3rd birthday party timings/ etiquette

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Hi

So I've somehow ended up with a whole nursery class plus some family and friends so a total of 28 kids coming to DD's 3rd birthday party which is dino themed. Kids are almost all the same age with some a bit younger.

We have hired a local hall, booked a decent bouncy castle with slide and some scuttlebugs.

DP has borrowed an inflatable dino costume and is willing to make an appearance at some point lol.

Party is 10.30- 12.30 on a Sun morning.

Do these timings sound okay.

10.30 - 11.30 free play - bouncy castle, scooters, fishing game, balloons etc

(there will be tea, coffee, soft drinks and biscuits for parents the whole party)

11.30 - 12.00 dinner (sandwiches, pizza, crisps, crudités etc), then jelly ice cream and fruit, then cake

12.00 - they can go on bouncy castle again but DP will appear at this point as t rex and first chase the kids round like mad, then do a conga line to some music, then maybe something like hot potato with the balloons. But also free play

12.25 - DP to herd them to the door via the party bags

Is the first hour too much time? Is lunchtime too early? Any suggestions for rejigging this? Any suggestions for games D-T-rex could lead (with those numbers at this age I am thinking the least organised/ complicated the better!)

Thanks so much!

Sounds great as long as plenty of hands on deck, except don’t think I’d be brave enough to do the 12-12.25 bit, out of 28 x 3ish year olds at least a few are guaranteed to totally freak out at that but no doubt some will love it

I think filling kids up with pizza, jelly, ice cream and cake and then chasing them round a hall dressed as T-Rex is a recipe for disaster. Unless you love cleaning up sick, in which case, crack on.

It's all very high energy for so many small children. Can you get an entertainer so they can sit and watch something for some of the time? Or get T-Rex DP to do something entertaining while they sit down?

I'd have a table with colouring and stickers or maybe a craft activity (dinosaur masks to colour and take home or paper cups to personalise and then use at lunch) to have a calmer option.

It sounds like a lot of fun, but also 28 children on a bouncy castle plus scooters plus adults walking round with hot tea and coffee just sounds like the start of an episode of casualty!!

I would definitely get some kind of entertainment for part of the time.

Sounds great!

Kids just want to play. They'll quicky sit to eat but all they'll want to do is play again. Go with the flow. Have fun!

I think I would fit something quiet in after the food, a story about dinosaurs or a craft session. Nothing to long, when mine were little I handed plain paper hats, or you could do masks, and a few stickers per child ( don’t let them choose their own 😱) they can decorate their hats have a five / ten minutes story, let dinner settle before running around. How about oooo I forget what it’s called 🙄 old age 😉, mr wolf ? Only with the dinosaur

sounds like you have it well organised, don’t forget to have a couple of adults on bathroom duty,

This sounds brilliant. Can I come?!

Sounds amazing!!!

My top tip, don't waste the birthday cake on the kids, they almost never eat it. Save it for adults and for any visitors over the couple of days after the party.

My sons birthday we had an open buffet and kids just took when they wanted between the times and then with whatever was left over a couple of parents took a plate home.