!! yr old boys - party bags or something else?

[ilovetomandjerry]

Party bags seem a bit babyish but can't think what to do instead?

Only got 5 boys to find something for - any ideas???

TIA

We are not doing any for DS's 12th birthday (most guests 11, some 12).
I dare any of them to throw a paddy about it, I really do.

I agree Ragged - I hate how it seems to be expected to get one!

It is harder as they get older!!

For DS's last birthday we only had about 5/6 boys - I bought them all a funky Tshirt - £1/1.50 from Primark/Sportsdirect (they always have reduced ones) with a little bag of Lego (I think they were about 50p from Tesco- they must have had a lot left over from the free bags they gave away with a newspaper!) and put those in a bag with a piece of birthday cake.

Do you have any "theme" to the party? For example, if it's a football-themed party, get them a cheap football each - means less squabbling over balls during the party and they get to take them home. Alternatively, DS had a craft party (T-shirt and china painting) and they took home what they had made, plus their aprons.

Think of it as a small gift rather than a "party bag" as such, and the options are much wider - cheap books, maybe? I know they seem too old and too cool, but they do really love them. I paid a teenage babysitter to help at one of DS's parties, and gave her a party bag and she was so chuffed

Is that 11?

My son is 6 so don't really have any experience of older kids but one of the party favors that went down very well at one of our parties was a sports bottle, filled with sweets. For the younger children we bought Thomas and Spiderman bottles. For older children perhaps you could buy standard, non branded sports bottles. You can buy big bags of sweets and divide them amongst them.

Sorry! Yes I meant 11 yrs old!!!

Some nice ideas - thank you - I had thought about a book of some sort - maybe a little joke book?

If I did do a party treat (and I AM NOT ), it'd be merely a large chocolate bar, the sort that costs 1-1.50 each with a ribbon if I could be arsed. I cannot think of anything that would be more appreciated; sorry, but by 11yo they have as idiosyncratic personalities as adults, and any sort of same party gift for all is likely to not suit many.

That said, though, if it was girls I could probably go to town in Claire's accessories to get many sorts of junk (glittery nail polish!) they would all appreciate. And maybe a cheap foam football for the lads.

I am still not doing it, though.

Ragged - chocolate is the way to go I think!!! Thank you!

Pack of Top Trumps?
Big bag of haribos?
Water pistol?
Book from the Book People?