Want Mom Opinion on End of School Parties

I am a room mom for one of my daughters and even though PTA doesn't fund the end of year party I always coordinate one. This year we are going to Let's Jump. It is up to the parent to pay for their child. It's always easier when someone else is cleaning up the mess!! :) If you want to do less expensive, the park is always fun and you can do water balloons and have a picnic.
T.

It's a great idea if you're up for it. My advice would be to limit the number to just a few unless you get some other parents to help manange.

we didnt have those til jr high and high school but if i could i would try to get together with the moms and have 1 party if they are determined to have one there is no sense in a whole bunch of them really, not to mention there are enough expenses with birthday parties all year at that age. if you didnt have one i wouldnt worry too much those are really for older kids but like i say if you all hold one together would be the best thing for all. good luck god bless

I like all the advice you have gotten thus far. I am a mom of a 5 year old and a two year old! Wahoo!!!!
I think, any opportunity to meet other people or make a lasting bond with acquaintances is wonderful!!! Expanding you and your child's circle O'friends is always benedictional to developmental growth. Besides your child is so important to you and these days of fun
lil'parties will not last long. The time you spent listening and acting on their (reasonable) requests will provide stable and lasting memories of your relationship[ with your son. He will feel valued and very loved! After all, is that not why we have our children?...

I have a 13 yr old daughter and we routinely have end of the year parties.

It is nothing fancy, just a few girls. We pick a day, usually within a day or two when school lets out, go to the club for lunch, swim and then most of them sleepover.

It is not unusual for me to have 3 girls sleeping over every weekend. Granted....I have an only child and there is plenty of room for her and her friends to have upstairs so they are no bother to us at all. I just keep check on what they are doing.

Have fun!

If he wants to be social I'd encourage it! Is this a mostly boys party or would girls be included? I think turning sprinklers on and putting a slip and slide out would be fun. Throw in a BBQ for some hot dogs and some music and you have a terrific start of summer party (be sure to supervise closely!)Keep it short though- Less than 2 hours at his age.

It depends on what he means by a "party." I wouldn't want to invite the whole class or anything like that, but if he wants to have a little get together with a few close friends then why not. Keep it low key, definitely a step below birthday parties. I wouldn't decorate the house, hire entertainment or bake a cake or anything like that. Just order pizza or have a few finger snacks and let them play together.

I would say that if the classroom
is already having one, you mom can
have a pro-active part on this one.
If the school does not have or allow
parties at the end of the school
year I would plan a picknic at the
local park and have a potluck
or have hamburgers and hot dogs
while watching and enjoying the
kids....beside this is another
way to get to know other parents,
remember that is very possible
that these kids will stay friends
through teenage years, WHICH is
a good thing if you have a
relationship (even distant) with
your future kid's friends.

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Any excuse to have a party! :)
I had them almost every yr, and always had a blast.

If your son has asked for a party, then by all means - do it! It doesn't have to be anything elaborate, just a get together with his friends from school - in your backyard or at the park. Popsicles and waterguns - a boy's paradise! And get in there and have fun with them (and encourage the friends parents to be involved).

My son is in 2nd grade, and each year we set a goal for him to achieve during the school year. If he reaches his goal he gets to have a party at the end of the year. So far he has earned his party each year. Last year we invited 7 boys to come over on the last day of school. We took the boys to Adventure Landing and they played video games, miniature golf, laser tag and mini go-carts and had pizza. After the party we took them back to our house to play. They had the option to spend the night. Some did and some didn't. For us it has worked out great. Most classes also have a party at the end of the year. As the room mom for my son's class I am making it a family event b/c I think that it will be a great opportunity for parents to meet and exchange numbers for summer playdates.

I don't know if I can offer an opinion, I can however tell you that we're going to do that exact thing for our daughter and her class. We believe that we need to know the families of the kids that our kids want to play with. So we try to hold play dates at the park or parties such as this one to meet up with the families. In this case we're also trying to let everyone know how close we are to each other so we can get together over the summer and maintain the friendships that will go into first grade and beyond.

Just want to add my two cents. We don't have end of the school year parties, at least not then...However, for the past several years we have had OPEN POOL DAY at our house. ( I think this could easily be done at a community pool too)

Our now 7th grade son has loved this all summer long invitation for his classmates to come and swim. It helps keep him from thinking that he never sees his friends. We send out postcards at the end of the year letting everyone in his class know when we will have OPEN POOL. It can be once a week for a month or whatever will work into your summer. We sometimes call and remind his closer friends before the dates and enjoy setting up a fun day for "whoever" shows up. There have been some times that no one came. We have a back-up fun project or outing "waiting in the wings" so that either way he is looking forward to the day.

Along with my summer "school" system it has worked really well. It is also usually smaller groups and parents that spend the 2-4 hours with us and friendships develop with more ease.

Enjoy your summer too.

I don't know about end of year, but we always say "yes" to having the groups of kids come over to our house. Like Suzan said, it's good to know the kids your kids hang out with.

Our are teens now and we encourage the kids to be at our house, because I'm home and it keeps everyone out of trouble.

It's tiring and you have a long road ahead, but I'm glad I did it and I only have 3 more years till all of mine are off to college!

I Paint Faces for a lot of end of school parties, and they always enjoy it. My website is PaintedStyle.com if you would like to see my work. Take care!

Jen Sewell
Painted Style
Face & Body Art
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PaintedStyle.com

Hi J.:

I think it is a great idea! I have contemplated doing the same thing for my 6 year old. I asked her teacher and she said that some plans were already in the works. You might want to mention to his teacher. Perhaps other parents have inquired as well. In that way, you may not have to pay for all of the expenses by yourself and can use your extra money to buy additional goodies for the kids!

A little about me:
Working, soon to be single mom of 4 wonderful cuddle bugs ages 6, 3, 2 and 6mths.

I personally think it's a good idea. My daughter is 5 too has a summer birthday and hence won't get to celebrate w/ her classmates. So, I've actually been thinking about having a end of year party so she can have them over to play and say goodbye for the summer or even set up some summer play dates. Since I work full time, I haven't been able to meet a lot of the Kinder parents so I thought an end of year party would be a good way for me to meet some of them too as chances are at least some of the kids will be in the same class again next year. Also, since we all leave nearby each other, I'm sure there will be playdate requests over the summer and I'd feel better if I knew the parents a little better. I was just thinking of pizza or hot dogs and letting them play in the playroom or do crafts. Nothing fancy.

If it is convenient for you, then have one. Sounds fun, but I'd only allow one if he agreed everyone was invited from his class. Most schools have a party at the end of the year. Is he aware of that?

When my two oldest were in elm. school we had an end of the year party EVERY year. I remember on year we had the whole 4th grade at our house. The kids all loved it. As a matter of fact when they got to Junior high my son said that kids were asking him when the end of school party was going to be.
Our two have lived with us since they were in the 3rd grade. They are now 17 and 18.

We are a military family, and move fairly often, so getting together with friends has always been important to us and our kids. We always invite the whole class, then hold the party either in the garden or the basement. We have games like Pass the Parcel so everyone has to sit down, good if you are getting worn out (!), treasure hunt, etc. We only have snack foods, and clear drinks, then no parent can get mad about stains! We encourage parents to stay and it has always turned out really well. While we lived in Alaska we had parties for everything from end of school to back to school to end of testing! My advice would be to plan on everyone coming, because people rarely RSVP, and relax! Have fun!

Hi J.,
What a fun age! At that age, i usually tried to keep them outside, weather permitting. You can turn your backyard into a waterpark, safely, nothing too deep. A few small pools, sprinklers, balls and hoola hoops, etc. They will have so much fun. Don't forget a few snacks.....like pretzels served in a pale n shovel, fruit served in a carved out watermelon, etc...
Have fun!!

S.

I love parties. I have several a year. I would suggest you find another great mom to help and go for it. I like having a kick summer swim/splash party. Everyone brings a pot luck and let them go. I also like to do a back to school drive-in movie night with my daughters and some friends. Tail gates, a soccer ball, snacks, bug spray, pillows and giggling girls. Too fun!!!!!!!