Pass the Parcel

What is the go with pass the parcel these days? In my day you took off layers until the last person holding the parcel takes off the last layer and wins what is wrapped up!

Now it seems lately at parties I see every layer has a prize and when you unwrap you leave the circle with your prize till only the birthday person is left and they get the final prize. It doesn't seem right to me. I am doing it for DS1's 5th birthday party this weekend and I want to do it the old school way...should I or should it be the new and improved pass the parcel etiquette?

Also what are some good fun games for 5 year old boys to play?

I'd do it the old way. You could have a bag of goodies for everyone to lucky dip at the end to lessen the blow!! :-)

I always do it the old way. One present at the end. Not everyone gets to unwrap. That's just life

We also play poison ball. It's great. You get to throw the ball at the kids you don't like :)

I do it the old way I grew up with. Random small prizes through out the layers. (normally just a wrapped lolly or a sticker)
Start the layers with newspaper, then wrapping paper for a few, then back to newspaper (this is to trick them into thinking they were getting close to the main prize).
Then back to the nice wrapping paper.

Normally there are enough layers that the chances are that each kid will get one turn anyway.

I vote for the Old fashioned way here too! You could add one or two smaller gifts in some of the layers, but meh, one prize is fine.
Obstacle course/follow the leader type thing with heaps of running around and being active. You could have a theme...eg pirate, and make kids walk the plank, climb a tree or fort, dig for treasure in a sandpit etc. Or follow a treasure map or arrows around a set course.
If you have room, can kids bring their bikes/scooters and you could set up a road with simple signs (chalk on the ground, or cardboard boxes)? Or another obstacle course?

Modern way for me when I have done it. Everyone gets a small prize and there isn't anything more exciting as the last present.
We do pin the tail on the donkey also and the closest to the tail and the one farest away gets a prize.

When I was a kid we had a few redskins or fantails etc in the layers but not one for each kid and no-one left the circle.
I vote for the old fashioned way.

I do it the old fashioned way although majority of the kids parties i go to has a small prize in each layer so every child gets *something*.

for *me* personally i think kids need to learn early on, that you won't always "win" or get "something" - that's just life.

Old way. Unwrapping present is in and of itself fun. And whoever is in charge of starting and stopping the music doesn't watch.

Huzzah.

We did it the new way, with a twist because I can't count lmao!

So each kid got a lolly pop and then random children got more until the main prize was won at random also lol. Even then, there were tears.

I vote for the old way too :)

I've also seen a version I like that doesn't rely on music, but does rely on children being able to read. Each layer gives an instruction on who to pass it to next, for example "3rd person on the left", or, "to someone with the same coloured eyes as the birthday boy" etc. Perhaps something for future parties :)

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I vote for the old way too :)

I've also seen a version I like that doesn't rely on music, but does rely on children being able to read. Each layer gives an instruction on who to pass it to next, for example "3rd person on the left", or, "to someone with the same coloured eyes as the birthday boy" etc. Perhaps something for future parties :)

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I remember that version!

We do it the way it was when i was growing up. There were a few items scattered through layers not every one only a few then the main prize. And we also had the news paper then wrap paper

I usually put a small something in the different layers, like a balloon or a sticker. Then the final prize is a big one. Every child gets a go at unwrapping and the kid who is the most spoiled, entitled, and likely to be the worst loser wins first. Then that satisfies them (usually) for the rest of the party and the other prizes are won based on skill without tantrums.

we put a freddo frog (little one from the multipack) in between each layer and have something cool as the prize at the end

I learnt this the hard way at DSs 2nd birthday when I did it the old school way only to find that I was apparently so 1980s LOL

i like the old school way, but i don't know if i would be brave enough to do it (rampaging 5 year olds??). i will probably do the freddo frog each layer like MummyNaomi.

I really don't get the point of the birthday kid winning the last round though, My bro said that's what happens at their kid parties (friends of their kids') though. Surely the birthday kid gets enough stuff on the day, or is it so that there is no favouritism among guests??

I don't think the birthday child should win! I think the person on the music should have their eyes closed on the last round and turn it off automatically then it's a surprise. That's what we have always done

In mine the birthday child never wins :lol: I do put a lolly in in each layer but the big prize at the end is random.

I have done it once for 3rd birthday and every child opened a layer and every one got a freddo. The end prize was random at who opened, I do not agree with birthday child getting main prize they have got enough already.

Have seen it done completely per organised with diff things for boys and girls at each layer and birthday girl won.

Games to play.... duck, duck, goose; crocodile, crocodile (may I cross your river); and, what's the time Mr Wolf?

If I know the exact number of kids I just do a lollypop in each layer and they go off and eat it while the game continues. Each round is completely random. I may or may not have deliberately stopped on a couple of toddlers/babies early in the rounds ;)

I've seen it where they had a list of who to stop on in order because they had specific prizes in each layer. Was dreadful. Cos of course they stop the music but the parcel went too far or something so they'd say.. no this one's for Johnny. So the poor kid who actually had hold of it had to pass it back.

My birthday kids are clued in before hand - they know it won't end with them.

We had a treasure hunt recently but instead of loot there were lego men (little ones for the over 5's and duplo for the under 5's), then they had to find one of the mums who had the loot.

I don't see anything wrong with putting a very small item in each layer just to keep interest and then a decent prize at the end for the winner. I don't like the 'every child gets a prize' mentality but putting a lollypop in it isn't that big a deal - they still see the main prize as the only prize kwim?

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I don't see anything wrong with putting a very small item in each layer just to keep interest and then a decent prize at the end for the winner. I don't like the 'every child gets a prize' mentality but putting a lollypop in it isn't that big a deal - they still see the main prize as the only prize kwim?

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Yes a lolly in each layer is no big deal - I prefer that than a lolly bag at the end of party. Kids are so funny with party games you never know the reactions - we went to a party with a piñata DD wouldn't bash it at all she just wanted to know why we didnt just get some scissors and cut it open. I tried to explain to her it was meant to be fun but she just didn't get it. The fun of pass the parcel is the chance element and I wonder whether sometimes 'we' try to play it with children who are too young to understand that element and that is why trend has developed for presents/goodies in every layer - it isn't that children are being greedy by expecting something is more that they aren't old enough to understand the fun of unwrapping a layer and chance until they are around 5 I reckon. I saw it done with a group of turning three year olds and they were totally bewildered by whole experience.

Thanks girls. Some really good thoughts and ideas! Haven't had to worry about it till now and I will let you know after this weekend how it went x

So I did pass the parcel the 'old school way' and let every child unwrap a layer (nothing in each layer)
Then the winner was a guest not the birthday boy! No children were harmed or damaged by the process 😜
Kids had a ball but the girls were definitely more interested and had an attention span to the activities than the boys. They were just happy to run around and be ninjas!!!