Ideas for DD 4th birthday party

[charleyfarleycat]

Help needed!
Got venue, will have approx 20-25 kids. What on earth do I do with them? Is it me or has the traditional birthday party for kids been swallowed up by the need to spend hundreds of pounds on entertainers, themes, etc?
Maybe I'm tight, but the thought of spending £400 on a 4 year old's party seems a bit out of proportion to me? Where does that leave me for her 5th, 10th or 18th?! Or is that just average and should I swallow it? And of course what she has, her brother will have to have too...
Help me with a reality check, people!

Assuming you are looking for a diy event rather than having a professional entertainer then:

• something to do while the kids are arriving - game of "duck, duck, goose" so that kids can keep joining

• games - musical chairs, sleeping lions, pin tail on something

• other - decorate a biscuit/fairy cake or something to take home as a party bag thing

• calm down time - pass the parcel

• lunch/tea

• birthday cake and song

• hype em up again before pick up with a pinata!

Rent a bouncy castle and buy yourslef a face painting book - paint faces and let them have bounce - do couple of rounds of pass the parcel and then food any pack them off.

I always dish out the food rather than give them a choice - a few sandwiches, crudite and some mini sausages and crisps usually surfices and cuts down on the taking loads of stuff and then not eating it.

I take picture sof whichever DCs birthday it is with each child as the leave and have them made into thank you cards too which isn't expensive and is a nice touch.

Rather than party bags you could give each a slice of cake and then do a lucky dip.

Woopee cushions go down well - got 48 off of the internet for £10 and put those in the pass the parcel - cue tens of kids running aorund making farty noises laughing their heads off!

All you need is a CD player and a few games.
For a 4 yr old's party and with that many kids, you'll need lots of helpers and only a short time or you'll go bonkers!

If I were you I would get all the kids there and play musical bumps, then pass the parcel (done in 2 large circles to make it easier/quicker).
Then eat - perhaps have cardboard themed boxes here that you've prefilled with a sandwich/drink/cheese portion/cake and once they've eaten, play another game.

Then have a dancing comp with a prize.

The end.
I would only make it 1.5 hrs max.

Have out lots of stuff for those to do who don't want to play your party games - play-doh, painting, water tray (with aprons)

could you do some facepainting? Crown making, decorate a party bag, decorate a cake

TBH I have always paid up (apart from once)... the thought of entertaining all those children seems like a busman's holiday to me (I am a teacher) ... plus it is not much cheaper than going to our local soft play centre by the time you have factored in food etc