I need some help with my daughter's third birthday coming up in February. We are inviting 6-8 children and roughly 30 adults to the party at my home. I am planning on hiring a great children's musician to play songs for around 30-45 minutes. My questions are how long should the party be? What is the ideal time for a children's party? What should I do to include the boy guests as far as goody bags-since our theme is going to be princess because that's what my DD asked for? Any insight would be appreciated-we haven't had a kid party before and I am nervious.
Thank you for your input. It really helped. We ended up having four children as guests and about 20 adults at our home. I did hire the musician and the other kids had fun but my daughter had a melt down when the attention was not on her and refused to come out of her room for about half of the show. The party was 2 hours and I had it from 2:30-4:30. We gave the guests at the party palstic tiaras and wands, the boys got cardboard crowns and an inflatable sword. I also got each child a milar baloon that we decorated with during the party then sent home with them as they were leaving. We had a sub tray and chips and candy for food. All the kids ate and there were no messes :). I spent an absolute fortune on this party and I definately should have cut some corners. In the future I would not have a party like this at my house because I just saw the pictures and my husband and I look exhausted. It would have been much cheaper to have gone with pump it up and I think the kids would have liked it just as well if not better. Oh well live and learn-my daughter and I had a fun time planning and shopping for the party. My baby turns one in June-Any advice?
How about PRINCE things for the boys.. it would go with the theme..Or DRAGON stuff... he he he...
GOOD LUCK! :)
With lots of experience in this department...I suggest two hours. When they get old enough to play on their own (less pre arranged activities needed) then you can go longer.
If you have princesses you will need some princes...put in a plastic frog (or gummy frogs) and a sword and/or shield...or dragon/dragon eggs (candy). These can be dollar store trinkets or mini legos work well also.
Good luck... :)
How about stuff having to do with knights in shining armor? Or how about Shrek themed? Or dragon stuff?
I have heard it recommended that a little kids party should probably last no more than a couple hours.
Best wishes!
Dear J.-
Knight (or Prince/king) theme is very popular with little boys, I have 5 and 7 year boys myself. Indigo Forest in Ann Arbor has lots of nice little princess and knight stuff for the little ones. Have a fun party! Short is better, no more than 2 hours. Three years old will probably need their parent to stay too. Some say parties are good with the same number of attending children as the child is old - 3 years? 3 guests. Future reference. Sense of humor is the key!
B.
First of all, I think you have way too much going on for this birthday party. She's 3 not 16. The basic rule of thumb is 1 child per year old your child is. Example: birthday girl is 3 = 3 guests. THat sometimes is difficult with cousins, etc but that is a good standard.
A couple hours is good, figure 1/2-hour for snacks/food. 1/2 hour for cake, 1/2 hour for opening presents, timing can be shuffled around and there will always be people who stay late or leave early.
I opted as my daughter got older (she's 15 now) to buy one gift that costed $3-5 instead of buying a bunch of "goody bag" stuff. A polly pocket, something that matches the theme, the boys you could buy race cars or something like that. YOu can easily spend $30 in "garbagie stuff" (that's what we call it after it hits the trash when we get home).
Stay simple, it will be less stress on you, and more enjoyable for her, she won't be over stimulated.
I think the ideal time for the kids is 2-3 hours. However, most of these parties are just as much about the adults and the children that age are happy to plan until they get tired. We just attended my cousin's DDs 3rd b-day (princess theme also) party. Guests arrived at 2 and we ate at 3. Then they did candles on the cake, presents and then cake and ice cream. We left around 6ish and people were still there until around 7. It was mostly family- around 30 people. They had nothing planed for the kids, who just played.
I think the music is a great idea and I would do it after you eat (if you are planning on feeding everyone) and before the presents (to tire them out a bit). I disagree about opening them while everyone is there. That's the fun part about a b-day and everyone wants to see her open them. I would do coloring books for the gift bags-- princess or disney themed-- the boys will be happy to color anything.
Most of all-- have fun.
I suggest two hours for the party. I would do the songs/games first and keep the cake for the last 30 minutes. I would also suggest opening gifts AFTER the guests leave. With three year olds, they have no attention span and it becomes chaos during this time. But make sure you send a thank you if you do it this way.
Boy favor ideas:
- Swords/sheilds from the Dollar Store
- Crayons and coloring pages that show knights or dragons
- Make your own craft foam crowns (use self-stick foam pieces from craft store)
Wow. This sounds like it's gonna be some party! I'm sure whatever you choose to do, the kids will love it. I usually have my dd's parties go about 2 hours. Ideal time for me was before naptime for my dd. I would think around lunchtime that way you don't have to cook a big meal for everyone. You could make finger foods if you want. Deviled eggs, ham rolls, that sort of thing. Also, I seem to be the only person against gift bags for guests. This is YOUR daughter's special day and the kids should be focused on her, not on what they'll receive. Your daughter will get toys I'm sure. Just let her and the kids play with her new birthday toys. I don't think kids should be rewarded for going to someone else's b-day. It spoils them and makes them think that just cause it's someone else's day that they also get a present. Just my opinion, of course. I never do gift bags and I haven't had a problem with it yet.
Hello, I am a mother of three, now all in their 20's. but I do remember those days. I say a party over 2 hours may be a bit much. It's hard enough to keep that age group entertained. The music sounds fun, having a dance contest would be fun. Yes the boys should be included with little boy gift bags. What works really well is having a couple of older girls around maybe age 10 or so, to help keep the young ones interested in the activities. Good luck.
Hi J.,
I would suggest no longer than 3 hours, but somewhere around 2 hours works well for this age group. If you are having it on a weekend, then a 1-3 slot works best, so they have already eaten lunch, and you would then only be responsible for a few snacks and possibly a cake. You might be able to make up Princess and Prince gift bags, so there are choices for both genders. It could include figures, coloring books with the castle theme, etc.
Have fun! :)
This sounds like my daughter's 3rd birthday last Feb! Here were the details of the party - I got compliments on the timing and duration. So it might suit your family and friends well too. I also mentioned on the invitation for the kids to come dressed up like princesses and princes if they want too - they loved getting all dressed up
Time: 11am-1pm
Timeline:
11am - guests arrive, kids play with toys and bounce on mini bouncer
11:30 - lunch time! Sandwich spread including PB&J, juiceboxes, and a fruit tray
12:00 - kids color and do a craft
12:20 - Kids decorate cupcakes
12:30 - Sing happy birthday and eat cake!
12:35 - Birthday girl opens her gifts
Goodie Bags for girls: princess stickers, Princess cookies (store bought) princess pencils and mini notebook
Goodie bags for boys: same sort of stuff, but in Buzz Light Year - thats what the Disney store had :)
Kids were in sugar comas and ready to go home for naps by 1pm - it worked out wonderfully!
