We are at "that" next stage.... Help please 6th party!

[Beach Mama]

SO up until now both kids have had parties at home with all our friends and family, usually around 20 -30 adults plus about 10-15 kids depending on the year. Super fun, super easy and at home at our old place which was big enough inside and out for everyone.

DD is turning 6 in May and I always said from prep onwards it would be a kids from school party - maybe something like the number of kids of her age but either way I need help!

How do parents know if they have to stay or not?? I think I wouldn't mind the kids staying alone if it's only 5-6 of them at home but anywhere else I would be hesitant. Do I need to be explicit on the invite?? She's invited to a little party next week at a local nursery and I have no idea if I am meant to stay or not!

I need ideas on what to do! Our house is small, smelly and space limited. We do a have a massive table where they could sit and have a high tea type party but not sure how long that would entertain 5-6 girls ( Im pretty sure she would only invite girls if limited to a small number as their gang has about 9 in it!) although might search on pinterest for some ideas!!!

It's going to May, freezing so although we are beachside, it's going to be too cold to head to a park. There is a local play centre but not going there, not sure what our other options are really other than being at home!!

Ok hit me with ideas for a pink, fairy loving active little chicken!

[RainbowRiver]

Last year I had an 'at home' fairy party. Hired an entertainer and she ran the party (games, music, face painting etc) . DD + DD2 had 20 friends along, was mayhem but we have a huge entertainment area outside. I left it up to the parents if they stayed, around 5/6 did (they had sooky kids that wouldn't let mum go).

[Cass72]

I think a high tea party for the girls sounds fabulous. If that is the case I would clearly state on the invite the start time and finish time (I had a horrid experience of parents of twin boys not picking them up until 3 hours after the party had finished) and also that parents are welcome to stay if they choose. Although personally I'd rather they left if space is limited.

[Beach Mama]

SOunds great hun! Wish we had a bigger space - how old were the kids who came roughly?? I am happy for parents to stay if they like.

[Beach Mama]

I think a high tea party for the girls sounds fabulous. If that is the case I would clearly state on the invite the start time and finish time (I had a horrid experience of parents of twin boys not picking them up until 3 hours after the party had finished) and also that parents are welcome to stay if they choose. Although personally I'd rather they left if space is limited.

Good idea hun - definitely will do that!! Space is limited but if they are happy to hang out while we run activities for the girls then I am happy for them to stay!

[Arimeh]

I had a party at home for ds when he turned 6 in January, invited his whole class - about 9 showed up (hard when his is in the school holidays).

Some parents stayed, some left.

With all the parties he went to last year - I stayed. He seemed so little at 5 to leave somewhere where I didn't know the parents very well.

[sangie]

May is hard isn't it? Would be so much easier if the weather was nice and you could just go to a park!

Anyway, I like the tea party idea. Maybe they could also decorate their own biscuits/cupcakes to take up some more time lol! Pass the parcel and musical statues/chairs is always fun.
Or Rosetti's idea is a good one, you could have a tea party and a visit from a fairy?

DD went to two parties for school friends last term and I stayed at both of them (they were both at a bistro with kids play area and kids the same age as ours obviously 5-6yrs). Most of the parents stayed, there were maybe only a few that left I think. Also on the invite they wrote something along the lines of 'please let us know if a parent is staying/leaving' which is probably what I would do just so I knew which kids had a parent present (its hard when you don't know which kids belong to which parent yet!). If you're having it at home and with a small number of kids its probably not an issue though!

[Jellyfish]

We had a kindy (4) friend based party this year and just addressed it to "Child's Name and Family" on the invite so they knew they were welcome to stay as well as siblings.

[Cass72]

I have some ideas now....

Visit vinnies and/or salvos (or similar) and scour them for supplies. You should be able to pick up:
• mismatched teacups, saucers and plates (very grown up but won’t cost the earth)
• teaspoons
• tablecloths/doilies for the table
• “real” napkins
• servingware – for finger sandwiches, small cakes etc
• a couple of teapots
You can either make or buy some crepe paper lanterns (I think most $2 shops have these) to hang from the ceiling. You can also buy the led tealights to put on the table. My mum uses these and they’re really effective and no one gets burnt.

Just decorate “old lady-ish” lots of floral with hues of pinks, yellows and lavender.

You could even ask the girls to wear a fancy hat.

There are a few games that you could play around the table, pass the parcel? What if they do something crafty after they have eaten? They could make some cards or something that they could then take home with them for example a paper party broach, bracelets or paper hats? Origami finger puppets? You can get the kits (again from the $2 shops or spotlight or similar).

[RainbowRiver]

The kids ages ranged from 4 to 6 (a few were 7), both boys and girls attended. For parents that didn't stay, I did however request a contact number just in case something happened and I needed to call

I never stayed at any parties last year, but in drop off would always ask if they wanted me too.

[Beach Mama]

Thanks Rosetti and Cass!

Great ideas - I've been researching too and think things like op shop slips and dresses, necklaces, gloves, hats etc for dress ups and for table settings, jewellery making and beading activity, wand decorating, musical statues, pass the parcel etc!

Now just to sort out how many kids - I already feel bad for the ones we aren't inviting!!

[AnyDream]

Welcome to a whole new social minefield!

We tried to keep the groups small with DD1 - her birthday's in June and in the ACT it's frequently near zero degrees and sleeting (!). Around this early primary age the smallish group format works well. They still enjoy unstructured play so things like a dressup/'fashion parade' or music/dance corner work well in between the structured activities/party games. I've always avoided the games where you get a prize - we just play the game and then at teh end do a treasure hunt or a pinata for their loot-fix. Simple craft works well around this age (eg painting/decorating a jewellery box or a letter for their bedroom door) - just be prepared for some of the kids to whip through it in three seconds flat and others to linger long beyond everyone else has finished. LOL Also, always have spares - someone will do a mistake or sometimes you get an impromptu ring-in (yeah it's rude but the poor kid shouldn't be excluded just because their parents have no social graces LOL).

We found that a large proportion of parents still stayed, but it gradually dwindles over the next few years, depending on the individual child's social confidence. I always get contact details for any parent that is leaving plus the name of the person who will be collecting them.

[Cally]

My sister wrote on her DD's invite 'parents and siblings welcome, however please let me know for catering purposes'.

I've always stayed at parties DD has been invited too. Most of the time she is clingy, or if it is a parent we don't know I'm not really comfortable leaving them there. And you never know what the place is going to be like until you get there - we went to one on the weekend where the house backed onto a creek, there was a jumping castle, trampoline (no net) and an elevated cubby house. Parents seemed nice, but I just had visions of children bouncing off the trampoline into the creek....... There were about 20 kids there I think.

Good games - musical statues, egg and spoon (use a golf ball), pin the tail on the donkey (or tiara on the princess etc). I've also found that they just like playing - if they're inside you'll find a few disappear into the bedroom or toy area, if they're outside they will use whatever you've got out there.

With numbers, when I was growing up, we were allowed to invite the number we were turning - so 6 people in your instance.

[LuluHB]

My Miss I went to a high tea party a couple of weeks ago and it was fantastic. She loved it so much that she and Miss E are having a combined one for their birthdays in May too. It was 1.5 hours duration and the kids played pin the tail on the donkey (handle on the teacup actually), did a treasure hunt, pass the parcel and decorated a cookie. This party was out at a rose nursery with a café attached, but I'm going to have my girls' at home. We'll do the same sort of activities, although maybe decorate cupcakes rather than cookies. They are inviting three friends each, plus there will be the sibling of one of DD1's classmates. Miss E is inviting a boy in there so that should be interesting! One of the school mums has a website and she has some great tea party decorations, plates, cups etc as well as treat/lolly boxes and fillers etc

The parties that we've been too recently for DD1 and DD2 are slowly changing in that some parents are now leaving their kids. The majority however are staying - mostly I think because the kids are occupied so the mums have a chance to sit, have a coffee and a chat.

[Beach Mama]

Thanks everyone! So Im guessing people understand if the numbers are small - I am thinking she could invite 5 friends from school. That would mean 6 all up including her, and would mean half the girls in her class get invited and half don't! I don't want any noses out of joint but I couldn't have more than that I don't think especially if parents stay too!

Yay! So excited! Now to keep planning and pinning ideas on interest!!

Lulu - can you pm me the nae of your school mum who does the decorations?? Would love to use someone I "know" even through a friend rather than a random!

xxx

[The[cookie]Doctor]

In my kinder year my mum threw a Snow White themed party for me at home, is there anything she likes you could do like that? I think it was sort of tea party as well but I can't remember. We had a recorded story book thing that she played and then gamees that sort of enacted the scenes (so an apple bob for the bad apple lol) and when she sent the invites she adresses them to "Kane: aka Prince Charming", "Sophie: Wicked Witch" etc... lol wonder what the parents thought of that She is in early childhood so like to do creative stuff i wondered if that would be up your alley?

[LuluHB]

I think so long as you don't invite all but one or two of the girls then you're pretty safe. People understand that you just can't invite everybody.

Have PM'd you lovely.

[lisaandshaun]

Here in vic we have community houses that you can hire out. Just like a normal house (use of kitchen and large play area) that aren't very expensive. Could that be an option?