Party suggestions

[ArizonaOne]

Any suggestions on a party/ way to celebrate a shy 6 year old boys birthday. He wants a party but hates being centre of attention, doesnt enjoy soft play/ sporty type gatherings so we'd rather not fork out for something he wont even enjoy on the day!

Our local cinema holds parties. You can even put a request in for the film you would like.

Cinema? Bowling? Pizza express do pizza making parties for kids? Or a local kids cooking school might do a party? Where I used to live there was an art club that did parties, and a pottery painting place.
There are science companies that will do parties (I’ve used Fab Science before).

I had a very similar situation with my child — loved the idea of a party, but not the attention or chaos that usually comes with it.
What worked surprisingly well for us was setting up a calm “activity table” instead of games. We invited a few close friends (small group) and gave them something simple to create together.
It completely changed the atmosphere — they were focused, chatting quietly and actually enjoying themselves without that pressure of being “on display”.
At the end they each had something they made to take home, which also replaced party favours.
Honestly it felt much more like a cosy get-together than a typical party.

Thanks for this, it sounds like a great idea. I have a few months to think about what I could set up so I think this would work well!

We used a simple craft setup with everything ready (so no stress running around for supplies 😅).
If you want, I can share what we used!

Oooh yes please! 🥰

My son had a gaming bus with 5 friends. Absolutely loved it.

Here are ready-made solutions for DIY parties: https://unboxthefun.etsy.com