What do you do for birthday parties for 4 and 5 year olds?
bearkatjen
member
All of the birthday parties DS has been invited to have been held at venues like Chuck E. Cheese and Pump it Ups. No backyard birthdays. It's also typical to invite the whole preschool class or everyone from music class, so they're kind of large parties.
I haven't hosted a traditional birthday party for DS yet (we've done family celebrations but that's it), but I think he's at at good age for one, especially since his friends and classmates are having parties.
I'm thinking a party at home with only 4 or 5 friends. The kids can play in the back yard, we can have a craft, a couple of games, lunch, cake, and ice cream. Is this outdated or do I need to do more? What do you expect when you go to a child's party?
Also, does the birthday boy or girl open presents at the birthday party? DS just went to a party where they didn't open the presents.
Re: What do you do for birthday parties for 4 and 5 year olds?
In the last year we have been to tons. Some at home, a tae kwon do, my gym, a make your own pottery place. a chuck e cheese. Last year we did Build a bear for her 4th and it was our first party not at home. This year she wanted Power FRangers at home, but last minute asked to do Build a bear again. We invited 4 friends from school+their siblings.
I have not been to any party (or had one) where presents were opened. Heck, even the few grown up parties I've been to in the last few years, the hostess or birthdayee never opened presents.
Your party sounds fine; my twins are born in the summer and I'll likely keep doing parties here at the house outside for as long as they'll let me. Most home parties I've been to had no structured activities, but stations set up and the kids flitted about doing the different things and parents hung out, socialized, intervened as necessary.
I think your idea for a party sounds perfect. Our favorite parties we've attended seem to be ones that are held at home, and the kids always have a great time seeing where their birthday friend lives, playing with all their toys, etc. IMO, a bounce house really isn't needed at this age.
We've been to quite a few parties over the last couple years, and we've only seen birthday gifts opened a couple times. For whatever reason, it really isn't done here in FL.
The year my older DD was in PreK for the 1st time (kids turning 5) she was invited to 2 home parties. Each had at most 10 kids and they did some games and crafts, ate and opened gifts at one but not the other.
Most of the parties my kids have been invited to have been out at places - a park, bowling (I would not do this with 4 and 5 years old unless you only have a few kids an adults that are willing to help each child plus others to keep the non-bowlers busy), bounce house places are huge, we also have an indoor tramoline place that is fun and very safe. We have not been to a Chuck e Cheese party and hope to never be at one. We have a few indoor climbing gyms that are blast. My older DD was also at a paint your pottery for a 5 year old which I also would not do at this age (maybe closer to 8 or 9). Little Gym parties are also fun at this age.
I will say that at age 4 and 5, be ready for most parents to stay at the party. You don't need to feed them but you need space for them.
Presents are opened at about half the parties my kids go to and I have done it both ways.
As far as who and how many, I only did one party where we invited the whole class (at a bounce house place) and I will never do it again. It is just way to overwhelming for the kids. I tend to find parties with 10-15 kids to work great at the parties at a location but at home, 6-10 is best.
We've kinda done everything - we had her 2nd and 3rd parties at home w/ about 15 kids in the playroom, not set activities, but we did have a little slide and ball pit set up. We had food available, but nothing was really organized except cake. The parties were too long IMO - like 3-4 hours by the time all was said and done and we were exhausted. We've never opened gifts in front of everyone and have yet attend a party where that's done.
We've been to home parties and parties at bouncy places, ice cream shops, indoor gyms. This year, we are having DD's 4th bday at a ballet studio. I'm actually super excited - its going to be cheaper or the same price as my home parties, but won't wreck my house and will only take 90 minutes. And, I think the kids will have a blast.
We just did our first at home party this year for DD's 5th birthday. Previously we had done the play place types of parties. We did an Alice in Wonderland theme. When the kids arrived we had them color their smile for "pin the smile on the Cheshire cat" game. It was nice b/c it gave the kids something to do and not feel awkward while other kids were showing up that they might not have known.
Also, this sounds so simple but I blew up like 50 balloons and just had them lying around. That was another ice breaker type things to merge the neighborhood friends with school friends. They played and popped them and just enjoyed themselves. The popping was actually the best part b/c I didn't have to clean up any balloons at the end of the party.
Anyhow, I had like 10 games planned just in case, but the only games we ended up playing were the pin the smile game and a mini obstacle course my husband had set up in the backyard. We kind of sat back and let the kids dictate what they wanted to do. I think it made everything so much less stressful that way.
Oh, and instead of letting all the smiles go to waste, after the game we attached the smiles onto crazy straws and put them in their party bags so they could take the smiles home kind of like a silly mask. They were a big hit for the kids her age.
She did open presents in front of everyone. The entire party lasted about 2 hours and 15 minutes. Oh, and what someone else touched on, the neighborhood parents didn't stay for the party but all of the preschool parents stayed for the party.
You don't wanna know. :P
Last year, the boys were all in one class, so we invited their classmates and non-school friends, and had it at a park in our neighborhood. I don't really do much in the way of activities, just let them run around and play.
This year, the boys are in separate classes, and I couldn't ask them to pick a few friends to invite, so I'm inviting all of their classmates. That's 60 kids. Gaah! So, again, it's at the park, and I got a bunch of outdoor toys like hula hoops and balls and a parachute thingie and a cardboard playhouse to color, and will just let 'em loose.
NEXT YEAR, though, when they turn 6, they're only going to get to invite a few friends!
(and we've never opened gifts at the party, and I can't think of a single party we've been to where they were.)
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We had the twins party at home again this year. I do an evening party (Saturday at 6). It always goes something like this: play in playroom as everyone arrives, eat, more play, open presents, more play, cake and ice cream, and more play. The kids had a blast in the playroom and outside on the playground. The end was scheduled for 8 but most people stayed until 8:30 or 9.
I wouldn't worry about planning a bunch of games and activities. We went to a home party recently and she had a craft station set up that no one even touched!