Dd is turning 8.. help!

[Madgeline]

Want to throw her a party for her friends at home this year (we’re not well off), but she’s been through a lot and I really want to show her how special she is to us. I’m thinking party at home for 2 hours and her 2 closest friends can stay over afterwards?
Her friends are quite grown up for their age so I feel we’re now past the stage of pass the parcel ect. Contemplating paying older step sister to do some dancing or something with them, can do pizzas and pop ect.
what else? I feel lost now she’s getting bigger. 🤯
what do 8 year old girls enjoy at party’s these days?

I would connect YouTube to the tv and put just dance videos on. The ones where you copy the characters doing the dance steps.

Make facescrubs/ masks with oats, brown sugar and olive oil?

Ice cream sundaes, pick your own toppings

Some sort of cake decorating always goes down well with my DDs.

Love these ideas thank you

I wouldn’t do a two tier party - can you imagine the bit where you say your no good enough friends so you 4 are leaving while others stay.

My daughter was 9 in Jan, and I assumed the same about games, but they all loved musical chairs/bumps and pass the parcel! Just had good prizes!

we've done things like T shirt decorating (just cheap white Ts and fabric pens) and slime making for groups at parties for DD. It also works instead of a party bag as they get a T shirt/slime to take home
just give them a bit of cake as well as that and job done!

This was my first thought. That's pretty unkind to the ones not staying! Do the events separately

Jewellery making. Order some bulk packs of beads and elastic and get them to make a bunch of jewellery. Bonus is that you then don't need to worry about party bags because they can take home the stuff they made!

Cupcake decorations
Movie evening with lots of treats and snacks
Nail 💅 or a spa party
Karaoke and singing and dancing
Some snacks and treats to serve and yes 2 hours sounds about right to me.

We had DD's 8th birthday at home because we were skint too. I did an afternoon tea party for her and 5 friends and they loved it. We didn't bother with entertainment tbh, they had tea, chatted around the table, played with some of the presents her friends had bought her. It was lovely.

We made it special by decorating the dining room, table etc and using fancy china for the tea. I bought macarons from Lidl, made scones. I'd do it again!

This is a total non issue.

You can do the 2 things OP. It's not unfair at all if a couple leave and a couple stay. Children can't have everything fair in life. Just simply tell the other children that the others are going later.

Or just tell the parents of the other children to pick up at X time and leave it as that. The mums / kids will probably be under the impression that the other childrens parents just haven't turned up yet. And if they get wind the other kids are staying, well so be it. They should be grateful for the invite in the first place!

This sounds wonderful

My daughter is 8 this year and I think would actually love pass the parcel.

I’m glad it’s not just me thinking this. Dd has been to quite a few two tier parties as it seems to be the norm at the moment for her class. She has not yet been the one invited to stay as her closest friends have summer birthdays, but its never bothered her or me.