Ok we've got the theme, we've got the decor, we've even got the presents. My question is am I going overboard??? Emma turns 4 in December. When the kids get to our house I am going to have tables set up with play-doh and let them free play for a while. Then we'll clean that up and instead of having a cake made, I am going to make cupcakes and let the kids decorate them, themselves, icing, and sprinkles. I am leaning towards doing a candy buffet and a jump house. I just want to make sure all these kids will be busy and not sitting around bored but they are still not really at the age where playing games is easy. Open to your suggestions, Thanks!!!
**Ok I've decided no candy buffet b/c I don't want them any more cracked out on sugar than need be. So I'm going to stick with the play-doh, decorating cupcakes and the bounce house.**
Thank you all for you awesome feed back!!!! I'll let you know how it goes.
Everything went off without a hitch. We played with play doh then decorated cupcakes then made an ornament. Everyone had a great time and my daughter seemed to really enjoy her party.
What time is the party? Will they be eating lunch or is it afternoon? Sounds ok to me the cupcake idea is great except that some parents in my area are picky about candy/sweets unless it is a small amount they will be getting. Jump house is perfect for 4 year olds!
I have a 4 year old, and we've always had his parties at our house. We usually have 15-20 kids there, and I've only planned one activity -and it was just there for whenever they felt like it. They just enjoy running around, playing and having fun! Children don't get enough of an opportunity to do that these days. For some reason we feel like we need to plan and structure their every moment. The only structure I plan is singing "Happy Birthday," blowing out the candles and opening presents. We had a pirate party one year, and I got foam swords from Oriental Trading that they could decorate themselves. Several kids did it, but most just played.
I think the cupcake decorating will be a HUGE hit, but I wouldn't also do a candy bar. If you want to do a jump house -that's cool -but you don't have to. Don't be surprised if only one or two sit down to play with Play Doh while the rest chase each other all over the house!
We have a variety of snacks -and depending on the time, we have grilled burgers and dogs before or gotten pizzas. We've always had a lot of fun and every year several little ones tell me it's the best party they've ever been to!
I think that sounds great! I LOVE the cupcake idea! Don't be disappointed if it all doesn't go as planned though. All kids parties are crazy with a bunch of 4 yr olds. Bounce houses are great for that age! And face painters are wonderful too! And I happen to be one. DallasFacePainters.com but you can send me a message directly. We have really great rates and I would love to come and help make your daughters birthday special! Good luck! And happy birthday Emma!
I don't think it's too much at all! (I agree with you...I didn't want a bunch of 3-5 year olds just "hanging out" around my house.) My son's 4th birthday party had a bounce house, 4 craft projects, a treasure hunt, plus "free play". Sounds like a good time will be had by all! :)
OH what fun! Not going overboard at all! Be aware not to plan too many activities. They WILL want to play in your daughters room with her toys, b/c all kids think that other kids stuff is cooler than their own. We went to a party at classmates home a couple of years ago. The kids made their own pizza's when the party started. They played one organized game while the pizza cooked, then after eating, the kids played with the Birthday boys toys, lego tables etc. The parents had a glass (1 glass) of home made wine. Fun for everyone.
No I don't think you're going overboard at all. As long as it fits in your budget and you have the energy for it all I don't see a problem.Seems very cool and cupcakes are always a good idea for children. Have fun and the kids will love it :)
I love this plan, but my son recently had a spend the night guest over and I thought that making cookies together and pancakes in the morning would be fun. My son LOVES to cook. But, the other boy was completely and absolutely disinterested in cooking.
So, you might want to have the cupcakes already baked and just ready to decorate when the kids arrive - so that you can quickly move into that activity. (you might even want to have the base coat of icing on and have it just be "decorating" the cupcake".
What is a candy buffet? I googled it, and that is a lot of sugar. Decorating the cupcakes sounds like fun. A suggestion: check with the parents of the attendees, and see if Type 1 diabetes is an issue. Most mommas know that parties are going to be high carb, and we account for that. However, we appreciate it when these types of issues are considered. What you have planned sounds wonderful.
When my daughter turned 4, we had some appetizers, a couple of games, some cupcakes and a bounce house for a few hours. The kids were in the bounce house pretty much the whole time. The LOVED it. So I did the same thing this year. The bounce house is great to keep the little ones entertained for the whole party.
I think that sounds like a great idea!!!! They will enjoy that!
Your party sounds like a lot of fun! Very cute ideas!! The kids will love decorating their cupcakes!
Last year when we threw my son his fourth birthday we did a pinata and that was a BIG hit. The kids did not wear blindfolds. ( And of course living in Keller too, we lack big trees. So my hubby tied the pinata to a piece of pvc pipe, draped it over a ladder and held on to it. With kids this small, it didn't have to be too high off the ground, so it worked.) . Face painting was also really fun. I just bought some at michael's. I made a poster of the stuff I could do...flowers, sun, spiders (spiderman party), etc. Then I let the kids pick what they wanted. The kids had an activity to do art a table while they waited their turn.
Our 5th birthday party is this weekend too...crossing my fingers for good weather for both of us! :) Have fun!!
