3Rd Birthday Party in November

I went to a 3 year old party indoors. The kids had a playdough table which they liked and there were also some toys and a station to decorate butterflys (on construction paper with sticks) or bumblebees. That was cute. My son is a wild one though so he was making a mess of the glue and I had to control him. I think simple is best. You don't need to plan games.
Hope the weather is good! I think hot dogs are fine. Sorry don't know about GF foods.

If it winds up indoors, I have a friend who used to bring toy instruments, big beach balls and silly 99 cent toys, which she would scatter around. Oh, and lots of balloons. She didn't have any activities planned and the kids always seemed to have a great time. Twice she had to hold the party in the lobby of her apartment building because it was pouring outside.

Maybe you could do a pinata? It's hard to get 3-year olds to participate in much beyond free-play.

Possible side for hot dogs - baked beans. Hot chocolate and hot cider sound perfect. It all sounds pretty good. Wish we could do outdoors here.

Best of luck! My son's 5th birthday party is on Friday and I'm stressing a bit even though I know most things are under control. I just wish people would RSVP! :(

I think home would be better just in case it's super cold out.

For warm foood to serve w/the hot dogs:
chili
pigs in a blanket
hot cocoa
soup
warm spinach dip
Pilsbury biscuits
chips

pinata
bean bag toss
fishing (throw a pole over a cardboard wall. you attach toys to the
clothespin that's attached to the pole)
treasure trove filled w/sand that they scoop through looking for inexpensive toys. Think pirate's chest
You can play a short 20 min DVD of a movie (on portable DVD player)
indoor kid bowling w/toy bowing set (will last only a few mins w/their
attention pan but still fun to have around in any case)
you could do a mini fair w/different booths/games (do maybe 2 or 3
booths
sit on the ballon to try & pop the balloon race
Happy birthday!
have them toss around a beach ball
(nothing lasts long :)

Make hot wings in a crock pot if doing it indoors... I am pretty sure there are gluten free bbq sauces out there. But really, I don't think hot dogs/bbq is weird in the fall at all (but I'm in Texas where it's still mostly warm or a tad bit chilly.) You can still do a fruit/veggie tray, or corn on the cob, chilli, or something along those lines.

3 year olds can do lots of crafts. Lots of easy craft kits at Micheals/Hobby Lobby/Joannes that aren't too messy, like little foam kits. They love to play in bubbles. Blow bubbles and turn on some fun music to dance to. You can buy a face paint kit or little temp tattoos and give them those. They can decorate their own cupcakes. They can play simple little party games. They can do a bean bag toss into a bucket. How about some dress up items?

Get a Pin The Tale in the Donkey game - kids love it! Also. you can do musical chairs and hot potato. You could also blow up balloons and see who can pop their balloon first by sitting on it. That should help with the spirited ones! You could also cut out different shapes and get glue sticks and let the kids make a poster by gluing the cut-outs onto construction paper. As for warm food, how about some sort of beans with the hot dogs. Have a great day and don't stress too much - it will all be great! Happy Birthday to your little princess!

For my daughter's 3rd birthday I got lots of discarded big boxes and put them together to make a maze / fort. the kids loved it! Do you have a room you could turn into a maze? You could have boxes ready to stack and move around (with flaps already cut off and entry and exit holes already cut out, let the kids decorate them with markers, and build their own maze and/or fort.

And how about hot dogs with french fries? There's a warm combo!

Good luck!

We are going to a 6th birthday party on Saturday. It will be outdoors but there's a large tent and there will be a hot dog bbq rain or shine! People have given you same great ideas, I especially like the bubbles, balloons, stickers and the plastic swimming pool. My daughter's bday is Dec 2 so outdoors isn't really an option, it makes it tough! Have fun!

Hi. We are doing the same in 3 wks. Some ideas:
Can you take chalk to the park?
What about some ride-on cars?
Some balls?
A small blow up swimming pool with plastic balls or balloons?
Bubbles..

Hope this helps.
jilly

There's nothing at all strange about going to a park in November in California! As long as the weather permits, it should make for a wonderful party.
I like the pinata idea. Kept thinking as I read other comments, "why has no one mentioned a pinata?" then saw that one other person did! Beyond that, I think you'll find three year olds will enjoy free play more than organized games, but do take along balls, frisbees or other 'props' that will help get them going.
As for the food... I like your hot chocolate and hot cider idea. Chili was mentioned, but a lot of kids don't like it... too spicy. Any kind of hot soup would be good. Hot dogs are great with kids and I recommend them. You do mention gluten free which tells me that if you have buns, at least your daughter on the gluten free diet will be eating her hot dog plain. And I am wondering how you will get around the gluten free problem with the cake. I know there are flour substitutes that you can make cakes from, but have never had experience with those myself. Just a comment because I'm not sure what to think on that issue.

Why not hot dogs? They are a warm food and kids love them. How about chili or baked beans to go with them? Salad or veggie tray and fruit salad. 3 yr old don't really have the attention span for too much in the way of games - perhaps a pinata? Craft tables are good too (stickers in particular)- so what if one wanders away to play with a toy? No need for a specific project, just let them draw/ glue/sticker as they please. Just think of several short activities to do as opposed to one or two longer activities. THey might also like decorating cookies ( use tubes - 3 yr olds can't spread icing flat with a knife). Does she dress up yet? If so, have a box of dress up clothes to play with. I'm sure you can find lots of good ideas on the internet. Lastly, no matter how much you plan, it probably won't go as planned. Just go with the flow if the kids.

Sounds like a perfect size party and 3 year olds will be happy to just play. If you blow up some balloons and leave them around the house they will enjoy that. It is uncertain that they will want to sit and do a craft . I know my 3 year old can't do a product oriented project but she does love to paint and stick stickers and scribble. You could put out a big piece of paper with supplies . I'd make the party for the park with a note that rainy or extreme cold moves it to your house. Have some fruit,chips,hotdogs(or a meat and cheese tray) ,vege platter . Living in California you never know day to day what you'll get weather wise. We have a park birthday to go to this weekend on Sunday. I see rain forecasted Friday ,Saturday and sunshine Sunday. By keeping it simple it won't be a big deal where it's at. It's celebrating your special girl with people who love her that's important and memorable :) .Have fun!

How about chili or mashed potatoes, or French fries? Most of the games I thought of were all ready suggested...but how about a dress up corner? I'm a GF baker www.anamama.com if you ever need food suggestions let me know.