Can you sense check my plan for a 4yo birthday party?

[thecatwiththesilveryfur]

We've hired a small local community play centre, where the kids can play with the toys/dressing up outfits, etc. There's space for 15 kids and as many parents; we've had acceptances from 12 so far, a mix of nursery and family friends.

I'm planning to make a pass the parcel and set up a cake decorating table (so they can squeeze on coloured icing, sprinkles etc.). The party is 2-4pm, and I'll provide food (sandwiches, crisps, vegetables etc., though I'm not really sure any of them will be hungry at that time?). I'll blow up a bunch of balloons for them to kick around.

I'll also need to provide party bags (what's good to put in them?). What else have I forgotten? I've never done a kid's party before and feel a bit anxious, especially as the week before we're going to a party at the same place where they have hired an Elsa entertainer!

Any tips/ideas/warnings very gratefully received!

Instead of party bags, do a cupcake to take away and a book from the works. They do 10 for £10 so cheaper and less tat than a traditional party bag.

Pass the parcel, musical statues and maybe musical chairs. 2 hours is a fair amount of time without some structure. I'd do 30 minutes free play, 45 minutes pass the parcel/party games and then 45 minutes food and cupcake decorating. Big cake and happy birthday at the end to round things up

I have just done a 6 year olds and I put cheap 50p crayon packs and the little bubbles sticks £2 for 6 in-between the lays so everyone won. I also made sure every child ripped a layer.

Between my 3 children I have hosted nearly 30 parties 😅and I find party bags are a waste just give then cake wrapped up as they go. You spend a lot on money on they and it ends up in the bin 😢
On the answering side bubbles/crayons/pencils/snapbands (love a good snapband) rubbers sweets and the cake.

Good Luck OP

You definitely need food, they get a bit crazed and also my 4 year old is usually too excited to eat lunch.

Recommend two groups of 6 each for pass the parcel and for the cake decorating, might help them collect themselves.

They do stick the horn on the unicorn and patch on the pirate games as well as stick the tail on the donkey. They go down well and kill 10 mins. Musical bumps/statues over Musical chairs at 4 there could be accidents

You need more games. Physical ones - sleeping lions, musical statues, musical bumps etc
4 year olds have a very short attention span. Pass the parcel needs to be no more layers than children, and even then they'll start to get bored and wander off.
Cake decorating will last 10 mins max!
2 hours is possibly too long - 1.5 hrs might be better.
Some good things to pass the time - decorate paper bags with your name at the start. This is where your "prizes" go, and becomes your party bag. Add to all bags at the end - slice of cake, book, colouring pencils, stickers, sunflower/cress/radish/seeds etc . I bought Lego mini figs once which went down well, and those animal/bird enamel badges charities like RSPB sell, but I think the kids were older than 4 then. Puzzle book. Coloured shoe laces. Silly socks (check out Poundland). Chocolate medals for prizes!
Beware Haribo/jelly sweets is anyone avoids gelatine for any reason.

A big roll of bubble wrap to jump on is always a big hit too!

For the cake decorating it would be ideal if you had smocks or at least wipes/napkins handy as it's bound to get messy!

Party bags: my DC really look forward to these and always hope for little toys & trinkets (ie tat). If there was just a book & a piece of cake inside they would be disappointed. But I get that you may not want to buy/distribute pointless bits of plastic.

Otherwise your plan sounds perfect. The balloons will be a hit I'm sure.

Party bag - a book
Have loads of games to play - the cake decorating with take 1 minute.
Print off some colouring in sheets and supply a box of pens and pencils.
Maybe do some face painting, doesn't have to be professional.
Lots of active running around games.

Thanks so much for all the advice! So much wisdom!

Can anyone recommend any physical games we can do with them, bearing in mind that my son at least is a complete clumsy and falls over his own feet ten times a day? A couple of people have mentioned musical bumps, which I'm not familiar with?

Also - does 1.5h seem more sensible than 2h? Keen for the party not to outlast its fun!

Musical bumps is similar to Musical statues. When the music stops you sit on the floor last child to sit is out.

It sounds lovely! Pass the parcel, maybe musical statues and some balloons to play with is fine.
I wouldn't bother about giving them cakes to decorate though - a lot of mess for little reward! I doubt they'll be that interested if there is a lot of other stuff to play with. I assume some of the children will still be only 3?
As for party bags - do them! They love them! Sweets, bubbles (Poundland do packs of mini ones and other party bag fillers), a balloon and a slice of cake. As much as plastic tat is awful they all like it, so add something like a party blower, wand, sticky window man etc.
I've just done a 5 year old dinosaur party so themed it on that. We did a pass the Dino egg at the end which was good for winding down as they left.
Like pass the parcel, but you give them a little plastic egg with something in (toy, sweet etc). When the music stops the child gets to open the egg and is then out of the circle. Keep playing with a new egg each time u til one is left. Last child could have a bigger prize, but not necessary. No worrying about who's already opened it either as they leave!

2 hrs is a good time. By the time everyone arrives and settles in, you lay some games and eat it will be time to go home!
I'd plan a couple of extra games but if they are happy playing then I wouldn't do them. Why make them stop what they're enjoying? It sounds like there is lots in situ already to keep them busy.

I'd skip the cake decorating unless you're really attached to it.

Let them run wild with a few games you can pull out if they are getting too silly (musical statues/musical chairs/sleeping bunnies are all easy to do).

It's prime party bag age, so I would do one.

People saying skip party bags and I get they're wasteful but my 5yo would be gutted without some bits to take home!

On a party day it's the first thing my kids mention - "it's X's party today - I wonder what will be in the party bag?"
If they get given a book or seeds 😬 they are so disappointed. Books are so subjective. My son was given one at a party and he had no interest in it at all.

Party bags are also a useful way to tell people go to home 😁

I wouldn't bother with cake decorating- at least some of the children will have no interest and it will be messy. You can always stretch the games out if necessary with a "disco competition" (stick some music on, get them to dance, go round and give everyone a sweet for their great dancing).

Duck Duck Goose? Frozen tig? Sleeping lions?

How about musical action songs like Hop Little Bunny, Teddy Bear Teddy Bear etc?

Musical bumps is not being the last one to sit on the floor when the music stops.

We also used to play a game where you used two of those grabber toys shaped like a sharp or dinosaur and a large bowl with coloured lego blocks. The children were in two teams. They were asigned a colour and had 30 seconds to pick out as many lego pieces in that colour using the grabber as possible. Any wrong colours were deducted from their score. It was a lot of fun.

4 year olds have lots of energy and short attention spans. They are also far, far messier in a group than you'd believe possible. Unless carefully supervised, the cake decorations will be everywhere and you'll spend 5 times longer cleaning up than they will decorating their cakes. Biscuits are less messy (a bit) if you are wedded to the idea, but on the whole it's better for a 6-8 year old party than 4yo in my experience.

A game that worked so well for that age group was printing out pictures and sticking them round the room. Children have a list and have to find them all. They can do this at any point in the party.

A small craft table and a themed craft

If you have room then a parachute is always a big hit

Sounds great! I did biscuit decorating for DC’s 3rd birthday and it was one of the best parties for sure. Especially because at that age parents stay and so there is 1:1 supervision for it.

Have fun!

Oh yeah other easy games to play with no prep, that I used to do when teaching English classes

Red light green light - just shout out colours and have them be cars. You can mix it up by adding amber for slow walking and then add in some silly ones like blue means backwards, purple means jumping.

Put some music on and tell them all to be different things - animals, vehicles, trees.

What's the Time Mr Wolf or Grandmother's Footsteps

Designate different corners of the room as different answers and then ask several questions where they can choose the answers - normal and silly. I used to do "I like it / I don't like it" (or Yes/No) and you ask them if they like pancakes/ice cream/brocolli/smelly socks/orange jelly/whatever. They have to run to the correct corner. Causes chaos when you pick something controversial that some of them like and some don't. Mix together foods (bacon ice cream) and some will claim they like it anyway. And anything "smelly" or "old" or "dirty" is hilarious to four year olds.

For a more complicated version do something like animals and then ask what's the fastest, what's the cuddliest, what's the smelliest, what's the best at climbing, swimming, etc. That takes a bit more prep though.

Sounds nice - make sure there’s drinks and snacks for adults. I personally hate party bags-just do cake and a book. A bit of educating in enjoying the experience rather than the wasteful tat you take away

Mumsnetters, you are wonderful. Thank you all so much for the ideas. I'm looking forward to it now (almost as much as I am terrified!!).

My main piece of advice is to go with the flow! Have games planned, but if they don't want to do it, leave them be! As long as they are happy and having fun, it doesn't matter if that's with what you've organised or just throwing balloons around!

I'd ditch the pass the parcel for that many kids given their ages. Few will sit happily to pass the parcel once in 12-15 goes.

I'd avoid the cake decorating too. I have found colouring always goes down well or craft packs from the Works or Baker Ross - masks or something you can colour or stick on like crowns.

Is party near Easter - a 99 p Easter egg would work instead of a party bag.