Really really low cost kids party

[Hullabalooo]

I'd like to do a small birthday party for dc this October but am really low on funds... like really low! I normally just do something in a park but the weather is so variable this year I'm not sure it'll hold out by mid October unfortunately.

I did a joint party last time but the other family aren't available this year.

I'm wondering what i can do realistically do on my own on a very small budget. Any ideas?

Also would it be weird to have it a couple of weeks early to hopefully make sure the weather is ok?

Dc will be six.

@mumsnet hq this should be in 90 days not this forum. Could you switch it? Don't know why it's in this one!

Party at the house?

Take a few friends to the cheap morning kids showings at the cinema?

Think old school: party at your house, limit the numbers to 8 max, do a 'decorate your own cupcake' as an activity and a party bag, party games and dancing to music.

Cheapest is have it at home.
I’d try to have it nearer the date if possible. The weather is so iffy anyway.
Start collecting paper bags to make up a Pass the parcel.
Tiny prizes for games such as Musical Bumps.
Show a film while they’re sitting eating.
The best party food is inexpensive anyway. Crisps, pizza, pineapple, sausages.

I agree with the party at home option. It's a bit of a novelty these days, with all the soft play, cinema, football parties and kids really enjoy it. You can do traditional party food such as jam sandwiches, jelly, crisps etc, homemade cake, pass the parcel, pin the tail on the donkey, daft balloon races.

I’d do it a couple of days late and have a Halloween party! Apple bobbing, touching peeled grapes, cold spaghetti etc with a blindfold on, homemade decks like bats made from bin bags, etc etc. Would be cheap and different

I like the Halloween party idea, you can get decorations really cheap if you have it even a day or two after Halloween. Also, if you report your origiinal post you can ask mnhq to move it for you.

Sack off the party and go for a nice day out! We did Harry Potter this year for my daughters birthday

I agree a party at home (if you have the space) can work really well. At my dcs recent party we did tesco value pizzas and chopped cucumber, then birthday cake and fairy cakes they had decorated (and chopped strawberries because they were on a reduced sticker). They had crisps when they arrived. We made nameplates for their doors (craft bits from the pound shop) then watched a film with popcorn. All the children had a fab time and still ask if we can do it next year. I think it is a novelty almost now!

What sort of things do they like? You could just do an activity they like. At 6 they'll probably be happy with most things.

Slime party? They could make slime, do one of those lucky dip things but with slime, things like that. Slime they make can double as a party bag filler.
Design your own t-shirt/bag/hat party? Could buy a few cheap plain t-shirt or bags on Amazon or ebay and a set of fabric pens/glue/glitter.
Lots you can do really.
A home party is good too, then it's mainly just food you need to buy.

Buy some face paint and do it yourself too, so that's another thing to fill the time with. It doesn't even have to be great, and you can use stencils.

I think it's fine to do it early if you need better weather so you can do it for free in a park too.

Gave a party at your home & play some fun games (pin the tail, musical statues, sleeping lions, cake and sandwiches, crisps, treasure map)

Kids love it.

Party about 2 hours

Cake in party bag with books from book people

We had a lego themed party one year. Really cheap & could work outside or inside (max 8 kids). We took lego men apart and hid them in rice. The kids have to find the right body parts for each man. Also hid 10 bits of lego in each colour in the garden, split the group into colour teams and they raced to find them. Made a cake myself, had pizza & very cheap party food & bought very cheap flavours on ebay. Honestly doubt total cost was more than £15 & could have been cheaper. Don't buy too much food, they are usually to excited to eat and it's usually between meal times so just a snack is fine.

Art party

Buy (google wholesale) plain white T-shirt's (or try Asda or Tesco) and buy a few sets of fabric pens. Baker Ross crafts, snap bracelets or baseball hats. Decorate biscuits, homemade cakes etc, plain white paper bags to take all the gifts they've made home in (which they can also decorate!

I had a make your own pizza party for a 6 yr old DD and just over a dozen friends.

I made a big batch of decent pizza dough ahead of time, then at the party we all made more dough - enough for each girl to have a decent sized bit to work on. The girls took turns stirring as the ingredients were added, then kneaded and pounded their own dollops of dough.

Then I left their dough to rise, and used the previously made dough for their small pizzas (about 7-8 inches diameter) which they topped themselves using a jar of sauce and shredded cheese, plus whatever they chose from pepperoni, green peppers, mushrooms, and sliced blanched onions that I had already prepared. I made a diagram of whose pizza was where on the baking sheet so when the pizzas came out there was no confusion.

The favours were little aprons I had bought very cheaply like these www.amazon.co.uk/Pllieay-Childrens-Classroom-Community-Painting/dp/B079P6XKJ3?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_3&tag=mumsnetforu03-21. They wore them while creating their pizzas, having decorated them earlier in the party with fabric markers. Plus as it was spring I included a little packet of sunflower seeds, and candy.

While the pizzas were baking and cooling and I cleaned up the biohazard mess in the kitchen they played outside for a little while, and that is how they found a dead baby bird that had fallen out of his nest, so of course they had to hold a proper funeral for him complete with a cross made out of twigs to mark the place where they buried him, and there was a solemn moment when they all blessed themselves ( RC school)...

We did a themed treasure hunt at home last year that was very popular, for about 6-7 kids. The stuff they found on the treasure hunt made up their party bags, IYSWIM. We also played in the garden for a bit (20 mins on slide and swing) and then musical statues inside. That was pretty much it and they loved t!!

Party at home is the best way to do a party without spending too much money. Push all furniture to the walls and remove any breakables to create space.

Have a couple of activity's planned (pass the parcel, decorate a biscuit, watch a DVD), but the children may just want to play together.

The children will have a great time!!!

We went to a party a few weeks ago where it was literally a paddling pool in the garden and the children were delighted.

Always did parties at home when kids were small

Do the old favourites, musical statues etc
Activities. Loads of good suggestions on thread. One from me is to buy modelling balloons and couple pumps from amazon, get them all having a go. Its really good fun. One year I got them to make animals and gave a prize. I mean they were all crap including mine but its such good fun

My DS' birthday is in October and we have always done house parties. We've had pirate themed and Halloween themed so far.

You only need a few party games like pass the parcel, musical statues/bumps, also done things like decorate a pirate hat or make a Halloween sticker picture. That seems to have gone down really well. Look in the cheap shops (The Range, B&M, Quality Save etc) for kids crafts.

Food can simply be some snacks, a bit of pizza, make your own cake.

Wow great suggestions here! Thank you all so much for these. This is all really helpful.

Been stressing about this all far more than i should have but really want to give dc a nice time after a rubbish year despite lack of funds.

Does your house get completely trashed with all the kids in it?

I'd hold off and do Halloween party.
Can decorate the house with some great Halloween props from places like home bargains and play spooky music in the background and it will be really special.
A few £1 pizzas from somewhere like Iceland and party games like bobbing for apples and it will be a hit.
Probably a big mess but a one that will clean up and it's only once a year.

Party at home, build their own pizzas followed by make their own sundaes (pm me for a full-proof dough recipe that costs under £1). Pass the parcel, cutting up the chocolate game, musical statues. Or movie with popcorn

I've got a weird shaped house so both kitchen and living room are long but thin and tiny back yard. Wondering how to set this up? Also is 10 too many? Don't think i could get away with less than that friendship wise.

Bowling with a few kids even I london is only about £30