ideas for my sons party

ideas for my sons party

hi everyone!!

its my sons 7th birthday next Thursday and i want to do something different for him and his friends. I know he want to invite about 15 boys and girls so ive said to him that we have to do something that wont cost the earth!! hes been to a lot of parties recently where the goody bags alone are about £5-£10 and i just dont have enough money for all that.

i want to do something for him at our house. we have a bit of a garden out the back so i thought we could do a treasure hunt (he loves pirates!). but i could do with some ideas... any ideas on cakes or games we could play? how about food? the theme doesnt have to be pirates.

does anyone have any tips for making the party great but keeping the costs down? i can't really afford to spend any more than about £80 - even that is alot!!

thanks for any help!!! xx 

Re: ideas for my sons party

hello shirley

a pirate party sounds like fun! dont worry you dont have to spend loads of money - once you've decided on your theme you can get the kids to help you decorate the house/garden - if you're not keeping it a secret. 

and if you want to save money, dont bother buying all the food from the shops, there are some great homemade party food recipes on this site and they're really quick and easy. bake some fairy cakes - my kids go mad for them! if you want to make costumes or decorate the house go to your local WHSmiths or craft shop. and in East Barnet there is a brilliant party shop that is very good value and does loads of stuff, they are also online: http://www.funpartyltd.co.uk 

Also, for cheap sweets, snacks and foodie things to put in the goodie bags go to one of the cheaper supermarkets like Aldi or Lidl they have loads of cheap sweets, drinks and chocs in multi-packs.

good luck and have fun! 

Re: ideas for my sons party

Yeah I agree Lidl is good, you can get a whole bag of sweets and chocolates for less than a pound and you could just share those out into party bags. Id buy the bags from pound stretchers coz you'd get them so cheap. Also pound land is good for party bags, little toys, balloons and even a few dressing up items. 

Maybe get all the kids' to make party bonnets by putting out somedifferent coloured cardboard, tissue paper, glitter and stuff like that. It would be really cheap and keep them entertained for ages.

Never say never and never say always

Re: ideas for my sons party

I agree with all the above ideas :o) But just have to say one thing - don't go overboard for the kids' meal. You don't need lots of different sandwiches and sausage rolls etc etc because, let's face it, how much food actually gets eaten?

I have 3 girls and I almost always do their birthday parties at home. My brother also lives nearby and he has 3 children so between us we have a wealth of experience when it comes to parties :o)

I've found that kids don't want sandwiches or breadsticks or chopped up vegetables (it's a PARTY!). At my 6 year old's party, there were about 15 children and they had a treasure hunt in the garden (just little pound shop prizes or sweets) and the usual party games (pass the parcel, musical bumps etc). In between games, I let them out into the garden to let them work off steam.

For the tea, I did a load of sausages and chips in the oven and also a couple of medium pizzas and garlic bread. I put it on the table with plain paper plates and napkins and let the kids help themselves. I let them have one small fairy cake or chocolate biscuit for pudding and they had a slice of the birthday cake in their party bags.

Job done :o) I hope you liked my ideas. Let us know how the party went :o)

PS - Don't forget the wine for the grown ups!

Don't sweat the small stuff. It will make you stinky.

Re: ideas for my sons party

Welcome back Nina! We missed you!

It's hard thinking of new party ideas every year, while trying to keep the costs down and entertain the kids. We have some quick and cheap kids' recipes on the site which you could try: http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/food/recipes/Kids...-recipes (the Buttery Moo biscuits have gone down very well http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/food/264935/Buttery-Moo-biscuits).

You could also try our feature on 40 ways to entertain the kids - http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/family/178607/Holiday-ideas--40-ways-to-en tertain-your-kids - it has party ideas, as well as free things for the kids to get stuck in to.

Good luck Shirley and let us know how you got on! 

Re: ideas for my sons party

I agree with Nina. In my experience they never pay much attention to the food - my oldest went to a party yesterday and afterwards when I asked what the food was, the only thing she could remember were the 'vegetarian rolls', because her best friend doesn't eat meat.

Yesterday's party was proved how a home party works well. Everyone was asked to take their art shirt and they spent ages hand painting.

As for party bags, stickers are a great cheap thing to put in. They cost very little and you get lots for your money... and all children love stickers. Don't understand it myself but if it keeps them happy :o)

Re: ideas for my sons party

hi good to know!! i thought you might be interested to hear how my sons party went at the weekend. first off the weather was really good which was so lucky as i had planned a big treasure hunt for him and all his friends. the kids arrived and each of them got a bag and a clue as they arrived. i had spent ages doing a treasure hunt for each of them and they had to race round the garden each finding their next clues. the older ones then helped the younger ones out. it took them nearly an hour to finish the hunt and by the end of it the garden looked a right state but it was good fun!!

my son wanted a mobile phone for his birthday so i made his cake as a mobile phone too, it looked like one of those old fashioned ones from the 1980s. it was really easy. i just baked two loaf tin sponges, covered them in jam and then got royal icing and dyed it grey. i got licorise for an ariel and allsorts for the phone buttons. he loved it!

and thanks for the sticker ideas!! i filled up little party bags with penny sweets, stickers and those bouncy balls that go for miles. i did it all under £100 too so i was so pleased (so was my husband!!). so thanks everyone. only another 363 days till the next one!! xx 

everyone needs a monkey cake!

Re: ideas for my sons party

That's brilliant, glad the party went so well :o) I wish I had the oomph to bake my own cakes but it never happens for me - it's always easier to let them pick for themselves from the supermarket!

Don't sweat the small stuff. It will make you stinky.