Seems like lots of birthday party questions lately. Here is mine: would it be better for me to hold my daughter's 6th birthday party on a weeknight or a weekend? I am just not sure what time of week is better for people and when they would be more likely to attend. Weekends always seem so busy... of course, during the school week it is hectic, too!
For context, it would be in the evening maybe 5-7 pm, at my home. There would be around 10 kids invited and all live nearby. It would be a "drop=off" party so parents would not be staying. It will be a very basic party with games, pizza and cake. I just need to decide when to have it! What do you think?
Thanks for the advice! It sounds like a weekend party is the way to go, so that is what we will do. I was thinking people might be glad not to have their weekend filled up, but I was not thinking about how hard it would be with work schedules. I am glad I have you guys to help me out!
Edited to add- We had the party on a Saturday from 12:30-2 pm and it worked out great, all the guests attended and it was just the right length. Thanks again for everyone's input!
Unless you know all of the families have an at home parent, weekends are best. Parents can't get home from work for a 5PM party.
Hate to say it and don't mean to sound flip, but only a SAHM would think about doing a bday party on a weeknight. Working parents do not have time for such things during the week so if all the kids have a SAHM parent, okay, but if they work, you'll probably have a VERY low attendance. I wouldn't even consider attending a bday party during the week.
Weekend, without a doubt. 7:00 pm is about my limit for my 7 1/2 year old on a school night. He has Cub Scout meetings that last until 7:00 pm some school nights, and I do my best to make sure he has bathed the night before so that we can go straight into our bedtime routine when we get home.
Weekends can be busy, but not every weekend is busy. We have one birthday party this weekend. Later this month we have back-to-back parties (each boy has been invited to a party that day). I know there are other things going on, and we do get busy. But it's not too hard to manage birthday parties on the weekends. During the week though, it's just so much harder
I'm glad you picked weekend. My DD's friend turned 5 and they had an afternoon party b/c her mom works on weekends....but my DD is in school and I work PT...so she couldn't go. Even a later afternoon party but on a weekend is better for most people.
an evening party would be hard for me to get my daughter to, since my husband and I both work. We schedule parties on the weekend and that seems to be when we're invited to them as well.
I think kids start to melt down at the 5-7 time frame, and it may be hard for working parents to manage carpools. If there are other kids in the family who need dinner, baths and homework help, 5-7 could be a tough time. I'd vote for a weekend or holiday.
Just plan the party for when it's good for you. Some people can come, others cannot - that's the way it goes. Don't survey people for their schedules - just do the best you can.
At 6-7 years old, all parties should be drop-off without parents staying! You don't need to feed all those adults! Have your husband or one other adult to pitch in, and that's it. Keep it simple - I like the idea of a few games, pizza and cake. The over-the-top parties with 20 kids, a reptile lady and a bouncy house just destroy people's budgets!!!
Honestly, 5 to 7 pm is not a good time for 6 and 7 year olds any night.
Maybe when she is older you could do a sleepover and start at 5:00pm?
I suggest you do the party in a Saturday after 10:00 am but before 4:00 pm..
I don't mind Friday afternoon parties, but I would not want my child at a party on a school night. Also, a lot of sports teams have practices on either Monday & Wednesday or Tuesday & Thursday, so scheduling during the week is tough.
My preference is a weekend party, just because it's easier and I don't have to time it as much around other activities. But, Friday afternoons are fine with me. That said, I don't work so I don't have to worry about how to get my kid to the party.
Good plan. Because I have to tell you, unless all your daughter's friends are only children, 5-7 on a weeknight is not a great idea. Younger sibs it may interfere with bedtimes if mom/dad has to be out running pick-up duty, and older kids are likely to have homework to fight through before/after dinner.. when mom/dad need to be available and not dragging them around to pick up sibs.
I'm a SAHM, and the only weekday plans that would've worked for us were during the day, not early evening. Even at age 6, I had a kid who was involved in extra curriculars... and when you got near dinner, everyone was "done".
If you have any Friday early dismissals on the school calendar, that might be an option too, since parents would have to make adjustments to their work schedules or child care anyways.
Working parents might not be able to get their kid their by 5:00.
I'd prefer weekend but in the right instance this could be ok. Depends.
When does your daughter usually get together with her friends? If she usually has Saturday afternoon playdates, do a Saturday afternoon party. If her playdates are usually after school, do an after school party.
We did a few weekday parties, but it was after school. Working parents had no problem having their kids go to a party rather than after school care. As long as I had help driving (my husband, myself, maybe one other mom) it was easy. Parties were form 3 to 5 ish, kids were home for dinner/homework and there were no weekend conflicts. It actually worked pretty well for us. We also usually did it on a Monday or Friday because kids here rarely had sports practice on those days.
Of course this worked well HERE, your community could be very different! How well do you know the other parents and their kids' schedules?
Do 3:30 to 5:30 weekdays. People would be grateful not to have to screw up a Saturday or Sunday. You are a very wise woman. Kids can take bus directly to your house. Parents pick up later. That always worked,very well.
