes or decorating biscuits/fairy cakes etc. as an activity + snack is great. And agree that 1.5 hours for a party is ideal - I made a mistake the first time and hosted for 3 hours and have never been so ready for something to end.

Bubble wands are a great favour / activity for an outside party.

I have done this and it was okay- party food, some party games etc. Worked a bit better at the soft play areas etc. Could not see much advantage to doing it at home, though it was just a little bit cheaper. Offset by the tidying afterwards.

Top tip is a party bag on arrival - named - rather than departure. Stuff in it to play with, bubbles for garden too.

You’ll be fine - first half an hour, people are arriving late / settling in. Have some music on, bubble machine in the garden, big pile of duplo to play with, very simple crafts like crayons and paper / chalk if you have somewhere they can use it outside. Then try something vaguely organised like musical statues, what’s the time Mr Wolf, duck duck goose, if your garden is big enough. Don’t bother doing this if there are happy playing! Then food, quick break so they can play again, cake and send them home!

Specify a finish time and be clear about whether or not parents / siblings are allowed to stay when you send the invitation.

Individual picnic boxes for the party food, nothing fancy, regular tupperware type is fine. Eat on picnic rugs in the garden

Traditional party games eg pass the parcel, musical bumps

We made a pinata one year. Tied it to a tree. Kids took turns to bash it with a wooden spoon

Outdoor chalks on a patio are great if it's a nice day and you want an outside crafty activity.

We had a party at home one year, and several of the children said it was the best party they had been to. It was in December and going in the garden was not an option, so we just had lots of traditional party games. Because it was at home and I didn’t have the cost of hiring a soft play place, I was able to spend more on really nice food, and it was easy to provide a stream of hot pizzas, cocktail sausages, little cups of soup etc.