Got any inexpensive suggestions for a birthday party for a little girl turning 5 in march?!
Have a bit of dancing, a bit of games, a bit of eating.
I teach music to K-5. The thing with the little ones in large groups is that you have to keep them moving. Don't think you can let them go unsupervised and not have trouble.
They don't like sitting still for long. Read them a story (great!), but sandwich that between some dancing (limbo) or patty cake games. Singing songs are good.
Limbo is great, but throw out the rules......the kids just like going under the stick.
Patty cake games...here's what I do...
1) have them sit down (criss cross applesauce) and face you and teach them to clap/touch/clap/touch with the other hand. pretend they are touching your hand.
2) show them what you mean with another adult.
3) tell them they have to find a friend and play patty cake.
4) Play some music with a heavy beat and have them play.
5) stop the music and say "scrambled eggs!!" and that means they have to find a NEW firend. Count down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and start the music...don't bother waiting for everyone to find a friend.
6) do this ad nausum.......my kindergartners LOVE this game and it teaches rhythm and motor skills.
Don't worry about giving prizes...they really don't care about winning. Party bags, yes. Prizes for winning....no.
Go to a teacher store and buy the CD called "All time Favorite Dances." It has a yellow CD cover. Limbo is on it and so is the music I use for the patty cake (number 5, I think it's called Cotton Eyed Joe)....the kids love it and it gets faster and faster. At the end, when it's too fast, I just have them skip in place. Expect lots of laugher and squeals.
Oh, another game is Hide the button". For a class of 20 kids I take five plastic plates (with four dots on them to look like giant buttons). I tell the chidlren I'm going to hid the "button."
I tell them to cover their eyes..NO PEEKING!!! (but, of course they do.....I don't sweat it). Music plays as I hide the button. I don't hide it anywhere difficult (like in a drawer or somewhere out of their reach). Usually, I'll hide it so a part of the plate is visible. (we're talking about five year olds!!) Then I say, Boys go look for a button, or girls go look....break up group somehow so you don't have two dozen kids going nuts. explain that when they find a button they should bring it to you. The button finders stay with you until all buttons are found and they get to hide the button. Music plays again.
Answers: Just have a party. March is probably too cold to do much outside.....how is your inside? Got room?
Have a bit of dancing, a bit of games, a bit of eating.
I teach music to K-5. The thing with the little ones in large groups is that you have to keep them moving. Don't think you can let them go unsupervised and not have trouble.
They don't like sitting still for long. Read them a story (great!), but sandwich that between some dancing (limbo) or patty cake games. Singing songs are good.
Limbo is great, but throw out the rules......the kids just like going under the stick.
Patty cake games...here's what I do...
1) have them sit down (criss cross applesauce) and face you and teach them to clap/touch/clap/touch with the other hand. pretend they are touching your hand.
2) show them what you mean with another adult.
3) tell them they have to find a friend and play patty cake.
4) Play some music with a heavy beat and have them play.
5) stop the music and say "scrambled eggs!!" and that means they have to find a NEW firend. Count down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and start the music...don't bother waiting for everyone to find a friend.
6) do this ad nausum.......my kindergartners LOVE this game and it teaches rhythm and motor skills.
Don't worry about giving prizes...they really don't care about winning. Party bags, yes. Prizes for winning....no.
Go to a teacher store and buy the CD called "All time Favorite Dances." It has a yellow CD cover. Limbo is on it and so is the music I use for the patty cake (number 5, I think it's called Cotton Eyed Joe)....the kids love it and it gets faster and faster. At the end, when it's too fast, I just have them skip in place. Expect lots of laugher and squeals.
Oh, another game is Hide the button". For a class of 20 kids I take five plastic plates (with four dots on them to look like giant buttons). I tell the chidlren I'm going to hid the "button."
I tell them to cover their eyes..NO PEEKING!!! (but, of course they do.....I don't sweat it). Music plays as I hide the button. I don't hide it anywhere difficult (like in a drawer or somewhere out of their reach). Usually, I'll hide it so a part of the plate is visible. (we're talking about five year olds!!) Then I say, Boys go look for a button, or girls go look....break up group somehow so you don't have two dozen kids going nuts. explain that when they find a button they should bring it to you. The button finders stay with you until all buttons are found and they get to hide the button. Music plays again.
rent a moonbounce
yes invite all the girlfriends and have a tea party with little dress up clothes and finger sandwiches play games for prizes like costume jewlery or have a pinata
get a moonbounce or go to party city or something and turn your house into a jungle and have like activites or somehting.
backyard bbq, with a bouncer or water slide, pinata. or make up carnival games where the kids play to win the prizes to fill their goodie bags.
I love theme parties. You could have fun with that - consider an old fashioned tea party with sandwiches, and "tea" poured into tea cups and dress up in dresses, gloves right down to the fancy hats. It could be a lot of fun, even if it is held outside. For clothes ideas you find a real array of them at second-hand clothing stores.
Go to a dollar store and they sometimes have crowns and tutus..... and lots of sweet little girl jewelry....and costumes... and do a dress up party..... make sure you have plenty and have them take turns trying things on ....naming what they are supposed to be.... and modeling.. and a little dance floor.. kids love to dance... if boys will be there... the dollar store has cowboy hats and other types of things.....
This way......they spend a lot of time on one activity... and you don't have to do much....... (ask other parents to stay and help out too...... they will enjoy it......and help organize the clean up! lol)
my daughter celebrates her birthday in march to. she will be six this year and I'm going to have her party at the local park and serve pizza and cupcakes. we will have a treasure hunt, paper sack races, hot potato and play I SPY. when we serve the cupcakes the kids decorate them with all kinds of sprinkles and other goodies! as for gifts we ask that all bring one wrapped book to exchange, this way everyone leaves with a gift. i have tried this before and depending on were you live it can be a great day!(i live in California) but if it happens to rain you can easily move the party to the local pizza joint.
Hot dogs and chips, a bowl of punch, a few games and a birthday cake and ice cream.
I guess it depends what she's into but if she's a girly girl that likes Hannah or High School Musical, there are a lot of dance studios that have started doing little girl parties that are fun for the girls and very little work for you. My first grader has been to a rock star party (learned a little dance to Hannah Montana song) and a High School Musical party (learned dance to the finale song from HSM 2) lately. Cheaper yet, my daughter's High School Musical party was at our house and the biggest hit was the "yearbook" that they got. We took pictures of each girl when they came in and taped them into a dollar store journal. Then the girls asked each other a few simple questions and we wrote them into each of their "yearbooks". It was adorable at the end when they all asked for each others autographs. Serve pbjs and ice cream cake and play games like musical chairs with HSM music, scavenger hunt with HSM clues and crafts like decorate a megaphone (orientaltrading.com).