Year 2 - how many parties has your child been invited to so far this year?

[Thejugglestruggle]

My child is in year 2. Reception and year 1 were awash with parties, but this year has tailed off significantly in terms of invites. Is this other people's experience with their children?
I'm also trying to work out how many to invite to my child's party later on in the summer!

My children had boy/girl only parties from that age. Could that be the reason why ?

My kids are much older but when they were that age, many party packages were for 10 kids so that often meant 9 people being invited as birthday boy/girl was the tenth.

My children were mainly friends with kids with similar birthdays so the invites were mainly during the term that they had a birthday too. I don’t know if that’s common or a coincidence.

Yes I found the parties dialled back a lot in year 2 (With both of my children) They were down to very few by year 3.

8 so far this year that I can remember, so maybe more. Normally around 12-15 people. 1 was the whole class but they’re tailing off now. All mixed sex. My older one is in y4 and it’s that year that I’ve found it’s really reduced.

Yes, I think you're right re smaller party sizes and my child not being top of the list (I know no kid can be fir every party!)
He has still had a few invites, so it's not nothing which is a relief!

We've had one invite for February and I probably won't expect any more. We threw a party for DS when he was in reception but I worry people think you're being grabby for presents if you throw one every year. And they're expensive! I can take my family out for the day to a theme park or similar for less than it costs to hire a party venue for two hours

To be honest I'm looking forward to this stage...my boy has a few good solid friendships and it makes sense for us to plan around this small group for future birthdays

Thank you for this reassurance. It makes sense.
Kids make you crazy. I couldn't give one hoot if I wasn't invited to something but for some reason much more concerned when it's to do with my kids!

Maybe 3? Very normal. DS had 5 kids to his party in Nov (year 2). Thank god!

(I have an older kid too and same for him, class parties are only year R maybe year 1 round here)

Ok, this sounds pretty in line with what we have going on!!

He hasn't had any this school year. But then we did a party when he was in Yr1 but haven't done in yr2. I think a lot of people have done the same.

I found that from year two parties got smaller and less common. I think it's a thing to have a whole class party in Reception or P1 so your child can say they had a party and then not have anymore after that?

In year 2 some DC just invite a few of their closest friends for a small party round at their house or an activity like bowling. From year 3 parties seemed to stop, maybe because of cost.

Party costs, like everything these days, are outrageous! I think we will aim to do a party for 8-12 this year and then revert to his few best friends from year 3 on.

How does throwing a party make someone grabby for presents ?

Most of the guests hardly spend a tenner on the gift , make snarky comments about why to throw a party, also often "forget" to bring a present but don't mind both adults of the child invited entering the venue for a child where adults are also paid for by the hosts when the party costs about £25 p child and £10 for every adult.

I think the people who don't want to throw parties are welcome not to but they should either stop attending the parties they are invited to or shut their mouths before being snarky.

We've just had 2, but that is similar to the past couple of years (more birthdays in spring/summer). We threw whole class parties for the past 3 years and it's not unusual to do one every year (affluent area). I prefer doing whole class parties tbh, I hate the social minefield of who to invite and it's more fun. I'll carry on doing them unless it ends up that my dc are the only ones left doing them!

I don’t think my kids school is big on parties, we’ve had no invites this year and she’s only ever had 2 anyway since reception.

Grabby?

I see that its the same parents that throw parties each year, at great cost. Hiring a venue or paying for an activity, food, party bags, time spent organising and hosting. They do this for their child to have a party and make memories, but the invited kids also get to have fun. Their parents probably spend £5 or £10 on a gift.

Most of the parents that attend are grateful. Their kids have fun and its pretty cheap to attend. Many more parents that attend never throw a party for their own kids.

Such a weird way of thinking.

7 so far

IME, Reception - loads of whole class parties, Yr1 - quite a few party packages for 10 kids or so, y2 - much fewer and smaller things at houses or activity venues, but not actual party packages (less than the packages 10 kids).

The friendship groups became much more focused as time went on.

I found it the other way round! There were hardly any whole class parties in reception and I didn't know any of the parents. Parents commented on the lack of whole class parties due to cost of living crisis at the time, plus lots of younger siblings in her year. However, last summer I did a big birthday party for my daughter so she got more party invites in response. Fortunately no more on the horizon, my daughter asked at the last one in December when the next one is but birthdays are very grouped together in her class. I find them tiring and difficult to plan around.

Love your name!
I think that sounds very like our set up here. It's good to know the lay of the land!!

Parties cost so much for the whole class and it's so stressful organising and getting responses etc. Year reception there were tonnes, year one a fair few but year two only a couple of smaller parties so far. It's much easier

I agree.
On the hand don't love organising them but also want my son to have some parties to go to as well 🤣

That's interesting, my son is summer born and so does feel a bit "young" compared to some. But I'm not in any hurry for him to grow up at all. He's got his whole life for that

Mine had whole class parties in reception, 10 children ish year 1 and then don’t think they had any in year 2 up unless it was a group of 5 going somewhere.

We had lots of class parties in Reception, in Y1 there was a move towards shared class parties (so whole class invited but two or three kids with birthdays around the same time shared the party - much better for the parents!) and now in Y2 it’s a bit of a mix. A couple of whole class parties, some children having a small thing with a couple of close friends and sending party bags to the whole class. We haven’t quite got to the stage my Y4 child is at where parties are more activity based (nerf gun, Go Ape, go karting) with a smaller group of friends.