Kids Birthday - Informal Get Together with Friends?

I applaud you, great idea!! These days I think young parents are overwhelmed with party invitations and obligatory gifts, it's out of control.
Majority of kids I know have more stuff than they need or can play with anyway.
As long as birthday is acknowledged in a special way, whether it be immediate family or few close friends, cake and ice cream sounds perfect! Doesn't have to get out of hand with time or money.

I think it sounds great.
Just hand out the paper invites.
I would have more snacks than just cake & ice cream.
Kids get hungry. I'd add some chips, pretzels, maybe some inepensive
pizzas, bottled water, 2 liter bottles of soda.
Have some things ready for them to enjoy like a kids movie, balls to kick
around out back if it's a nice day.

I think the kids will love it.

I found that when I organized 'formal' parties with a theme and games, the kids played them, but then ran off to organize their own basketball game, etc, anyway (and this was even at age 6). They had more fun doing that than they did with the games I set up. And I thought - why did I go to all this effort to think up games?

So, this past year, we had a pool party. We didn't rent out a pool. We just got some extra pool passes for our local pool, invited kids, and at one of the picnic tables we had some cake. Otherwise, it was a free-for-all, do whatever you want at the pool. Sounds kind of like what you are planning at the lake. It was super-easy, and the kids loved it.

I think that would be a very fun birthday party. You don't need entertainment or to spend a lot of money. Riding their bikes and scooters at the lake will be a blast. Put that together with cake and ice cream and you have yourself a perfect afternoon.

I like you!!!

You "get it". Kids birthdays should be fun, full of playtime. They don't need bumper cars, rides, golf, swimming, games or movies. They just need to be kids and have some fun.

This is typically how we celebrate birthdays too. We have done the big event parties but not often.

I don't mind a bday party with no "entertainment" unless to be honest I'm supposed to bring a gift and stay and supervise... Then it's kind of work for me plus a gift. So I think it somewhat depends on how many kids and is this soon bc not sure how they'd go outside in the winter like that?... But if it's drop off, I'd think it's kind of up to you to entertain them so no problem if you didn't have a "formal" party. And fortunately my kids tend to play at someone else's house or ours well with nothing structured. Is that the case for you? Is this so different than just a big playdate with friends you say they play with anyway? We often have 5 or 6 kids plus mine over when the weather is good. And then add in cake at the end... If that's how you see it, I'd skip the formal invitations and send emails and kind of phrase it like that - Please drop your kid(s) here with me X day from Y to Z time and they can play and before you pick them up, I will sneak in a little cake and ice cream for DS and DD's bdays. Very informal get together so no gifts please. Just a big playdate with an extra treat!" Something like that to discourage the gifts. If it's a "party" I think people will feel obligated bring a gift and with 2 kids as honorees that could be too much. Then it's really on you. If you have stuff to play with and it's not too many kids so you think they can all play ok, then nothing wrong with it at all. If it worries you what the kids will do for so long - renting a bounce house doesn't really take much of your time... If it was me, for the kids who live super close and come and go without their parents, I'd send a separate email to those parents without real start/end times. Just when cake will be served. If you do it first, they can go home if they get bored. Then I'd say I'd like to invite your kiddos for cake and ice cream at x time and then they're welcome to stay and play after. I could see doing that in our neighborhood. I'd send over my girls and then if they got bored, they'd come home...

It sounds great to me. My son loves birthday's like this. Last year he just wanted friends to meet us at the park. We had cake and they all played. This year he just wants friends to come over and have a nerf gun war (which he does all the time already!). A couple years ago he had 3 friends over for a sleepover. Birthdays like this are great, nice and easy, and don't cost a lot. If a kid or parent doesn't like it they don't have to come. But I can't see why anyone would care...it's a fun play time with friends and cake.

Sounds so retro. Like the parties most of the parents had growing up.

I think it is great. I would not bother the write 'no gift.' these sound like close friends who might give something regardless of a party. if they ask what you children want, you can mention verbally, oh the girls have plenty. Please, just come and enjoy.

Sounds great to me, but please make sure the kids are on board with the "no presents" part though. Kids tend to expect presents, even if it's an informal get together, so they may be disappointed if they aren't warned ahead of time.

Have fun!

My boys have never cared for parties, so we have always done what you are planning. They love it!

Happy birthday to your kids, and have a great time!

This is what we have done the past two years. Just close friends with their kids, food, cake. The kids run around and play. My son is just happy to have friends over! He will be 11 this year and we will probably just have close family and a few of his friends w/ their parents who are our friends over. We have done bowling, pool party, bounce house place, game truck, etc. in the past. It gets to be too much.

my kids naturally progressed from mcD playplace or chuck e cheese (gag) birthdays to 'just have friends and hang out' get-togethers. i think it makes sense that as they get older, they don't want to have little planned activities. they DO like to have options (which for my boys generally involved video games) but enjoy having control over what and how much.
my favorite type of party too. provide plenty of food and snacks, a few basic ground rules, and stay out of their way.
:) khairete
S.

I think a party where they just play is great. But are you going to be at the lake with them or just send them to play? Anywhere with water and kids needs good supervision. This would be hard for me. Any invite that says birthday means a gift. Especially for a child. If you don't want it to be construed to be a gift giving occasion why even mention it? Just tell the parents to send the kids to play and then pull out the cake as a snack.

A party doesn't have to be a huge hoopla. You can do a few games clothes pins in a milk jug. Musical chairs. and just give stickers for prizes. And skip the goody bag thing. Cake and ice cream and off they go home.

Sorry I think it just sounds a little lame. Sorry not being rude it sounds like you want to call it a party but not really have one.

I have done both.

My son's birthday is in April. Every so often, it is near Easter, so one year, I arranged for a neighborhood Easter egg hunt/pizza party. It spanned 3 yards and was super fun! I bought 12 eggs for each kid at the Dollar store and Easter baskets, there were 12 kids. I had also bought 12 larger eggs with a bigger toy, like a matchbox car or ring. Each kid got one. (like a party favor!) and then had some family members help me hide them.
The I stood in the street, the kids on the edge. I would call out 6 colors. Then I said find 1 BIG one. After that I said, okay, there are 6 more eggs for each of you...GO! This helped spread the hunt out a bit and was funny because if they found the wrong color, they couldn't pick it up. hehehe. As the kids were eating pizza, I brought out some cookies and cupcakes and said, oh by the way, today is C's birthday! Let's all sing Happy Birthday!

For my daughter, I had a Halloween party, same set up.

The key is to not call it a birthday party, just a get together, or pizza party. If you say birthday, you will get presents.

i did a couple big bashes for my kids-after that costed me 1500 i said oops
sloppy joes,cake n ice cream.hit the pool-my kids were fine with less hoopla..

I think you should have whatever type of party fits with the needs/wants of your children/family. If what you are planning makes them happy. Go for it!

That being said... You mentioned multiple times that you are so busy. EVERYONE is busy. No one should be too busy to celebrate the birth of their children. I hope you are not telling your kids that you are "too busy" to properly celebrate their births.

Just my 2 cents.

I still plan some things but we only take about 3 or 4 kids to do it. One year we took my son and 3 friends tubing and then had pizza and hot cocoa afterwards. This year we took him to a game place with 4 friends, let them play and got them cupcakes and snacks at the place. It is much more manageable. I guess it depends on who you are inviting...I feel that if they are people I don't know as well, like kids from school then maybe an invitation and little of structure might be more expected than just a neighborhood get together.

I had to laugh at this part: "she rarely jumps on board with anything. :)" My daughter is the same!! I have to make her try things / activities. If I didn't, I swear she wouldn't try anything. Anyway - I've done this. I usually have a "theme" and keep it simple. The kids have fun. I think they enjoy time to just be kids and PLAY! I highly doubt it'll be boring. Maybe 1 or 2 kids that are too, what am I trying to say here... too absorbed? in video games and such? The ones that HAVE to be entertained constantly? It'll be good for them. I wouldn't worry about it. At least in my experience, there aren't too many of those kids (not as many as people make it seem) Most parents try to limit the electronics and instant gratification. Have fun :-D