3 Year Old's Birthday Party

When my kids were little I used to play musical chairs with them and their friends. You could tape a little gift under a few chairs and when the game is over they can see who gets a prize!! I also did this at their Christmas parties. I used to have the kids bring a wrapped gift under $5. They would place their gift under the chair and we would stop several times, then last stop would be the gift they get to keep.Fun gift exchange for them. Good luck.

I invited the kids from my daughter's in-home day care two years now. We never got an invitation until this year to someone else's party. Now we've been to two kids parties. I think everyone felt the same way I did (a little hesitant) but once I opened the door, the other moms marched right through it.

For ideas on games, I'd ask your daughter's day-care teacher. She/he probably knows what the kids enjoy, has a good feeling for what they can do and where they're at physically to be able to play certain games.

Good luck!

I don't know how the other parents may react. I would think if they are about the same age of your daughter they may have just had family parties. However, I say invite them if you want. Your daughter and other kids will have a great time.

You can put a note that says "gift not required or no gifts please" and be ready for every person to bring a gift.

For my kids at that age I invited the friends they had and family who lived nearby. At age 3 we gave the kids a pinata to wack around for a bit.(yep in the house, if you do it be ready for a mess)Then I let them pull the strings to open the pinata. We opened presents, ate cake and then whoever stayed we had a get together afterwards (food, friends, family, fun) and let the kids play with the new toys.

Good luck on the Wizard of Oz party.

I don't think it is odd to get an invite. My son got them through preschool and it was a nice opportunity to meet the other parents. I would plan a few things. A fun game would be musical chairs) You could decorate masks of the oz characters. The lion is and scarecrow are pretty easy. Or decorate fairy wands like the good witch. Or color rainbows. I know november weather is can be cold, but if you can get outside you could draw a yellow brick road on the driveway and they could ride trikes around it. Maybe you could decorate mom's old high heels with red sequins and have a good race in the livingroom.

For your theme, I make custom cupcakes if you are looking for something unique
www.crumbscustomcupcakes.com

Happy Planning!!

I'm interested in reading the responses! Our daughter just turned two, and I was thinking I should have invited the daycare kids (she only goes a couple days a week and there are only 2 others) because they are the ones she plays with the most. But I didn't know if that would be weird since I don't really know the parents either. We were in the middle of moving during her bday so this year we just had family, but I'm wondering what would be appropriate for next year.

I read something that said as a rule of thumb, kids should have as many guests as they are years old. Also over the years I've found that parents never are offended that their kids are invited to a party they are offended if they are left out. At that age games aren't going to be too structured, how about a hunt somewhat like a Easter egg hunt (Dorothy carried a basket everywhere, so try to find one like hers) maybe some cheap candy on the lawn. Pin the tail on Toto? Most other party games will be lost on them.
FYI- kids that age are autonomous and will usually play only by themselves at two, will usually relate to only one child at a time after that until they are older.
What about a cookout for the entire families instead of just kids, most parents would rather stay with their kids at this age and would like to meet other parents with kids the same age.

go for it! At age 3, they do know what BD parties are all about, but be prepared to hand-out party bags because at 3 they don't quite get that the gifts being opened are NOT for them! To ease this, you might want the family party to be before/after the kiddie party...& you might want to limit the kiddie party to 2 hours or less. Oh! & don't let the gifts be played with or you'll be missing lots of pieces/have broken toys by the end of the party.

That said, there are a lot of great activities for the age 3 group. To tie in with the Wiz of Oz theme, do Pin the Tail on the Lion....just draw a simple lion design on a poster/foam board & use more poster board for the tails.
For a TinMan game: outline a TinMan shape on the back of the poster/foam board. Save enough tin cans (coat rough edges with hot glue to protect little hands) & let the kids place the cans in the shape of the TinMan.
For the Scarecrow, what about letting the kids go outside (I know it's in Nov, but kids still do recess outside then.) & let them either stuff a scarecrow shape with hay or fallen leaves. You can use the scarecrow up until Thanksgiving for outside decor.....& it will give the kids a chance to burn off their sugar/bd high!
For Dorothy/Wicked Witch, what about a simple dress-up activity time? Boys & girls love dress-up & you'll get great photo ops with it! Oh, & you can buy supplies for this on after-Halloween clearance!

All of these activities work with the age 3 group. I highly recommend not doing any activity which would require the children to sit still...there will be way too much excitement going on! This comment is based on the fact that I run an at-home daycare & have worked with children for 20+ years. I still do parties (especially Halloween) with my younger son (13)....& my older son's friends still reminisce about his parties! Parties are a blast to plan & give...

K.....why not ask your daycare teacher if you can have a "party" there at the preschool...just bring in a cake...ice cream and party hats!!! That way there is no worry about what the parents think...no mess at home to clean up and your daughter will enjoy it!!!
We had a birthday party for our one year old grandson but it was really more for the adults than the kids. At three I don't think your daughter or any of her friends really have a concept of what a "birthday party" is all about. You are going to have plenty of years ahead of you for "real" birthday parties...both giving them and going to them.
As to the Wizard of Oz themed party...it is a wonderful idea...save it for a couple of years...she will love it!!!
R. Ann

You are not starting too early...good for you. Try birthdayexpress.com...they have all kinds of birthday themed party ware and goody back themed stuff that is not real expensive.
Invite your daughters daycare friends...if you want to include a note that present not necessary is fine too. It will be a realeif for some of the parents especially in todays economy. Do plan some games, just a few and you don't have to have a winner...give everyone a peice of candy as a prize. You could even do a craft of some sort too, kids that age love to do art things. Do put an RSVP on the invite so you know how many to expect.
I hope your daughter has fun and you too. Good luck and God Bless.

I thought it was weird when my son received an invite from preschool it wasn't even for the girl he was in class with but for her brother.We did go with a gift I didn't want my son to miss out on making friends and since then he has went to all their parties and we had invited them to our parties he will have his party in Sept.so I hope they do come.You can put on the invite no gifts.
You can plan games keep them short and simple but the attention span for kids this age are just a few minutes and depending on how many children you expect to have it may not happen.
I have an idea for your party make a round tiered cake frost it white you can buy edible glitter sprinkle it all over the cake buy a princess wand and tiara from Walmart in the party section add it to the cake and there you have a good witch cake.
You can do a search for other party items I like
www.partyamerica.com
www.Birthdayexpress.com
www.Shindigz.com unsure if that is the correct spelling

I say go ahead and invite the day care kids! My son will be turning three very soon, and we moved to a new town, so those are really the only kids he knows. I haven't met any of the parents yet, but I will at his birthday party!

As for the Wizard of Oz theme, the previous poster had some great ideas. The kids could also make a yellow brick road out of construction paper (laminated) and follow it through the house and even outside, if it's a nice day. Then you could set up stations to make the tin man, make the scarecrow, pin the tail on the lion, etc. That would be pretty cool. Or if you want to do it beforehand, you could start the yellow brick road at the front door (or even outside) to set the theme for the day.

Have a great time!

You should totally invite them and don't include a note! I love the theme! I would do only a game or two and let them play around. I don't know how much space you'll have but broom races might be fun. You could also do a craft like decorating a magic wand or making paper crowns (like Glinda) and decorating those.

I have seen KS shaped cookie cutters, so that could be cute for a goody bag. YOu could also include little toy bikes, I'm sure you could find those cheap-o at like US TOy or something.

Good luck!

K.-

First of all, i think it's very appropriate for you to want to invite children in your daughter's class for a birthday party. If they are offended, that is wrong of them. They should realize that your daughter sees their kids as friends, even if you two do not know each other. You could always put a note in with the invitation that says something along the lines of "My daughter has so much fun with (insert their child's name). We'd love it if she could celebrate our daughter's birthday with her!" I would not mention the 'no gifts' thing. It's a birthday party and gifts are just part of it. If they do not want to come, they won't.

As far as playing games, I do not think you need to do that for 3 year olds. If you want something to take up the time (depending on how long the party is - I think 2 hours is plenty of time), then you could maybe get some glitter/paper and cut out 'slippers' for each child to decorate. Or you could just have black/white pictures from the movie (or Dorothy, Toto, Slippers, etc) and have them color them and put glitter on them. You could also show them how to make a 'tornado' with 2 2-liter bottles that are connected (not sure how but it's on the internet).

Good luck!

For my daughter's 3rd birthday (a year away!!) - I'm already thinking about a pool party or a tea party :)

Here is a link for Wizard of Oz b-day supplies:
http://www.birthdayexpress.com/browse/_/N-i/Ntt-wizard+of...

I have bought frequently from them in the past for my own daughter (who is now almost 13). The website also has game ideas. I would look around on the web for ideas for that age group. Pin the Tail on the donkey is a good one, tag, musical chairs/pillows, etc. One idea would be to have a prize of "goodies" for the winner of each game.

As for the daycare kids, I would invite them. By doing so, you are willing to put forth the effort for your daughter. This alone will prob mean a lot to her (it did to my daughter around that age) and show that you aren't "snobby" in anyway. You might go ahead and put on the invites "no gift required" so that the parents don't think they "have to" buy something. Hopefully it at least a couple will show up and help make your daughter's b-day more enjoyable by having friends along with family.

Most daycares and elementary schools (at least around where I live) require that if you send an invite to a child in the class that you invite the entire class so as to not offend the other kids.

C.
Wichita, KS

Hi just saw the OZ theme at birthday express.com

i dont think it would be odd to just bring birthday invitation to put int he childrens cubbies. 3 is just an odd age for parties, some parents are still only doing family parties and some are doing parties with friends. someone has to make the first step somewhere to start inviting the other kids! lol. as for theme ideas, why not have your daughter help you paint a "yellow brick road" with side walk paint for everyone to walk up? have them play a came where they spin around with gray streamers and be a "tornado"?

My business does birthday parties for little girls. We do ages 3 and up. It is a dress up party with hair, makeup, nails, goody bags, and dancing and a fashion show. My 2 year old niece LOVES wearing her tutu. It may not be what you're looking for, but please check out our website.

Right now I'm offering $30 OFF a party. Just list mamasource in the booking comments.

www.BelleBrigade.com

Kara