Any ideas for party bag alternatives

stlvska

Hi just wondered if anybody had any ideas my daughter is having a joint birthday with a friend for their 6th birthdays which i thought was a good idea half the hassle and more importantly half the cost:D have just sent out invites and before you know it 48 kids have been invited was looking for ideas possibly instead of both us mums having to make up so many party bags because i can see the cost spiralling even though it will only be half or am i being too tightfisted i dont know ? also any ideas for party games instead of the usual pass the parcel - musical statues / bumps etc

any thoughts will be gratefully received

rebl43

Hi, I found this thread http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=57807
very helpful. Good luck!

Fen1

First off, apologies. I don't believe in party bags or wedding favours. They are just nasty American imports, that have, unfortunately, taken a hold over here. They are extra unnecessary cost that are entirely to do with 'keeping up with the Jonses' and party bags just make children expect to get things all the time. It just breeds greed and avarice.

OK, rant over.

Just don't do them. Give the kids a fabulous party, and wave them off at the end of the day. If you do something like pass the parcel, lucky dips (wrap up small prezzies e.g. lollipops, rubbers, uninflated balloons etc, and stick into a deep bin full of shredded newspaper or packing balls) they'll all have something to go home with.

Could you do a treasure hunt if you have access to a large enclosed garden?
Have ten teams, each with slightly different clues to take them to different spots, they have to collect all the clues, and each team that gets to the end gets a a glittery certificate for each child (just print something off the computer). THey might have to do tasks along the way at supervised stops e.g. hop on each leg 20 times, assemble a simple kiddie puzzle but blinfolded, fill 5 tumblers with water but in couples ( one standing behind the other so that the arms of the one behind goes through the one at the front, so it's the one at the back that's actually pouring the water without really being able to see what she's doing) etc. Lots of fun and fills up time.

sticher

Hi, I actually think its nice for the children to receive party bags, and think the opposite to Fen1 - I see it as a way of the birthday child giving something to their friends for helping celebrate his/her birthday.

For my children I used to make up inexpensive party bags - I bought huge bags of mixed sweets and divided up between the bags and I usually put a balloon in (adult supervision at age 6 perhaps?).

If you have a local pound/99p shop they usually have packs of party streamers/bubbles, fancy pens/pencils/rubbers/notepads, or even packs of little animals or hair slides which you can divide between the bags.

I remember when mine were very small I put a homebaked gingerbread man in each bag. Places like the online party suppliers (I think 'party pieces' is one) (if you have enough time to wait) usually do quite good value party bag fillers - little butterflies for girls, aeroplanes for boys and so on - huge choice and all very cheap.

Regarding activities - why do you want to steer away from traditional party games? Have they been to a lot of traditional parties recently? I find the children usually LOVE these games (maybe the adults don't, lol). I have done treasure maps before - find a suitable theme and draw a map. On the back mark where the treasure is and the child who puts their mark (could be a butterfly on a garden map perhaps? for girls) closest wins.

stlvska

Thanks for replies:D
thought idea of a lucky bin was quite good something a little bit diffrent
and yes there has been a run of parties lately personally i like pass the parcel maybe not so keen on the musical statues etc hate having to pick the ones to go out always feel bad even if they do get a sweet lol

Edinburghlass_2

As you have so many coming personally I would give them a slice of cake on the way out of the door along with a balloon perhaps, provided all the balloons haven't been burst throughout the party

qwiksave

...and following on from Edinburghlass's suggestion (above) if you do decide to give them a slice of cake as they leave, I think its a good idea to either make or buy another cake that you cut up beforehand - it's a pain trying to keep the partygoers 'under control' (LOL) - especially with that many:eek: - while you have to try and cut the cake - this is a tip learned from painful experience! ...

fiscalfreckles

I think most party bags are filled with rubbish anyway - do the kids really appreciate little tiny plastic toys? They just want the sweets!

So, I would just stock up on big bags of wrapped sweets & chocs etc (try Poundland or somewhere like that) and divide them up among the bags, maybe with a balloon.

A nice touch at one party my daughter went to was to put a little note into each bag saying "Thank you for coming to my party and helping me celebrate my birthday, I hope you had a lovely time, love from (name) xx." You can print these off.

As for games, I found they loved dancing to songs with actions like Macarena or Cha Cha Slide - but you need to have a brave and willing adult to strut their stuff at the front! (Or this is where older sisters come in really useful...)


The trick is to keep them occupied with something at all times, or they just start to run riot. I always photocopy a load of colouring in sheets and have a colouring competition, as that lets them all sit still for a bit. And gives them something to take home too. Or colour in a treasure map and then they all put a cross where they think the treasure is.

With 48 5 & 6 yr olds, make sure you have plenty of help though.

The tip about cutting up the cake beforehand is a good one too. I couldn't believe how long that took the first time I tried to do it "live" (while leading the Macarena...:rotfl: )

Hope you have a good time...

AnnieH

It's my little boy's birthday next week, and ithought of doing a "what's in the box?" type game where you hae soethig in a box - it could be good or bad, and the grown up tries to offer the child stuff and they can choose what they can see the adult has or choose what is in the box hoping it is something better LOL. Have I made sense trying to describe that?

kb36

One of the best ideas for going home pressies was a book! Not chucked away or quickly broken and you can get some great titles from www.thebookpeople.co.uk if you check out their children's fiction 'collections'. When you buy multi packs like this the books work out from 50p - £1.00 per child. Titles to suit boys and girls! That and a piece of cake is IMHO a quality gift. I always find that I shell out that much on cheap plastic and sweets, it soon adds up. Delivery free when you spend over £25.00 too!

earthmother

I can second the books idea - I did this last year for my two elder boys parties (6 year old with 33 guests, 4 year old with 15).

There are plenty of 10 and 12 book packs at around £10 on the Book People site that would suit this age group. It's also worth a look at School Link - they are a sister site carrying a similar but not identical range, and donate a percentage of each sale to your nominated school.

Don't forget Quidco if you do use the Book People