5 year old party ideas

[lolasandy]

Just looking for some ideas besides the usual soft play. DC 5 soon, will need to send out invites in the first week of school term (new reception class) due to the timings. Feel like the right thing to do is invite the class, everyone else seems to (from nursery) and we have no idea who she will be close friends with yet. Don't want to leave anyone out. There's a WhatsApp for the new reception and so far a few early September parties have just invited the whole class.

This would be 20 and then a few more with family friends. Most local soft play are £12-15 per child, so it becomes so expensive I really can't justify it. Others are doing it, but whilst we're not on the breadline we're also not flush, just about in budget each month so we're trying to diligently save for both DCs birthdays in the same month (other dc is 1) and Xmas of course. I just can't swallow £300ish on a couple of hours.

I'd love to just take DC on a zoo/cinema trip with family friends but they are all obsessed with parties at the moment so I don't want DC to get really aware she's not having a party and be upset, and don't want to annoy other parents in the new class that we are not returning the favour with a party.

The local village hall is cheap to hire but I have no idea what we'd do there, we've only been to soft play parties! Our house isn't suitable, we are extending in the new year but until then we recently moved in and there's no one big space or any where I'd want lots of people round. Maybe here next year!

Any ideas for non soft play cost effective parties? Or would you just not do one?

Village hall with bouncy castle, pass the parcel etc. put out colouring pens and things to colour in and have a temporary tattoo station.

I used to run bushcraft parties for ages 5+. Kids absolutely loved it. We did various activities that the birthday kid got to choose from in advance. For 5 year olds, we offered things like magic wand making or mini fairy/dragon doors, nature puppets and the kids would do a short show for parents, other outdoor arts and crafts, games, campfire cooking, etc. We did this in nearly all weathers and year round. Maybe see if there's something similar near you.

@TeaKitten I thought about bouncy castle but is that alone enough to keep 20+ kids entertained for a couple of hours? I feel like they couldn't even all get on it at once...

@AllTheLaundry I'll have a look for something like that, not seen anything like that before so sounds interesting!

My DD is in Y1 and we’ve been to lots of parties in the village hall with a bouncy castle, they’ve never been bored yet! They don’t all pile on at the same time as inevitably a few are a bit shyer and a few are desperate to colour first etc. If you throw in a couple of party games after about 45 mins and then do food shortly after that it breaks it up well. I’d say usually in a 2 hour party it’s free play for 45min, party games for 20-30mins (not ever kid will join in which is fine), food, and then they have a last play. You bring the cake out, everyone sings, you hand out party bags and they go home.

if you have anything else you can take like a few ride on vehicles or a kids dress up collection, den building set, hola hoops etc take those along too.

We got an entertainer for DS's 5th birthday, but knowing that wouldn't work for some shyer or ND kids, we did two side-tables - one with a load of crayons and stamps and the other with our box of Duplo from home. That worked really well and you could do the same but run the party games yourself - musical statues (less chance of injury than musical bumps or chairs), pass the parcel, a dancing competition, little competitions - first team to get a nominated person dressed in a ridiculous / oversized hat, scarf, gloves, wellies, jacket etc.

We’ve held church hall parties with a bouncy castle, pass the parcel and musical statues. Along with food and cake that was enough for 2 hours. My friend had the bouncy castle cancel at short notice and did a craft party. Small craft kits from baker and Ross at different tables. It was a great success and has been replicated since as the kids loved it. Or an entertainer will work and take care of everything for you.