Birthday Party Venue for 4 Yr Old Boy.

We did a 10 am Chuck E Cheese party. It wasn't very crowded and the kids were able to play a lot before the pizza came. Once it was time to eat, the place started to fill up. If we had had it later, they wouldn't have been able to play as much.

I did the first three at home, we have an october child. little monsters, monkeys, and then car themed. This year we will be doing a joint b-day with a classmate whose b-day is 2 weeks later at a bounce house. 2pm start on a sunday afternoon. cake and goody bags included.

other ideas we toyed with were - the children's museum, the local farm museum, the science center, gymboree, a ceramics shoppe, chuck e cheese, the bowling alley, a cooking center. All of these things have packaged birthday deals, as do many others. The thing to watch out for is the number of kids attending. Most near us have a base price of $450 ish, then anywhere from $12-$20 more for each additional kid.

Best,
F. B.

I have no idea. But, I do have a suggestion about dealing with Dad. I know you didn't ask that particularly, but.. this is going to happen every year. You already acknowledge that... so let Dad take the lead. HE wants to do it up big, "true" party style... fine. Let him.
HE gets to choose the venue (or the theme, or whatever). HE gets to write out all the invitations. HE gets to shop for all the doo-dads and party favors and decor that is needed to make what he envisions happen. HE has to figure out the date/time and arrange for the food/cake/snacks and activities for the kids. And so on. You get the idea. I mean.. you already know... you are here today trying to get ideas of where to do what Dad wants. Have DAD figure out where to have it.
You know what is involved... give the list to Dad.

When it becomes his responsibility (rather than just an idea he wants YOU to run with) then he will adjust his expectations accordingly. And if not, then your son will have whatever Dad makes happen, so he can't blame you if it doesn't turn out like he wanted.

Good luck.
Having a spouse who has a lot to make up for from their own childhood, or a lot they want to be totally different than their childhood, can be exhausting.

We've done Chuck E Cheese early before (several times) and it works great!
The food isn't served right away and pizza ends up being an early lunch.
With cake and running around playing games the kids have a chance to burn off the sugar before they head for home.

When my kids were that young we ALWAYS had any party at that time. Morning. Why?
Because that is when they are active. And "waiting" for a party that is in the afternoon, really drags on... for the kid and the parents. And if a party is in the morning, then the kids already got their yah-yahs out and their energy, then they go home and nap. Which MANY thankful parents thanked us for, for having a morning party.

We also went to many parties, at that time.
At that age, parties are usually 1-2 hours.

We have done movie parties from 9am-12noon...worked out great when the kids were little!!

We had a home depot birthday party and it was GREAT. See links below for general info, and google for more. Call your local one and see if they do this. My son loved it, the kids loved it, and they all went home with a craft they made. Very cost effective. PM me if you need more info.

http://workshops.homedepot.com/workshops/kids-workshops
http://www.dadislearning.com/2013/09/09/birthday-party-at...

For my son's four year old party we did it from 9:30-11:00 on a Saturday morning at the park. I brought a cake and lemonade. We had a craft (decorating paper guitars to go with his Fresh Beat Band theme). Parents were welcome to stay. We opened gifts, and the kids played in the park. It was very simple and laid back. I think every parent said they loved the idea of a morning party. Many of the kids were still nappers so they liked the idea of doing a morning party. Everyone was still fresh so we had no break downs because everyone was tired. Many of my kids friends have done morning parties. For both of my kids morning parties we have never had anyone not come because of the time.

Gymnastics places do great birthday parties for that age. Indoor play places also are fun at that age. 10am sounds like a perfect birthday party time for young kids. They are full of energy then and ready to play! I'm sure they would love Chuck E Cheese.

I think 4yrs old is a great time to start parties but you can make them small.
I think Chuck E. Cheese is one of the best places for that age group. Age
4 & 5 then I feel like changing it up after that. Diff venues at 6.
The good thing is you go there w/your cake & goody bags & someone
else cooks, cleans up & entertains (the games). Ah, easy. :)

Btw, ours were never too crowded. 10am may be too early, Check w/them on the time they open.

A few other suggestions: Build-A-Bear (fun but not cheap) at the mall with lunch at the McDonalds in the food court. More chaotic though trying to keep track of everyone. (I still opt for Chuck E. Cheese).

I don't know, but I wonder if the other parents would go for their children doing pizza and all that at 10 a.m. But I was looking at the other couple of answers, and a farm or farm museum party might be fun for four-year-olds. I can picture some good memories being made there! I agree with making it a small group, even if it's a real "party party."

Best Party we ever had was Main Event this year. You can either pay per person and get a party room but to save money we just got there early got tables close to the bowling lanes we were going to be at and my son (5 yrs old) had the best party. He Loved it!! They have special ramps for little ones to bowl with and bumpers etc. We just ordered off the menu. We got wristbands for everyone and we got to pick what attractions to add. Just did bowling and glow in the dark mini golf. It was awesome.

we did chikfila for my daughters 4th and it was fun and easy!

Bowling party, do you have sprinkler water parks, Karate party (if you have Karate America, they do a really nice party!),

What is your son into?

Good luck!

I can't figure a 10am party. Why would you have a party so early. Have it at home. One kid for each year. Pizza, cake, playtime outside. For four year olds that is a perfect party.

Hi M. R.

I think at 10 am , its too early, kids like lightning and playing games with each other with colorful lightened caps, glasses, toys etc. so if possible the party should run at night or late evening.

Else at 10 am, it would be great if you can take kids to these places mentioned in below link.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapevine,_Texas#Places

I think 10am is a bit early for some, but it could work for you. You'll most likely have to feed everyone since it will probably go until 12-1pm.

I am having my son's 5th birthday at a bowling alley with glow in the dark necklaces, bracelets and glasses for all the kids to wear! We did a spongebob pajama party at our house last year - that was a lot of fun!

I think parties for young kids have to be kept reasonable. Kids get overstimulated, the parents go broke, and (as your husband is suggesting) it becomes a way for parents to make up for their own deprivation when they were children.

Large parties become nightmares for families because they can't handle the prep and the clean-up. But these kids are 4 years old! There's a standard formula that you invite the # of kids based on the age - so a 4 year old would have 4 friends, a 6 year old would invite 6, etc. When you have the whole class, it turns into a "gift fest" where 15 or 20 families have to buy a gift as the "price of admission" to an expensive venue. Half the time, the birthday child doesn't even open the gifts in front of the friends, so kids don't learn the skills they need like saying thank you, and like getting pleasure from giving a gift to someone else. And of course there are rarely thank you notes because the task is so overwhelming.

What's wrong with a few kids in the back yard or at a park? I think the back yard is better because there's a bathroom right in the house. The kids have more fun just playing simply - you can have a small piñata or you can put out the sprinkler or have a little treasure hunt, eat cake, open a few gifts, and call it a day.

These big parties are more about the parents than the kids. And most of the parents around here are sick of things like Chuck E. Cheese and the Bouncy places because the arcades just encourage a bunch of ticket-purchasing to get prizes that break on the way home.

Remind your husband that your child is 4, and will not enjoy the big huge venue one bit.