How to do a kids' party really cheaply?

[eisbaer]

Well, just that really- have promised 4yr old a b'day party, but in interim have done a budget and realised we have NO spare cash. Invites already sent...how do I do party bags, prizes etc cheaply? Don't think any point is too obvious. I'm a novice budgeter in spite of fact should have been scrimping a long time ago, sigh...

Party bags can just be a piece of cake and a balloon. Parents will thank you for the lack of plastic tat!

When mine were little I bought some plain paper sandwich bags and let them colour their own in. It kept them quiet for the last fifteen minutes!

At four, they love the classic party games like musical statues and pass the parcel. The poundshop has packs of crayons etc which would do for prizes.

Food doesn't have to be fancy, just sandwiches and crisps.

Honestly don't worry about it. I've done little parties for next to nothing and the kids have had a good time.

You might need a bottle of wine for afterwards though

Thanks, haven't actually been to that many but some of the party bags etc have been elaborate! That sounds much more manageable, wondered if pound shops were worth a look.

Poundshops are brilliant for parties. Also try Wilkinsons, I've found some bargains in there in the past.

these bags are good filled with sweets - my son had one from a party recently and loved it.

Agree with tradtional party games - kids do love them, stickers for prizes or get some bigger prizes from poundland. Fairy cake decorating with some coloured glace icing and sprinkles/smarties.

My friend used to get sets if books from The Book People and give them out instead of party bags. I used to put a toothbrush (8 for £1 in Poundland) and novelty soap in .

Or just put a bit of cake and some chocolate/sweets in and don't bother with all the plastic shite.

Dd2's 5th birthday we did craft and what they made (badge, cake, windmill) was their party bag.

Agree with previous poster that musical bumps etc are ideal. We just have a tub if sweets and they pick a sweet for the 'prize'.

We found hot food easier than a cold spread - fish fingers and smiley faces

At 4, keep it simple and don't get caught up in the competitive party bag/prize thing.

Basic supermarket cake

Juice, sandwiches, crisps, jellies in disposable plastic cups-quarter fill let set then top up with a second colour. chocolate rice Krispy cakes, mini sausage rolls (buy frozen and cook much cheaper)

Games-pass the parcel with cheap toys from home bargain/pound shops. Wrap in newspaper. Musical statues. Hide and seek

Have loads of balloons for then to play with.

Party bags-piece of cake, little bubbles, balloon, and a pound shop wonder like a rubber or a pencil etc

Music-to dance too!!

Definitely do an 'old style' party with games. They will love it!

Instead of party bags, get a box, skewer holes in it and put a lollipop in each hole. You can decorate them with that curly whirly ribbon if you want.

You can use stickers as prizes for the games and a couple of bigger prizes like play-doh or a mr man book for pass the parcel.

I have just done a v cheap 4 yo party.
Went to park.
Took stiff for pass the parcel, three legged race, potato and spoon race, running race, picnic rugs, little portable cd player for musical statues etc. Bag of prizes from £1 shop. Picnic bags - got some white paper bags and everyone got a satsuma, sausage roll, carton of juice, packet a iced gems and bag of hula hoops. Party bags were also stuff from £1 shop - plastic dinosaur (big tub for £3 from ELC ), glo stick, screamer. balloon. Flasks of water and tea bags for grown ups. Totally lucked out on weather but had my eye on forecast and would have booked village hall (£7/hour) if it had looked bad. Food was paid by Nectar points! Made the cake. Cost about £20 after food. Ice lollies from shop in cool bag.

BikeRunSki
that sounded great
so ..............what happened to my invite
AND how clever NO cleaning up
perfect

It was brilliant. I made them all gold medals out of old christmas decs and ribbon, with their names on too

Thanks for all the above, some great suggestions for prizes etc. I'm expecting at most 16 kids, probably going to cost me 40 quid, u think I could do it for less? Making own cake and sandwiches, frozen sausage rolls, crisps and marshmallOw top hats. What do adults get who come to a house party? Tea/coffee and cake sufficient?

When DS1 had a Pixar Cars (losely) themed party, I printed colouring sheets off the internet and put those in party bags, tied up with a bit of gift wrap ribbon.

tea/coffee and cake (if there is enough) is more than enough for adults.

If you can find a big roll of stickers cheaply then use those as prizes for games/in pass the parcel layers. 4yo's love stickers, IME, and parents will bless you for lack of plastic tat and sweets.

Do you have something in stock (unwanted present?) you could use in the middle of pass the parcel?

If you are prepared to put energy into it (IME 4yos don't know many "proper" party games and have to be taught) then you needn't bother about prizes for games (other than pass the parcel) at all IME - they don't take much notice when they are "out" so no-one really knows or cares who won anyway, and if they do then a round of applause will do fine.

A couple of printed colouring sheets with some poundshop crayons would be a great party bag. If you are so inclined and happen to have some fabric already, then making little fabric bags is pretty quick and easy?

Balloons
Musical statues
Blind mans buff
Hide and seek
Treasure hunt
Party bag to consist of cake and prize?
Make cake

Another cheap food idea is to just do hotdogs then ice cream in cones for afterwards. Cheap as chips.
I also bought white bags from ebay for hardly anything and the kids decorated them for the first part of the party - works well as keeps those who arrive first busy.
Also agree with getting them to do some crafts during the course of the party and then putting what they have made in the party bag.

I'd say you can do for cheaper than £40

I'd do pizza and jelly/ ice cream party.

You can make a batch of pizza dough and roll into enough mini pizzas for one each ( these you can make before and freeze individually with greaseproof paper in between- on day just whip out on table and they can decorate own pizza - this will also use up time!), pop in oven whilst they play

Make your own jelly and set into basic disposable cups

Pin the tail on the donkey ( draw it yourself on to large sheet)

Pass the parcel ( something from poundshop- make two as 16 is a lot and will take ages!)

Party bags just a bag with cake in and balloon tied on

Do a box meal - the boxes are cheap, one sub roll, sauseage roll, cake, fruit kebab and fruit juice instead of platters of crappy uneat food. No waste either. No spilt drinks. Much healthier too I obmitted crisps from mine and no one complained and near enough every child eat all the food. Make most of it yourself no need to buy cake, make a chocolate cake and cover in smarties and buttons - very simple.

Only give them on the years the age is divisable by 5, then when they reach ten bribe them with this 'that console that you want is the same price as a party' Ha, job done.

Here you go!

Home made birthday parties

At DS's posh school, party bags can often just be a cellophane bag filled with dolly mixtures and tied with nice ribbon. The kids love them far more than cheap toys.

I did a Halloween party last year v cheaply. I made green and orange play dough (I has everything already) and told the kids they had to make pumpkins and the adults had to help - they all thought it was hysterical. Then I printed out Halloween pictures off the net and they had a colouring contest. You could adapt those two ideas for any occasion
A friend did the paper sandwich bag party bags and I recall one of the goodies was some tissue paper filed up with sunflower seeds and a handwritten guide to growing them. I remember dd bring utterly fascinated by this mystery item
Go to aldi and get some party food - dint carer for adults beyond a cup of tea. As others have said musical stairs etc is free.
I go to dozens of kids parties (damn dd social butterfly!) and the kids seem to enjoy the running around together and games most of all
Lastly if you have things like writing icing lying around - decorating gingerbread men/or shortbread or whatever with some icing/smarties - whatever sweets are on offer is a good activity too.
The only item dd considers compulsory at a party is a balloon

Bike -that sound totally brilliant -just the own special bag of food each would win over dd and her pals (she's 3).
What a brilliant thread!

I've only just found this thread but there are some great ideas on here.

OP, how did your party go?

I did 30 party bags for dd party the other week with a roll of cellophane from Ryman, roll of curling ribbon from cheap card shop and a ton of jelly babies. They looked fab were v easy and all the kids seemed impressed . I think it was £2.50 for the cellophane, less than a quid for the ribbon and maybe 6£ for the sweets but you could go cheaper in the £ shop I reckon