Birthday parties in reception September

[Sprogonthetyne]

DD turns 5 the same week she will start reception, and wants a big class party (we've been to a few from nursery). How would you do invites?
She's already in school nursery, so most of the kids will be moving up together, but I don't know which will be in her class (2 form, can't cater for 60) and there will be some new starters.

Option I can think of

• have it before they go back and invite current class

• have it a few weeks later and get invites out first day of term

• print un-named invites & ask teacher to give out at settling in visit (will they hate me for this one?)

Which would you do? Or can anyone suggest something I haven't thought of?

... Wouldn't bother with a class party tbh...

But yes, if you must have one, invite the nursery kids and have it before starting primary.

I'm not keen, and was relived to avoid the class party years with my eldest (thanks to covid), but she's been asking for the last couple of years and I fobbed her off last year for much the same reason. Here, all the class parties seem to be 4th & 5th, then smaller friends only panties from 6, so it will probably be the only one I do.

Do something with yr child, do a class party next year, September Birthday parties are always ones people don’t turn up to as they have run out of money buying uniform.

My dd is late September born and went to the school nursery, we did the whole class party in year 1. Kids more settled and not overwhelmed by just starting school.
Id just do a small party for nursery friends this year, plus reception is usually staggered starts over a couple of weeks, so probably may not meet all new class mates.

I'd either do it with just the nursery kids early, or leave it a few weeks and do it near end of September.

I did a party with her existing friends than did a class party in Year 1.

I did a whole class reception birthday in September. It was fine. There was a WhatsApp group set up before they joined so most people were on that. Everyone still had enthusiasm that early so pretty much everyone came and it was a really nice way of meeting people. It was my second though so I knew a few of the parents already.

DS's 5th birthday was the day after he started Reception. He had a day out with a couple of close friends for his 5th birthday, and whole class party for his 6th. There wouldn't have been no point in trying to organise a whole class party before Receition started as the children came from 4 or 5 different nurseries, and 3 or 4 moved to the area over the summer.

I know you say people tend to only do whole class parties for 4th and 5th birthdays, but ds's 6th birthday was only a couple of weeks after the last 5th birthday party, it seemed fine.

How does turning up to a child's birthday party require them to have any money?

Personally, I'd probably do the party at the end of September and get the invites out during the first week.

Take un-named invites to give out on the first day, maybe delay the party for a week to give enough notice. Also text any parents you have numbers for from nursery at the end of the summer holiday to invite them

Presumably the cost of a present, which is customary (and perhaps transport to said party)

I'd do a whole class party you'll get lots of invites back and it's a good opportunity to mingle. For my DC September Birthday we gave out invites about 3 days into term and had it at the end of September

My DS has a birthday at the start of September. We got a list of his class from the classroom assistant on the first day and then she distributed them the next day. She was more than happy to help.

I really appreciated the whole class party at the start of September when my oldest started reception - it helped everyone get to know each other.

We had a WhatsApp group through word of mouth and local Facebook link, and the invitations went out on that.

Ds19 was invited to a whole class party during the second week of reception- only him and another child from school turned up the rest were older family members. Felt so sorry for the poor child.

We did a whole class party start of October and that felt the earliest you could reasonably do - I didn't know any names either so reliant on the teacher handing out the invitations- loads were missed, people didn't show up, I wish I hadn't bothered !

Do option 1.

We were in this situation last year. My sons birthday is in the middle of august and we are away. Loads of people are away.

Last year I sent out invitations to the whole class the first week of term and did the part the weekend of the third week in September.

Loads of children turned up. It would've been fine except for a freak accident on a bouncy castle but that's a different story.

For the invitations I just addressed it to 'member of foundation class' or something generic and I posted the invite onto the what's app group. I handed the invites to the teacher and she put them into book bags.

I didn't particularly want 20 children turning up and we ended up with about 15 which was more than enough.

This year I am doing his party the first weekend back and sending out invites before the summer holidays.