We are having a Birthday party for my daughter next weekend-all girls in the neighborhood w/these age ranges. I have a few ideas etc. but this group is always good for more. It needs to be economical. Also, what to do for prizes that would please this wide age group. I thought about jewelry making or something like that but I'm not sure.
Thanks for any and all suggestions...
Spin art would be a fun activity. We did it for my daughter's 7th birthday. The girls loved it! Very easy and not messy. Here's how to do it.
1 salad spinner
pack of paper plates
small bottles of paint that can be squeezed
-bottles of colored sparkle paint and regular colored paint look nice together.
Insert a paper plate in the salad spinner, drizzle 4-5 different colors of paint, put on the lid and spin.
It depends on your party theme, there are SO many wondeful ideas out there, you should check out some party websites. One year for my girls (who share a birthday) we had a unicorn themed party; when the guests arrived they sat at the table and decorated their treat bags, I got plain white gift bags and many stickers and markers for the to decorate the bags with, I bought unicorn and fairy sticker. Then we went into the living room and played Unicorn, Unicorn, Dragon which is just like Duck, Duck Goose except for the animal names used; you can substitute names that fit with whatever theme you are using, like Astronaut, Astronaut, Alien! We played Pin the Horn on the Unicorn, I bought this game at a dollar store, but you can make your own, for a different party I made a Pin the Ponytail on the Princess game with construction paper, markers, and yarn; onceagain you can make this game fot your theme easily. After those two games we had a "Unicorn Hunt," I had taped 3"X5" cards with locations written on them like oven, bed, closet, etc. where they would find another card telling thme the next place to look, for older kids you can write clues instead like "where we bake cookies" for the oven. At the end of the Unicorn Hunt the last clue took them outside to our swing set where my husband was waiting with a pinata shaped like a unicorn and filled with candy and small prizes like plastic rings and whistles (once again you can use a pinata that fits your theme or for a cheaper option, decorate a big shoe box wioth stickers and ribbons etc. and call it a treasure chest, in that case you would call your search a treasure hunt). The kids took turns whacking the pinata and when it broke they got to fill the treat bags they had decorated with the candy and prizes. It's good to have some ground rules like "everyone gets 12 pieces of candy and one ring and 2 whistles" so that there is no fighting. When you fill the pinata count everything for this purpose. After that we just had teh cake adn ice cream and opened gifts and it was time for the kids to go home, easy peasy! You can also tunr on music and have the kids dance with teh balloons or play a game of Keep it up in the Air with the balloons, that is a good time filler if your games get over too fast. Last year I avoided all the work by just having a bowling alley party, some years it's good to have an easier (though more expencive) party! Good luck, I hope it's a great party!
Decorating cookies or cupcakes usually goes over well and is something they can do by themselves that you don't have to go around and help the little ones so much. And then they also have something to take home with them, like a favor.
Chocolate fondue can be fun, too. My 4 year old went to a birthday party where they did that and she had lots of fun with it. They just did marshmallows, but you could do fruit, or little cubes of cake, or whatever.
The bounce houses can be lots of fun, too, but if there are too many, it's easier for someone to get hurt. Especially if there are a bunch of older kids bouncing with the young ones. They aren't always careful of little ones and it can get out of hand.
Have fun!!
We did a sack race, obstacle course, chalk drawing, playing with toys and playing on the swing set.
What about bead bracelets?
Bounce house!
We've rented a bounce house two years in a row for my two daughters' (ages 4 and 7) birthday party (we have their birthday parties together since their birthdays are only two weeks apart) and it was a huge hit. The prices aren't too bad.
Treasure hunts are always fun for ALL ages. Make them extra fun by having clues where they have to figure out where to go for the next clue.....I even hid one clue inside a blown up balloon, and placed it with 30 other balloons on my den floor. They has to stomp them all to find the clue to go to the next spot.
good old hot 'potato" is always fun and all ages can play it. we played it as part of our treasure hunt. The clue said to go to the crocodile cove (it was a peter pan party) and play the croc game (we has a ticking kitchen timer inside a green sock). Every time a child was "out" on the hot potato game, they got a cholcolate coin, and the final child out got a chocolate coin and also got to read the clue to the next spot.....
Depends on the girls, but my daughters' friends love doing crafty stuff - paper bag puppets, paper wind socks.... you can find plenty of ideas online for crafts you can do with readily available supplies like cereal box cardboard, cardboard tubes from paper towel or toilet paper rolls, etc. Face painting has also been popular with this age range (some of the older girls might even like to paint flowers or rainbows on the younger girls). Decorating cookies or cupcakes
Some ideas for prizes: hair scrunchies/ponytail holders, little notepads, small jars of bubble liquid, art supplies
good luck and have fun!
There is a big difference in interests, from 4 to 9 years old.
The older girls, (if they are like my 8 year old Daughter and Friends), they are pretty independent.. and do their own thing. Not as structured things.
For the younger girls, they like maybe Princess things? Still?
www.orientaltrading.com has TONS of party stuff/goody bags/games and in bulk prices. Economical.
My daughter, likes Pinatas.
And 'treasure hunt' type games in which they can find goodies. Which you can also get from Oriental Trading.
Jewelry making, will be more for older kids.
The 4 year olds, don't have the dexterity for it, by themselves. The Mom will have to help them do it or make it.
4-5 year olds, need assistance with activities or supervision.
6-7 year olds, have better dexterity and ability to follow direction and more complex 'games' or activities. More independent.
8-9 year olds... can do MUCH more, on their own, or with minimal assistance and supervision, per games/activities.
Rub on tattoos are also fun. Oriental Trading has that too.
Or, egg on a spoon games... them putting an egg on a large spoon and balancing it while they walk fast/run to the finish line.
Just look at Oriental Trading, they have lots of games.
good luck
