Any great party ideas?? I'm planning a birthday party for my turning 8 yr old and thinking of inviting all the boys in his class plus a few close friends not in his class. maybe 14 (invited) boys. What fun games have you tried with this age group? In the past I've planned games, they enjoyed the scavenger hunt for plastic bugs (6 yrs) or rubber reptiles (7)and the pinata but they mostly ran around and played and enjoyed the swing set. As they are older this year, I thought we could go more organized like mini golf croquet or badminton or obstacle course or make your own bouncy balls or ?? He asks for our home rather than a party place or bowling. It's usually too cold for water balloons etc but any other outdoor games for this age group? We could do carnival games and give prizes... but not sure they will care to play.... He wants a pinata, of course. Would it be strange to say Saturday at 1:00 with rain date Sunday at 1:00??? Not sure what I'd do with that many kids inside though I could empty out one room ...... I'm overthinking and overplanning because I want to invite twice as many kids this time! Ideas/tips Please!
I have done a Game of kick ball with that age. Not too wild, not requiring skill, a ball and bases. 14 kids/ 7 on a team. If you have the room!
It would be good at a park, otherwise. Cake, drinks, done!
We always do back yard parties and they are always bigger affairs than I intend. My son turned 7 in November. We had a Mad Scientist party. Kids are still talking about that party. Making your own bouncy balls would definitely go with this theme. I set up science stations around the yard with a different activity in each area. And I borrowed tables from friends. I hit up some relatives and older neighborhood kids to run the activities for me. Most of the stuff involved vinegar and baking soda...so it was super cheap. We blew up balloons with the vinegar and baking soda in a bottle. Did mini volcanoes (used dixie cups on a paper plate and covered with tin foil) and made them errupt. Cleaned pennies. Fingerprinting. "Lava lamps" with oil, water and glitter. And we made glow in the dark slime (regular slime colored with glow in the dark acrylic paint). I made lab coats out of white trash bags. Bought goggles at Harbor frieght for $1 each. For our "Big finish" the kids set of alkazeltzer rockets (I bought film canisters online) and the birthday boy added mentos to soda while everyone watched. I bought a dispenser from Steve Spangler.
I would simply pick a theme and plan activities around that. We have been to a few carnival themes. And they are fun, but many times require kids to wait their turn (you can't have 20 kids throwing darts) and some kids get antsy.
I would also plan it for an "off" time, so you don't have to serve a meal. When you have a lot of kids, feeding a crowd gets trickier.
If it were to rain, my back up plan was to move everything in the garage. It would have been more crowded, but it would have worked. I was going to set up our pop up canopy in the driveway to give us more space (maybe you can borrow one). And our mentos activity would just have to be done in the rain. Planning it for two separate days will be confusing and may cause attendance issues.
Good luck! Have fun!!
We did an Olympics party.
Long jump
Relay race
High jump
Shot put (bean bag)
Javelin (nerf)
50yard dash
100 yard dash
You can get medals the kids at any party store. And they will be moving and using up all energy. Our kids loved it
One of the games my mum used to organise for our parties was the donut eating competition. Hang one donut for each child by string from the washing line, or somewhere. The donuts should hang at around head-height for participants. Then the children have to eat their donut with their hands tied behind their back. It's a lot of fun. Whoever wins gets a prize!
S.!
I think you should have a tea party!! LOL!!! :)
Okay for boys? Mine have loved:
Nerf Wars - even with foot balls and Nerf Darts - like an Olympics game - who could throw them the farthest!
Bowling parties - always a hit for my kids!
Miniature Golf - love that too! now is the time of the year to do it...not too hot, not too cold!!
We have set up an obstacle course in our back yard and my husband and I threw water balloons at them...he who was the driest - won a prize!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Our city fire department will send a fire truck to private homes for birthday parties, free of charge. All you have to do is call and see if they're available. I have no idea if they do it in your town, but I think it's worth a call to check. It's pretty awesome.
Try to stay away from being TOO organized. Boys just want to play.
I suggest:
Buying a nerf gun for each kid. There are smaller ones available. Buy a few packs of extra darts. The gun is the favor that they get to take home. Let the nerf wars commence!
Water balloon wars (fill big plastic totes with water balloons, have extras on hand)
Dodgeball or freeze tag.
"Sardines" (it's like reverse hide and seek....Google the rules)
Do the game for a while, and then food, and then let them play whatever they want to. Stay out of the way, let your son "host," and let the boys be boys. Don't invite "little kids" who might not do well among so many boys running about.
Best of luck!
C. Lee
14 boys at your home is a LOT of kids. You will probably have 10 or so show-up, so why not plan a kickball game if your yard is big enough? They would LOVE that. If it's chilly, they can wear sweatshirts and will warm up running around. Have bottles of water, juice boxes and chips out while they play. Order a bunch of pizzas, have a pinata and a cake- done!
If you want something more organized:
- Relay races (egg and spoon, 3-legged, potato sack)
- Cornhole (bean bag game)
- Free throw competition (if you have a hoop)
- Donut eating competition is fun
- Pinata
- Obstacle course
We're doing my son's party at home this year too (5). He went to several last year and they were great! More work than the party places (we did a bouncy place last year), but more relaxing at the same time.
Have a great time!
Capture the Flag
Kick the Can
