Where to Draw the Line on Inviting 7 Year Olds to a Birthday Party

If you send the invites to their homes rather than give them out in class, I see no reason you can't limit the guest list. I know it's the politically correct thing to do to invite each child, but I think it's too much. Not every kid wants to attend each party, it's too expensive for the hosts and for the guests who have to bring 20-30 gifs throughout the year. I would ask your son not to discuss the party at school so those who are not invited don't feel left out.

We have done the same thing with our now 8-year-old. I sent an email "save the date" to the parents, letting them know that we were having a small home party. I think that helped the kids understand that it wasn't going to be a party for the masses. We did hand out invites via school, but our teacher was super great about it and was discreet, telling the kids that they should keep the invite in their back pack so other kids' feelings don't get hurt. Hope you have a blast!

I've never understood the "whole class" party expectation. One of my son's friends went to a school where they required it, so even though they were friends from preschool he always got left out of friend's party because he had to invite his whole class. Weird. That's too big of a party anyway! I say pick and choose and yes send the invites in the mail. The point of the party is to have your friends isn't it?

It is the norm at our school, too, to invite kids from different classes, grades, home friends, cousins, dance class, etc. The kids enjoy meeting new friends outside of their usual classmates and it makes the party more interesting! I don't think we've been to more than one or two "whole class" parties. One was here, and I swore to my husband I'd never have 18 children in my home at the same time ever again! It was fun, but completely overwhelming! Just mail all the invites so the kids at school don't notice someone got one and others didn't. And you child can explain, if asked, that he could only invite some friends this year, and some more friends next year. Have fun!

Definitely invite the 8 boys your son chose to come to the house. I will be having a bigger party for my kindergartner this year only because things haven't settled enough to know who he's really friends with yet, but I look forward to something like what you've described in a year or two.
When my older son had parties at home with about 10 friends, he got really excited about planning the party. It sounds like that's what your son would love to do.

It's totally acceptable to have smaller parties by that age - hardly anyone in first grade invited everyone in the class. (or if they did, they didn't invite my kid :-) I would send the invitations to the parents at home instead of delivering at school, though. We've missed several invitations over the years because they were under a pile of papers in a backpack - makes me crazy when parents do that.