Starting a new class or new school is daunting enough already. New books, new stationary, new teachers and lots and lots of new friends! We hear it all the time. Organising a 5th birthday party for a class of 30-something children is tough ground for even the pros’ amongst us!
Indeed, for their child’s fifth birthday party many parents choose to invite the whole class. It is a wonderful way of encouraging new friendships not only for the children but for the adults too, after all, you have seven years of school runs together ahead of you. Organising a party for 30 four and five-year-olds may seem like a scary prospect so we’ve put together some handy tips.
Venue
The first thing to consider here is capacity. You will need a venue to accommodate possibly 30 sugar-fuelled 5-year-olds, their parents and the entertainer. It is wise to contact the venue and discuss your plans with them, there are usually restrictions on numbers depending on the type of event.
If you’re lucky enough to have a large garden, and maybe a gazebo or two, you might decide to take a chance on the weather and host your child’s birthday party at home to keep costs down. Alternatively, you might decide to hire a local hall or other venues.
Here at Captain Fantastic, our parties and discos can be adapted to some extent, to fit the occasion and venue.
Top Tip: It can be hard to nail down exact numbers – but do your best to get an estimate of the numbers attending and then chat with your entertainer and potential venues in advance! They will have a good idea of what will work already!
Theme
If your child has a particular character that they like it may be tempting to choose that as the theme for your child’s party. However, bear in mind that not all children like the same thing. In order to make everyone feel included at the party, pick a generic theme. For example, if your child likes Superman, pick a superheroes theme and all the children can come dressed as their favourite superhero.
Some other ideas that work well are:
- Pirates and Fairies Party
- Princes and Princesses Party
- Favourite Book Character
It is important to keep non-gender biased when organising a party for a mix of little girls and boys! If a theme is too ‘boyish’ or ‘girly’, the rest of the party can get bored, distracted or even embarrassed, especially at this age. It all depends on the particular mix of children attending, but it is well worth thinking about to ensure everyone has a good time!
Top Tip: Keep the theme generic with the option to dress up. This allows children to express their individual preferences which in turn, makes it a lot more fun for everyone!
Invites
When you send out the invites be sure to include your mobile number, don’t rely on catching people in the playground to confirm if they are coming. It’s a good idea to keep a list of the children’s names and mark off who has replied. You could also note down the parent’s name and number next to their child for future reference. Also, make sure you ask the parent to let you know about any allergies or dietary requirements.
Top Tip: Provide more than one contact method for you. With busy schedules, people have different preferred communication methods. A mobile number and an email address would be a good shout!
Food
When catering for large numbers it is best to keep the food simple. Sandwiches, pizza slices, pastries, all the usual party fare is easy to put together. You could also do a large pot of something simple like pasta served with garlic bread and allow the children to put their own toppings on such as cheese, tomatoes, or whatever their favourite topping is.
With 5-year-olds it is important to keep it simple. They’re often not accustomed to elaborate flavours and spices. This does not have to mean boring! You can get creative and cut sandwiches into cute shapes and bake coloured cookies.
By asking for the children’ dietary requirements on your invites, you will have prepared yourself for the Vegan or Vegetarian! Read our blog post on vegan party food for ideas on how to accommodate this easily and inexpensively.
Top Tip: Keep it simple to cater for the masses!
Party bags
Party bags can be expensive and are normally filled with small plastic toys that break or get discarded the next day. Often children would be happy with a small gift each to take home, which can often be cheaper than the traditional party bag. You could try to match the gift with the theme of the party.
Some alternatives include:
- A notebook and a pen
- A mug filled with sweeties
- A book
- Giant bubbles
- Travel board game
Top Tip: Keep your party favours generic. This avoids potential arguments over ‘who got the better toy’.
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