I Need the BASICS of a 5Th Birthday Party

I just held my first 5 year old birthday party in April. It went very well. We had them come from 10:30 to 1. When deciding a time, it seemed long, but was perfect. THey came and we decorated gift/goodie bags with stickers and markers. Then I had game stations throughout the room and everyone went to a station and played a game. Everyone got a prize after each turn at each game. We had hot dogs and chips, then cake and ice cream. By the time we opened gifts and they played more games, it was time to go home.
The key was that I had 4 moms working with me. We had two for games and one for food. The fourth managed the little sisters that were there with their brothers. My friends each brought their kids, two each. Otherwise I left it open for the kids we invited. We had 14 kids total, not counting the little sisters. All parents just dropped them off and picked them up. We had a great time. Enjoy it. It goes by fast. Pretty soon they won't want little parties at home anymore. Good luck!

I did a lunch party. Make it no longer than 2 hours. I gave the option to parents to attend...and I won't do that again. The parents need to attend.

I had coloring sheets set up at the table so the kids could color a placemat while waiting for lunch and everyone to arrive.

Then lunch

Then presents

Then cake/ice-cream

Then playtime. I did't do games, although I had some planned-- the kids were just happy to play.

If you have the party midday (between lunch and dinner) you dont serve dinner.. you can certainly have a party withjust cake and ice cream. I would think 2-3 hours would be long enough for a party. If you are having the party at home then how big is your house.. If the weather is nice everyone can be outside..but wwhat if it rains... so figure out how many people you can hold in your house comfortably. I would think 5-8 kid guests would be plenty.. YOur daughter will not have a better birthday party if there were 200 kids there. If you know the kids well the parents can probalby drop off the kid... I personally wouldnt drop my kids off for a birthday if I didnt know the family well.

I agree with other posters that 2-3 hours is long enough for a back yard party.....the time of the party determines if you serve food or just cake and ice cream, note on the invite if what you are serving so that the other parents aren't wondering if the kids should eat b4 the party or not (I never assume a parent is serving anything other than cake and ice cream so I find that piece of info VERY helpful)....as for the parents attending I say no, I believe that 5 is the transition age, if a parent requests to stay they can but feeding the parents even just cake and ice cream can add a lot to the bottom line, if there is a start and end time on the invite then the parents know when to come back....as for games keep it simple, water balloon toss, twister, mostly play time is enough....instead of a good and games I usually do an easy craft....one year I bought a bunch of terracotta pots and paints from the local craft store, I prepped the pots by putting a white base coat on and then the kids painted them at the beginning of the party and planted a little flower in them at the end I used tshirts I didn't want anymore for smocks so the kids didn't ruin their clothes...you could also get some beads and slastic string and they could make their own bracelets.....I like the crafts because kids get enough candy throughout the year they don't need to come home with a bag from every party they attend
hope this was helpful,
K.

Hi C.,

We had a picnic in the park near our house. I reserved the shelter for the day. It had a great playgroud and a building with bathrooms. (Way cheaper than taking the party to any number of party places.) We had the party from 11 am to 2 pm.

11 am - Start the party with playing. Each time I looked up from putting food out there were more kids playing.

Noon - Lunch (burgers, dogs, salad, fruit, chips, drinks) and more playing

12:45 - Birthday cake and more playing. It started to sprinkle, so most said their good-byes and we passed out goody bags. We were able to get everything loaded up just before the clouds opened up and poured down rain. By 3 pm, it cleared up and was sunny. Family came back to our house to open cards and gifts.

The key with her pre-school class has been inviting everyone and requesting no gifts, please. There are so many parties they could attend through the year that this could really get ridiculous. And, the whole point of a young child's birthday party is having fun and playing with friends. Each child received more than enough toys and things from family. My daughter's favorite card from a pre-school friend is one that was homemade. Each family does what they are comfortable with. If we keep the focus on fun, then I think it all works out.

Good luck! Hope you have great weather! Can't believe my baby starts Kindergarten in the fall! D.

C.,

My mother gave me a great tip and it has worked well so far, I only allow our son to invite the number of children as the age he is turning. In December he will turn 8, so he will be allowed to invite 8 of his friends and classmates to his birthday party. This gives him a real chance to play with each of his friends and really spend time with them.

I also put a "no gifts, please" on the invitation. I believe birthdays should be about having fun and celebrating, not about receiving gifts, especially from friends.

Good luck with your daughter's birthday party! I love the idea of going to a park and letting the kids play for as long as they want. =)

-C..