Childrens Birthday Party - questions & ideas (merged)

The_Boredom_Buster

My previous post has been removed due to my including a link (note to self: always check the posting rules!) So, here it is again, this time with a linkless signature!

I hope this is of help to anyone planning on staging a kids party. It's taken from an article I wrote for a child care magazine. If anyone has any questions or needs a bit of kids party advice, please PM me and I'll do my best to help.

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How many times have you dropped your kids off at a party, only to witness chaos as soon as the door is opened by a hassled mother whose eyes are begging you to take her away from all of this and put her out of her misery?

Behind her, two kids are swinging from the light fittings; another pair are tearing up the carpet, presumably trying to find a hidden entrance to the magical world of Narnia; and the rest are deeply engrossed in a who-can-stuff-the-most-hamsters-into-your-mouth contest.

It needn’t be like that...

The only reason that kids parties dissolve into little sessions of anarchy is boredom - and that, dear parent, is all down to you.

“But, I tried so hard!”, I hear you cry. Yes, you probably did: lots of crisps, a big cake, and plenty of balloons.

The thing is, you broke the number one rule of kids parties. The rule that you must obey at all costs, unless you want your house destroyed by a legion of little monsters…

NEVER, EVER PLAY MUSICAL CHAIRS!

Here’s a secret: kids hate the game. Even if they once enjoyed it, they’ve played it at every birthday, Christmas and end of school party they’ve ever been to.

Plus, you’re the one who has to cope with a dozen or more bored kids careering round the edges of the room while two determined finalists battle is out for that final seat.

That leads me nicely to rule number two:

NEVER PLAY ANY GAME THAT INVOLVE KIDS BEING ‘OUT’

If you play games that keep all the kids involved from start to finish, you’ve got their attention – and when you’ve got their attention, they aren’t scratching their name into the varnish of your dining table. Simple, really.

Here are a few more tried and tested party laws:

GET RID OF THE PARENTS

Aside from the ones that are there to help, parents get in the way. Plus, their kids won’t really start to enjoy themselves until their figure of authority has gone.

GIVE EACH KID A NAME STICKER

Not only will you remember who everyone is, they also help quieter children to break the ice, and you can write everything from parent’s mobile phone numbers to special dietary requirements on them, thus avoiding needless stress.

See how easy it can be?

ALWAYS HAVE A PARTY THEME

It’s the 21st century. A few party poppers and re-lighting candles just don’t do it anymore. A party theme gets the kids excited from the moment they receive their invitation, and gives you something to do on the big day as they start to arrive. The early kids can make extra bits of costume or help with last minute decorations while they’re waiting for their friends to turn up.

For example, if you decided upon a Desert Island theme, you could cover the walls in paper palm trees and papier mache coconuts, stage a hunt for lost treasure, have everyone arrive in old, torn clothes, serve 'freshly picked' fruit with your party food, and even deliver 'Message In A Bottle' invitations on scraps of paper inside plastic mineral water bottles with the labels removed.

Then, run the party in this order:

GAMES – FOOD – PRESENTS

It may seem cruel to the party child, but always leave the opening of the presents to the end of the party to avoid gifts getting broken or lost in the fun. And if you get the kids running wild after they’ve had food, you’re just asking for trouble!

That’s all there is to it. Follow those simple rules, and you’ll enjoy the party almost as much as your kids. Plus, you’ll be considered a hero at the school gates on Monday morning!

And remember to have fun! It is a party after all!

Tommy
The Boredom Buster

The_Boredom_Buster

To follow on from my previous post, here's a Superhero Party Theme I've written which is free for anyone who wishes to use it.

Don't be bored!

Tommy
The Boredom Buster
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Underpants On The Outside... A Stupendous Superhero Party Theme

Is it a bird? Is it a ‘plane? No, it’s a superhero party, so wear your underpants on the outside, and fly by for fantastic fun and games!


Invitations

Superheroes need to maintain their secret identities, so you can’t invite them openly to the party, or everyone will know who they really are!

To avoid this, print off party invitations on white paper, leaving off the guest’s name, the date, time and place – like this:

COME TO A PARTY!
TO:
AT:
DATE:
TIME:

Then, with a white crayon, or sharpened wax candle, fill in the blank details. When you hand out your invites, explain that your guests will need to use their x-ray vision to read their invitation – or they could lightly shade over the wax with a pencil, whichever is easier!

To make the invites even more secret, seal them in brown envelopes, write ‘TOP SECRET’ on the front in red pen, and pass them secretly to your potential guests.


Decoration

A superhero party would take place out of view of any snooping reporters or sinister bad guys – so the ideal place to have it is in a secret hideout, like the Batcave!

To transform your room into a hideout, collect as many cardboard boxes as you can, and paint them silver. Draw on dials, lights, and computer readouts – and stick on bottle tops as buttons and switches.

Create weird looking equipment from any odds and ends you can find. What could you do with the inside of a broken video recorder, some rubber tubing and an empty cereal box?

Finally, fill some folders with sheets of paper, and stick photos of imaginary bad guys on the front. You could use pictures of family members, or your kids’ teachers, and give them names such as The Smell, or Idioso!

Leave these folders lying around to look like cases your superheroes are still working on.


Costumes

This is a great opportunity for a built in activity to start the party with a swing.

Head down to your local charity shop, and buy a bag full of old clothing, scraps of material, and any other odds and ends that might come in handy for costume making. Also provide enough pens, paper, scissors, glue and safety pins to go around.

When your guests have all arrived, start inventing superheroes! Help cut out cloaks, design logos, and make helmets - taking care to supervise the use of anything sharp. If your guests are likely to be shy, sketch a few ideas on paper and let them pick one out to make.

Each guest should give their superhero a name, and a special power, such as the ability to fly, bend iron bars, or eat school dinners without feeling ill!


Games

To avoid games where contestants are out, explain that your superheroes are playing for points which, at the end of the party, will be the number of times they have saved the city.

Why not design some spoof newspaper front pages leaving space in the headline for a superhero’s name and picture underneath? During the party, take a picture of each superhero in action with a digital camera, and have another adult load them onto the computer, fill in the heroes’ names and add the photographs. These would be great gifts to give your guests as they are leaving.

Now onto the fun!

BURST THE BAD GUYS!
For this game, you’ll need an old duvet cover, and lots of balloons!

Blow up six balloons for each guest and, on five of each, draw a mean face with a marker pen. These are the bad guys! On the final balloon, draw a smiling face – the innocent bystander!

To play the game, put the first six balloons inside the duvet cover, shake them up, and drop the cover onto the floor. The first player must crawl onto the cover, and has one minute to find and burst five of the balloons by squeezing them in their hands, or stamping on them.

After the balloons have popped, remove the remaining balloon. If it is the innocent bystander, the superhero wins 10 points!

Stuff the next six balloons into the cover, and let the next hero try their luck!


SUPERMAN SAYS...
This game is based on the old favourite, Simon Says.

Your superheroes each find a space in the room, and must follow your commands, such as “Superman says... bend an iron bar!” or “Superman says... leap a tall building in a single bound!”

To try and trick the players, add a few commands that superheroes would never do, like “Superman says... iron your underpants!”, and “Superman says... play with a teddy bear!” The players must ignore these silly orders.

There are no winners or losers in this game, just lots of fun and giggles as everyone tries to work out what a superhero would and wouldn’t do!

Here are a few serious commands to use:

* Fly around the world!
* Blow out a fire!
* Rescue a kitten from up a tree!
* Stop a runaway bus!
* Tie up ten bad guys!

And a few not so serious:

* Cry because you’re lost!
* Skip around the room!
* Dress up your dolls!
* Bake a cake!
* Put ribbons in your hair!


SECRET IDENTITY
Clark Kent is Superman, Peter Parker is Spiderman, and Bruce Wayne is Batman. As mentioned earlier, every superhero has a secret identity – but can your guests guess who theirs is in this great game?

Write the name of a famous person, either real or fictional, on a piece of card for each guest. Then, without telling them who they are, pin a name onto everyone’s back.

When the game starts, players must ask each other questions to try and guess who they really are – but they can only ask questions that can be answered with a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’.

So, they could ask “Am I a man?, “Am I a film star?” or “Am I from a book?” Each ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer should give them a clue to who they are when not fighting crime.

When they think they know, they should come up to you as guess. If they’re right, they win 10 points. If not, they must go back and ask more questions.

Keep playing until everyone has guessed their identity, and don’t forget to give out a few hints to anyone who is really stuck!


Food

You can provide your guests with superhero sandwiches, and crime fighting crisps – but here are a few suggestions for more unique ideas...

KRYPTONITE
The only thing that causes Superman to lose his powers – and there’s loads of the stuff around. The only way that your superhero guests can save him is to get rid of the stuff – by eating it!

In reality, they’re eating green fizzy jelly – but don’t tell them that! Simply make a bowl of jelly as normal, but substitute some of the water with a can of lemonade. When the jelly is cool, but before it sets, pour it into waterproof sandwich bags, and tie the tops. Stick a ‘Danger! Kryptonite!’ label on the side of each bag, and leave them in the fridge to set.


POWERADE!
A secret formula, created especially for this party, that increases each of your superhero’s powers after they have drunk it.

To make it, pour out glasses of clear lemonade, and let each guest choose a Powerade cube from a bowl. When they drop the cube into the lemonade, the drink will change colour, releasing the cube’s secret powers!

To make Powerade cubes, add a drop of food colouring to the water in ice cube trays, and let them set in the freezer. Make a few trays with different colours, and let each superhero choose their own from a bowl.


Party Bags

When the bad guys have been dealt with, hand out bags for your superheroes to hide their costumes in as they return to their secret identities and go home. Include a couple of superhero comics, and trading cards for your guests to enjoy until the day needs saving again!

Have a SUPER party!

beautifulgorgeous_2

Dear Boredom buster, I have decided to have a pirate themed party,hopefully outside and wondered if you could help me with suggestions for games and food. I would have had a superhero one as described above if it had been posted before the other invites! Please help Mary

Motherof1

Hi All,

Could some one please give me a party theme, game and present ideas for my daughers 3rd birthday. She will be turning 3 next month and I haven't go a clue about what to do. Last year we went to Brewsters and she had a Brewster Bear party with a butterfly and fairy theme.....(I know that doesn't really go). I know a lot of MSE users must have some ideas. Thanks!:o

apples1

If you look at the top of the list of threads on this board (marriage, relationships & families) you will see a "sticky" which is all about party ideas for children.

iwanttosave_2

I did an underwater theme when mine was 3, shark tale had just come out so it seemed a good one. I made pictures of different types of fish on some lining paper and cut them outand stuck them on the wall, got some rolles of blue tissue paper and hung it across the ceiling with small fish hanging from the ceiling.

We hired a bouncy castle for the back garden, I think it was about £45 for the day. I made a pinyata out of papier maché (that was hilarious, as none had seen one before they pooped themselves when the sweets and toys came crashing out :rotfl:)

garret1

We had a mermaid theme for our twins this year. Invitations home made with mermaid clip art. helium baloons (£20 from asda for 50 balloons and tank of helium) tied to bubbles instead of party bags. Blue and green crepe paper everywhere. Colouring in pictures of mermaids and pirates. (they all enjoyed this, i just printed out pages from the internet) Face painting,pin the tail on the mermaid. sandwiches cut out in shell shapes. pass the parcel with beads and fish shaped jelly sweets (woolworths), and a bubble machine going continuosly (£5 from tesco).
Ebay have mermaid pinatas for £12. Made the cake myself and it was easier than it looks.

garret1

Got loads of ideas here

http://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/html/mermaid_parties_7.html

Motherof1

Hi..................Please help.

I am trying to arrange a birthday party for my daughter who is turning 3. For the past 2 years I did party bags for all the kids to take home....cash is a bit tight this time....so what do you think should be spent on each bag realistically....say £2.00 or more. I never know what to put in them so anyhelp would be appreciated. There will mostly be kids who are 3 attending. Thanks!:o

twink

i am no expert, mine have flown the nest but if you had a poundland near they are good, maybe a small pack of crayons, tube of bubbles, pack of sweets,a slice of the birthday cake and a wee pair of sunglasses