Tag: party

Budget Activities for the Kids

Posted on by

The school summer break can be a logistical nightmare for parents – from juggling child care to trying to book your own holiday, it can be hard to spend as much quality family time as you’d like.

The May bank holiday, therefore, is a great opportunity to get everyone together for some old-fashioned fun – and that doesn’t mean having to spend a fortune on expensive days out. From sensory treasure hunts to making dens, here are are some budget activities the kids will love.

Go On a Sensory Treasure Hunt

Small children love picking things up and touching them, so a sensory treasure hunt is guaranteed to go down well. Plus, it’s a great way to help them learn about the world around them! Draw up a list of things for them to find, such as ‘a tree with shiny leaves’, ‘something that’s been warmed by the sun’ and ‘a brightly coloured flower’.

Make a Den

Every child loves making dens to hide away from the grown-ups in. Provide them with old sheets, blankets and chairs that they can drape over garden furniture (or indoor furniture if the weather takes a turn for the worst!). You could even get creative and help them make a ‘no grown-ups allowed’ sign for the entrance.

Stage a Spring Olympics

If you’ve got a big enough garden or a nearby park, a Spring Olympics can be lots of fun. Split your children’s friends into groups of twos and threes, and ask them to pick a country to represent out of a hat. You can then set up ‘events’ such as a relay race and discus, which would involve throwing a Frisbee as far they can.

Set up an Obstacle Course 

You can easily set up an obstacle course in the garden with items you already own, such as ropes, a wooden ladder (laid flat on the ground) and hoola hoops. Not only will the course test the kid’s agility, it will keep them entertained for hours!

 Set up a Lemonade Stand

Setting up a lemonade stand is a classic summer activity for older children – plus, it will teach them a little bit about business too. Help them make the refreshing drink by following a lemonade recipe and get creative setting up the stall in the back garden. Then all you have to do is invite everyone round to sample their creation!

Party games for children 2 – 3 years

Posted on by

Air Balloon (3 upwards)

This is more of a time filler than a game with a winner and is enjoyed by everybody because it doesn’t matter how good or bad you are! It’s a good way to start a party whilst you are waiting for everybody to arrive. Before the kids party, insert a small, light-weight gift such as a Stretchy Smiley Men into the opening of a balloon before inflating it. Then, blow air into the balloon and repeat until you have a balloon for each guest. The children have to try keeping the balloon in the air for as long as they can just be using their head. Once given the go ahead they can enjoy bursting the balloon and retrieving their prize!

Pass the Parcel (3 upwards)

Before the party wrap a gift into a layer of paper. Now wrap it in another layer and repeat until you have the same number of layers as you do guests. (If you have more than about 15 guests it’s more fun for your guests if you play the game with 2 parcels). Seat everyone in a circle and play some music for a short time. When the music stops, the person holding the parcel removes ONE layer of wrapping. (Have a bin bag ready so you can keep tidy from the start!) Repeat until the last layer of wrapping has been removed. The winner keeps the present.  Three variations include:

1. Putting a forfeit in each layer e.g. name 2 animals beginning with p, count from 20 backwards, kiss somebody wearing blue….

2. Putting a gift in each layer. Have a look at our really special made up pass the parcels which save you a huge amount of time and inspiration. If you make up your own, choose fairly small gifts to stop the parcel becoming unmanageable and you might like to follow your party theme if you have one. 

3. Cinderella Pass the Parcel – another special pass the parcel but more of an effort for you. You need a pair of Cinderella type dressing up slippers and as man y girly gifts as you have guests. First, wrap one slipper with a girly gift. Repeat wrapping individual layers and tuck a girly gift in each layer. About halfway through the number of layers you choose to use, insert the other slipper and a girly gift, and keep wrapping. Play the game in the normal way. Continue until the first slipper is unwrapped. Then, reverse the passing order until the second slipper is uncovered. The 2 girls holding the slippers then ball room dance around the circle, wearing one slipper each.

Animals (2 upwards)

This is game is fun for small children who are naturally intrigued by animals and can’t cope with the intricacies of a more complicated game. Have a selection of animal masks or small wild animals– the same number as you have guests. Hold one up, one at a time. Ask all the children to imitate the animal. Continue, changing the animal just as soon as you feel the time is right! At the end of the game, give a mask or animal to each child. This could be a good ‘going’ home game if you’re brave enough not to hand our party bags!

Sleeping Lions (3 and upwards)

Surprisingly loved by a huge age range, this is a great ‘calming down’ game before handing your guests back to their parents. Ask the children to ‘sleep’ on the floor like a sleeping lion. The moment anybody moves they are ‘out’. In reality, you can ignore the odd twitch and your guests can stay ‘sleeping’ until somebody comes to collect them! You will look marvellously in control and the children will have calmed down into a contented and peaceful state.

Children’s Party Etiquette

Posted on by

Any parent knows that children’s parties can be stressful. From who to invite to chasing RSVPs, planning an event can feel like a minefield of social conundrums.

However, the important thing to remember is that you’re not alone – visit any of the major parenting forums and you’ll find plenty of posts detailing exactly the same concerns. And, as the saying goes, there’s ‘wisdom in crowds’, so what better place to look for advice?

Here are some of the most common concerns;

Should I invite the whole class?

This is a common concern – how do you decide who to invite from your child’s class? Only invite a select few and you run the risk that someone’s feelings will be hurt, invite everyone and your budget can spiral out of control.

The consensus seems to be that only inviting half the class is fine, as long as you make sure you aren’t just leaving out a couple of children. It’s fairly common for parents not to invite the whole class, especially if their child isn’t close to all of its members.

When you consider that all of the children may bring parents or siblings, limiting the number of invites seems perfectly reasonably – as long as you’re not singling anyone out.

Should I invite boys and girls?

The gender divide is a frequent concern, with many parents noticing boys not turning up to their daughter’s parties and vice versa.

An explanation for this could be the children’s party theme. For example, one parent notes that her son was happy to go to a ‘heroes party’ but not a ‘Frozen’ party. Having a unisex theme is a good way to make sure that all of the children feel comfortable attending. 

Another explanation could be age. Younger children tend to have friends of both genders, whilst older children will often have a group of friends who are the same gender as them. However, every child is different, so it’s important to discuss with them who they’d like to invite.

How much should I spend?

Parties can become expensive, so money is always a pressing concern. Once children reach school age, they’re likely to be invited to their classmate’s parties, which can pile the pressure on to compete.

So, how do you ignore the pleas for all the latest bells and whistles, and make sure you don’t spend more than you can afford? As mentioned above, one of the easiest ways is to reduce the number of people you invite.

However, there are lots of other things you can do to cut down on costs. Hiring out a village hall can be a good bet, as they will generally charge an all-in-one fee for a two to three-hour party, unlike other venues, which will often have additional charges for food etc.

If you’ve got the time, making supplies such as the cake and decorations yourself is a great budgeting trick. 

What to do if parents don’t RSVP?

Is there anything more annoying than people who don’t RSVP? Unfortunately, not knowing who’s going to turn up seems to be a common problem

This can be particularly problematic when ordering party bags or food – how do you know how much you’ll need, if you don’t know who’s coming? And the problem is exacerbated if they then turn up with siblings in tow.

A good tactic is to include a politely worded caution in the invitation.  Something along the lines of ‘food and party bags will be ordered on XXX, so could you please RSVP by then to let me know either way’.

If there are still non-responders, it might be worth handing out reminders just before the date stipulated in the invitations.

How much should I put in the party bags?

Handing out party bags has become a staple of children’s parties, but knowing what to put in them is causing some parents a headache. Whilst you don’t want to look like you’ve gone completely over the top (largely due to the impact on your budget!), you don’t want to look like you’ve been too stingy either.

The general consensus is that just a couple of quality items is more than enough, with many parents including a mixture of sweets and small toys, with one or two different items for boys and girls. The focus should be on quality not quantity, as these items will bring more joy for longer.

Throwing a party doesn’t have to be stressful. By following our guide to party etiquette, you can ensure that you sail smoothly through any potential pitfalls. And, if in doubt, talk to other parents – two heads are always better than one.