Pass the parcel - rules?!

[Motheringthrough]

Hi all,

Daughter’s birthday party to organise, food, party games etc

Now the big question that I can’t seem to get a definitive answer about… what is the party etiquette when it comes to prizes in pass the parcel?!

When I was a kid (child of the 90s/00s here) there were multiple layers of wrapping paper, with the only prize being at the very end underneath the very last layer.

I’ve been to kids parties recently with my daughter and there have been small prizes underneath every layer… ie, every child should end up with something.

Is this the done thing now? Don’t want to make a kids party faux pas!

Everybody I ask seems to have a different view on this 😂

(There is a hilarious episode of Bluey about this dilemma)

I'd put a sweet in between each wrapper, but not an actual gift.

Just a wrapped sweet or fun size choc between each layer imo.

In the 80s you used to get one of those sherbert flying saucers. These days you get haribo.

I do a small prize in each layer, often with a funny instruction (sing happy birthday, stand on your hands etc.

Makes it more fun.

This is how it was done in the 80s in my circles too.

Small bag of sweets for each layer.
Number of layers = number of children (everyone wins!)
Last layer has different paper, so you know it's the last layer.

A sweet, for older ones can intersperse funny forfeits. The person doing the music has to be sharp to make sure it stops apparently randomly but so that everyone gets a turn. But for the final prize, back turned truly random - definitely not deliberately stopped on the birthday child.

A sweet or mini pack of haribo per layer around here. Enough for one per child and the person getting the main present shouldn't be the birthday child.

There is a great episode of Bluey about pass the parcel politics. You should definitely watch it before you wrap.

Was just coming on to say watch Bluey!!!

The thing is with the last layer being the only one with different paper is that there will always be a kid or two who 'know' the rules and will always keep passing it on when the parcel lands with them if it isn't the special last layer. They have twigged that everyone gets a go and if they can avoid getting it for as long as possible then they will win. I discovered this fact at dd's birthday parties when the same clever-clogs child did the same thing two years running and won both times. She was well miffed the following year when I'd wrapped more layers than there were kids, and the last two were both in special paper. She thought she'd tricked her way into winning again and was very put out to find another layer of paper inside.
Bless.😂

Yikes. Hellish for shy kids!

A sweet in each layer and a proper prize in the middle.

You also need to decide if you fix it so birthday child doesn't win or - worse! - birthday child does win! A friend of mine always fixed it so her son, the birthday boy, won the main prize!
I'm in the sweet per layer or tiny prize in some layers group.

I still remember the injustice on pass the parcel from my primary school days.

As a kid it was always a prize every layer! I do the same with DS and all his friends have the same. I'd be quite put out if there wasn't a prize on each layer tbh 😂

sweet in each layer, and wrapped so everyone gets a go. Then on the last turn, close your eyes and press pause so it’s random to who gets the actual prize

A sweet per layer here.

I attempted to instigate Lucky’s Dad’s Rules but my 6 year old firmly rejected that!

Though I went to a party recently and the entertainer passed around a cuddly toy, there was a basket of sweets in the middle and when the music stopped the child holding the toy went up for a sweet. At the end any kids who hadn’t had a sweet got one. Worked well and zero prep compared to pass the parcel! I vowed to use that in future!

There was only one prize under multiple layers when I was a child, but I am very very old. There was always music playing though (something silly or funny) which my dad managed to speed up each time the parcel went off on its travels again. I remember that really adding to the excitement.

Well was a kid in the late 70s early 80s and we always had a present in each layer, I remember an amazing sparkly gold nail varnish at one! But it was usually a sweet. Actually sometimes it was forfeits not sweets.

I always did a present under every layer for mine, now 14 and 17. Would buy a bulk pack of something - dinosaurs, little cars etc. Would make sure every child got one. Then look away for the final gift, so it was random.

Small chocolate/sweet in every layer, watch the parcel to make sure every child gets a turn. Also watch on the last round to make sure the birthday child doesn't get it (my mum always used to try and make sure it went to a child who hadn't won anything in the other games that were harder for her to manipulate eg pin the tail on the donkey)

Small packet of haribo between each sheet of paper and make sure you stop the music for every child

For a party of 6/7 year olds we put a sweet and a forfeit in each layer.

Of course, by sheer coincidence the two younger siblings (our and our best friends' 3-4yo) were the two that got the tricky one (stand on one leg and count backwards from ten, or something)

Apart from that everyone seemed to enjoy it

I feel that for any kids who are young enough to play pass the parcel, lucky's dad's rules are asking for tears! We do haribo or chocolate lolly (multipack) in between layers.

I held 2 halloween playdates/mini parties this year for 2-6 year olds, and all dads present asked if we were using lucky's dad's rules when I got the parcel out 🤣

I have watched the Bluey episode, it’s in my original post 🙄

Thanks all - consensus seems to be to put a little sweet in each layer before prize in the centre layer

Check locally if you can. I've never seen anything but Lucky's Dad's Rules here, even with three year olds. We're apparently out of step with most of the rest of the nation.

Sorry but "check locally" made me laugh, as if the Council published guidelines on acceptable rules

Yes every party I've been to has had a small gift under each layer then a main gift inside. Also you must make sure every child has had a turn to unwrap by being selective when you stop the music, and only then does it get completely random