BIRTHDAY PARTY HELP

[STAY@HOME MOM]

Hi need some advise on what kinds of things to do for 3 year old boy birthday party it for 2 hrs he loves cars, I also need easy kid frendly snack food i would something creative and different but fun, also what can be done for party favour with out spending alot of money.

thanks for your help

[Tranquility]

Sounds like so much fun!

Car painting: The kids can either have regular paper and then use the race cars rolled in paint. Roll over the paper and you see the tracks. You could also cut out car shapes on construction paper and have the kids race track over the car. It looks really cool when the colours blend.

Door Hangers: Michaels has lots of foam door hangers as well as the smaller packs of car related foamies. If you check back, you can get an awesome deal on the hangers from $5-$7 for 9 depending on the sale. The other foamies that are used to decorate are $4 regular, but you could use the 40% off. You could also decorate with letter stickers to spell their names and other car themed stickers.

Car Cutout: Pretty basic... car cut outs that the kids decorate. You can use buttons, foamies, sequence, stickers, the list goes on. You could also get a car cut out and then take it to Staples where they print it on card stock. These look really cool because you can see all the detail in it. It's basically a car colouring page printed on coloured cardstock and then you cut the car out around the edges.

Playdough: Most preschoolers love Playdough. You could have a Playdough station and include cars that the kids can roll over the dough.

Goody Bags: I like to do actual toys that the kids will play with, so when my dd has boys at her party, I include a Hot Wheels. You could have a sticker sheet and a colouring book that you make.

[STAY@HOME MOM]

Thank you those are great ideas

[SamanthaMV]

AS far as keeping down the costs of food I tend to hold the parties at a time when the kids (and parents) have already eaten - ie. 1pm. And then I have only the cake, juice, coffee and tea. I learned after the first two years of spending WAYYYYY too much on food that it's just not necessary.

I just had my 4 year olds b-day this past weekend and I got coffee and tea to go from starbucks and it was the best Idea I've ever had! $20 for coffee for 15 (including cups, stir sticks, sugar, cream) a box of 24 teas and a giant jug of hot water.

I also bought all the decorations and paper plates (my one bad environmental move I make a year) at Dollar Giant.

I also tend to skip goodie bags as they're generally full of crap that ends up in the garbage anyways.

I have a great (and cheap) playdough recipe if you wanted to do some of the great ideas by pp.

[Tranquility]

Thank you those are great ideas

Your welcome... I love parties! I agree with Samantha on the goody bags. Don't feel like you have to do one. If you are at all concerned about it, you could buy a Hot Wheels for each guest and wrap it in paper for them. I have worked so many parties and have seen a ton of ideas...

-They don't get a goody bag
-They do a craft that is the parting gift
-A small bag with small things they can use (i.e. stickers)
-A standard bag with lots of dollar store favours
-A puzzle or a book
-They get prizes for a couple of games but not a goody bag when they leave
-A balloon

My daughter went to a party where she received a colouring book. I loved this as she colours in it all the time.

Just a last minute thought... if you didn't want to do a goody bag, you could make cupcakes and put a car on each one. This would help in the cost of buying a cake if you were planning on doing that.

Thinking about it, I can't recall a party I went to when I was a child and received a goody bag. Is this a recent happening?

[STAY@HOME MOM]

thanks for the ideas I would love to have the play recipe

thanks for your help.

[Lilmissy]

At my son's 3yr b-day party last year I got the kids a special set of bubbles and wands instead of goodie bags. What kid doesn't love bubbles!LOL... I agree with some of the above posters that one useful thing is a great way to go. And cupcakes vs cake is great!!

Good luck!