2010 - 2012 Recommendations

3 Year Old Birthday Party

Anyone have good ideas for places to have a birthday party for kids in the 2-5 years old range? My kids have done a couple of Head Over Heels parties and LOVED them, but unfortunately there are no openings any time soon that work with our time frame. I'd prefer something indoors so as not to worry about a rain plan. Physical activities would probably be better than art activities for this one (3 year old boy), but suggestions of all kinds welcome. Thank you!

Low-key birthday party for a 3 year old

my daughter is turning 3 in 2 weeks im trying to think of ideas for a party that are NOT over the top, just simple and low key. we are inviting 5 of her play group friends (and parents) and few other friends with older kids. i would love to have it at a park but weather is ify and our house is quite small . any suggestions? thanks d

Looking for ways to celebrate 4th birthday

We moved to the bay area this past summer, and I have been looking for work since we got here. My son had been in daycare from 4 months old until we moved, but has been home with me for the past six months out of financial necessity. We will be bringing a new baby home in January, and then just a few weeks later, my son will turn 4. We have no family in the area (none can afford to travel here for his birthday) and he has not made any new friends that we can invite to a birthday party. His parties in the past haven't been a big deal, but he always had family and friends around to celebrate with (on top of a celebration at 'school').

I'm looking for suggestions of ways to make a big deal out of his birthday when it will very likely be just the four of us. I'd been thinking about Gilroy Gardens or something similar, but just discovered that all the local amusement parks close for the season after New Year's. Any suggestions would be appreciated - we'd be willing to drive a couple hours for something really spectacular, although anything requiring an overnight stay might be too expensive. Thanks in advance for your help! Erin

4-year-old birthday party for the whole class

Hi everyone, I'm organizing a birthday party for my soon-to-be four-year-old at a playground (I reserved a picnic area). We invited his whole preschool class, and I'm wondering if I should plan any games, or just let the kids run around and have fun, since it is right next to a lovely playground. We will be doing a gift exchange, and cake (and food and drinks), but I wasn't sure if I should plan anything else. The theme of the bday is car washes (per request of my car wash- obsessed son , so if you have any ideas that would be fun for 3-5 year-olds that'd be great...Thanks so much! Mariana

3-year-old Birthday Party Ideas

Does anyone have any ideas for entertainment for a 3-year-old's birthday party? Music, storytellers, etc? Also, it will be in August, and I'm wondering if outside would be too hot for the little ones. Thanks! getting a head start

It's rarely too hot around here for kids to play outside, but if you're concerned about the possibility, have the party at home or in a park with an indoor hall or at least a shaded picnic area, so that everyone has the option to get out of the sun. A water play area or wading pool can be a great party feature too. Partying Mama

2007 - 2009 Recommendations

3 Year Old Boy Birthday Party

I'd love to get some ideas about where to throw my son's three year old birthday party this fall. We'd like to invite his entire pre-school class so I definitely want to have the party outside of my home - but not too far from Berkeley so it's not a big hassle for the other families. Naturally, he loves fire trucks, construction sights, trains and all ball sports. I already perused the archive on BPN and we've already experienced most of those parties with his 2 older sisters. Many thanks.

you can also have a bday party at your local firestation! we're planning on doing that next year. anonamom

Fun at-home party for 3 year old

Hi - My daughter is turning 3 in December and I am looking for advice/suggestions on birthday party planning. For her past two bdays we had small family parties but now that she is in preschool (and gets excited about parties) we'd like to do something a little bit bigger and invite her new friends. It seems the trend is to host a party at a kid-oriented venue (e.g. the zoo, habitot, mocha, etc) but my husband adamently refuses to go that route - he thinks it is unnecessarily extravagent for a 3 y.o. So, does anyone have advice about how to make an at- home party fun, special, and manageable? Our house is reasonably spacious but assuming we invite 5-8 children and their parents it could get pretty hectic. Thanks! Party Novice

Everyone had fun. my husband and I had the best time ever! and our son had the such a great time he is still talking about his party. I recommend that you let the parents stay at the party and since the party is in December make it a winter party,(ice princes party or ice fairy) you will save your self so much money & have a ton of stuff for the kids to do. I also recommend twisty man http://www.twistyman.com/ he is the best! we had him at our daycare so many times and I have seen him at many other birthday parties. ( we tried to get him for our party but he was booked). Rebeca

First, choose a theme. Honestly, it makes things easier to plan, and this is what makes the party SPECIAL. Go with whatever your child is interested in lately (trains, princesses, monkeys) or hit a party store or browse the Birthday Express catalog together and pick one of their offerings. Of course, buying invitations and decorations from the party store helps keep things simple (as opposed to making them yourself) -- especially if you get a ''party pack'' from an online vendor -- though you might spend less by picking and choosing at a local party warehouse.

Then, choose a time for the party that is in between mealtimes, so you don't need to worry about serving lunch or dinner and can just offer snacks.

Set up your home with some toys-to-be-played-with laid out in your main party room, and everything else put away as much as possible. Then have your planned party activities. I recommend one craft activity that the kids to do as they arrive, spending as much or as little energy on it as they like, and then one or two more structured games/activities.

For example, if it's a princess party, decorate craft foam crowns with stick-on jewels (hit Michael's or JoAnn's for kits); then announce ''circle time'' and read a fairytale; follow with a simple treasure hunt or pull-string pinata, or perhaps some dressing up for and dancing at the ''ball''. Keep 'em occupied with planned activities and they will be less likely to wreak general havoc in your house!

Serve cake (allowing the kids to decorate their own cupcakes with tubes of frosting, tubs of sprinkles, etc. can count as a party activity too, and it's usually a major hit with this age), have some free-play time, open presents, hand out some goody bags. Done!

For inspiration, I am fond of www.birthdaypartyideas.com -- you probably don't want to get as complex as some of the parties described there are, but you can pick and choose from the ideas. I'm also happy to offer suggestions by e-mail; this post started out much longer but I went over the character limit! Have fun! Holly

Birthday party for 4-year-old

My son will be 4 in September. Ideally, I would like to have an old-fashioned birthday party at home with kids, games, hamburgers, and cake. However, our house is very small and our backyard is in disarray from remodeling mess, sort of torn up with construction debris etc. Our son plays there, but I think many parents would not want their kids to do so, so home is not going to be an option this year. Can anyone recommend a fun place to have a birthday party that is not overdone with bells and whistles and is not too expensive? I hesitate to just go to a park since I couldn't guarantee we would have a place, but maybe some of you have done this and it has been fine? We're looking at probably 5-10 other kids. Thanks in advance.

But if you don't want the bother, I went to a lovely 4-yr-old birthday party that was set up on blankets on the ground (at Montclair Park). It was casual, low-key and a ton of fun for both my daughter and me. The other option is to plan on arriving early to snag a spot--which works as long as you're willing to settle for a less desireable spot or can go with a plan B like the blanket idea.

I have hosted or attended kids parties at Montclair Park, Lake Temescal, Roberts Regional Park, Shorebird Park (Berkeley Marina), and Alvarado Park (north end of Wildcat Canyon park). All really nice. Carrie

They give you about two hours total for the party in the room. We were having so much fun that we ended up moving our stuff to another area and hanging out for another hour. Parents all commented on what a fun party it was for the grown ups because they got to hang out and be social while the kids were in the climber. Melissa

That said, in many, many parks you can reserve a specific picnic area for a party, and local residents can often make that kind of reservation for very little money. Go up to Tilden or Roberts, or see if your city has a site reservation system for your own neighborhood park. Holly

Activities for tiny 3 yo bday party

My daughter's 3rd birthday is coming up. There will be 3 same-aged girls, their parents and up to 3 adult relatives. It will be from 9:30-11:30 am and include brunch and birthday cake. We are not hiring any particular entertainment. It will be indoors in a large, sunny room with round tables and cement floors. There is a grassy area nearby. What activities work best at this age? Ideas? Art projects? Dress up? Pot a plant? Blow bubbles? (outside) Run and kick balls? (we have a lot of balls) Dance to Dan Zanes? What has been really exceptional fun for your kids at this age that can be done in a large indoor room or out on the lawn? Thanks! I wish I were a party girl!!

A craft project of some sort is great to have too, because kids can work on it at their own pace and do it at whatever level of skill and intensity they prefer. And you can easily relate it to any party theme you are using. If the girls like dress-up, they could decorate craft foam crowns or tiaras, for example. (Michael's sells inexpensive kits and supplies for this sort of thing. So does Oriental Trading but usually 12 sets to the package, so you're probably better off buying locally.) And you could use princess themed party goods. Or combine this activity with the cake: Give each girl her own cupcake and put out some frosting tubes and an assortment of sprinkles and candies. They will make a mess but they will LOVE it.

And then I would add one somewhat more organized game or activity. For kids this young, though, you should avoid anything too competitive or that requires a lot of waiting around to take your turn. Also, if there are prizes or treats involved, every player should receive one. Think of the kinds of circle games and songs they do in preschool. Or do a pull- string pinata, which I've done with great success with all ages. The pull-string kind is much more manageable and safe than the hitting-with-a-bat kind! A ''treasure hunt'' is great too: just scatter party favor type toys around the area, issue each child a bag or basket, and tell them to find as many bugs/stars/gold coins/lost puppies as they can. It can be great fun to do this after telling a story that involves needing the girls' help to find or rescue the whatevers. Have fun! holly

Also, kids have enjoyed a peanut hunt. Peanuts in their shell. Kids like hunting for them -- even if they don't like peanuts. have fun!

1. decorate cookies (home made, pre-frosted with sticky frosting and lots of choices of things to decorate with...each kid used a cookie sheet/jelly roll pan to contain mess...cookies were then put on paper plates for kids to take home and share for dessert that night...course we ate a ton there too).
2. ''treasure hunt'' in the backyard (hostess had pre-made some decorate sand bucketsand each child got to pick one)...small candies, pkgs of cookies, pencils, etc. were sprinkled in plain view around the yard)
3. ''basketball'' (they had lots of balls too and a couple of those shorter crawl thru tubes that were set on end and used as ''hoops'')
4. lunch and cake
5. free play
6. open presents
7. more play (mostly with the presents that were just opened)
It was a great party and I think the key to it was that the hostess was totally prepared. Every activity was already set up (but hidden from the kids). The husband was quick about moving just before or just after to set things out/put them away (he was in the backyard tossing the ''treasures'' just as the cookie decorating was ending, for example). Nikki

3yo Bday: #kids, entertainment for a sweet party

My three-year-old's birthday is next month, and I want her to have a lovely party that is joyful and relaxing for parents and children. This is such a fragile age, with the children going from delight to tears so quickly – I want to make it the most likely that they will just have fun. Our community has a clubhouse with kitchen that opens onto a heated pool. Outside the iron pool fence are the locker rooms and a large lawn. I would love to incorporate all elements of the wonderful space, but it is really too large for what I'm envisioning, so I'll need to choose either clubhouse/pool or lawn for the party.

I will hold the party in the morning so none of the children are yet napless, and have food out the entire time so none are fading from hunger. I will try to remember to serve the homemade cake (something we look forward to all year) early enough so people can get home before the early nappers melt down.

1) What's the right timeframe for the party? 9-11? 10-12? My kid needs lunch right at 11:30, and most of her class naps at 1 pm, so I want to be done by noon.
2) How many 3-year-olds do I invite? It could be anywhere from 1 to 50 of them. Do we "have to" invite the 6-year-old brother of our 4-year-old neighbor? Last year we had about 10-12 children for the second birthday and we did great.
3) What activity/entertainment do we provide? Last year we had a children's singer, and that was fine. The previous year, we had a sign language teacher and a photographer who did it for free for the publicity. I know where we could borrow a jumpy/bouncy. If it's beautiful Indian Summer like the last two years, the pool alone might be enough.
4) Do we hold the party on the lawn or in the clubhouse? If on the lawn, we would need to schlep some tables for food from the clubhouse to the lawn, and roll some terribly heavy concrete umbrella stands from the small pool to the lawn to shade the food, but the kids could run or kick balls or we could borrow a friend's bouncy/jumpy. If in the clubhouse, the kitchen is part of the same room, and the tables are already there, so it's very easy. Big sliding doors open onto the pool, so people could easily go to the pool as well, but we could close them for safety.
5) What's the deal with party favors? I always think they are very sweet but a waste of money. Are they necessary? If so, what could they be that is not junk food or cheap stuff that gets thrown away? Last year I didn't buy any and my MIL bought some individual packages of cookies and party hats. I was irritated but the kids liked it.

I really want something lovely and memorable for everyone without the risk of kids getting too amped up and melting down or hosts getting too exhausted.

To answer your other questions: 10am-12 sounds perfect; 10-15 kids is a good number, more can be overwhelming; you do not have to invite the 6 year old, and if he will be the only kid over 4 he may not want to go, however it can be a lot easier for the parents to bring both and if you could give him a role (Swiper, the Prince, the evil Wizard) to help with the theme it might be win-win for everyone; kids love jumpy houses but they also love games, parachutes, bubbles, races, obstacle courses, etc. I don't think you need to provide expensive entertainment; party favors are not strictly necessary but usually much appreciated by the kids. One nice thing like bubbles or inexpensive jewelry is usually better than a bag full of little stuff, imo. Including a craft activity that they can take home is usually plenty as far as party favors. Have fun! --party girl

2004 - 2006 Recommendations

Place for a 3 year old party in December

hello my son is turing three this december and i am looking for a great place to throw a great party. we have lots of adults like 30 and 20 kids and always throw a big bash. we would love for the place to be inside,maybe with food avaiable and lots of fun for adults and kids. i dont really seem to like places that everyone is spread out doing everything and i want everyone to be togehter or at least around in the same area. i also want a cool part for the cake and gifts stuff...... he is into dinos,trucks and crocodiles as most 2 1/2 year olds are... please email me or respond on parents network! mom with a big part to throw

Indoor location for a 4-year old's birthday party

We're looking for a place in the East Bay to hold a party in mid- November for our son's 4th birthday. Most of the recommendations on the website are several years old, so I thought it worth a try to ask again. We will likely have up to 30 kids, ages 2-10, plus a smattering of adults coming to the party. Since the party will be in November, we'll need an indoor location. Would appreciate any recommendations or advice. Thank you. Eric

A few weeks ago we passed by a ''My Gym'' (kind of like Gymboree) and saw a birthday party in progress and it looked awesome. They close the place and provide a gym leader, plates, cups, cake, etc. Then the gym leader provides an hour or 1 1/2 hours of directed activities. The party we saw looked to be about 15 6 year old boys and they were going crazy, running around with streamers. They leader was a young man and he had the kids in the palm of his hand. We swore that next year that would be the place for us! (This location was in Walnut Creek) nune

Outside of that, I don't know where you could host 30 young kids without renting out a place completely. The Jungle in Concord or SF is always fun for the kids (but no younger than 4); Habitot does parties, but don't know if they could accommodate that large of a party. You might consider renting a rec hall somewhere and bringing in a clown/ entertainer and an inflatable bounce house. Local churches and city rec centers are options there. You could also reserve a restauant banquet room and set up activity stations for the kids, so they could do crafts and have fun stuff to do inside. Good Luck

Large indoor space for 4-year old's birthday party

We're looking for indoor birthday venues beyond the usual suspects (Habitot, LHS, Chabot Space, Gymboree, the Jungle) for a December birthday. I'd rather not spend $200 just for the venue. The kids are 4, with lots of younger sibs, and I'm looking for something like a rentable church or synagogue big room at a reasonable rate. Does anyone know of such a thing (beyond Epworth--not quite right for what we've got in mind)? Thanks-- hilary

Birthday Party - 4 Year Old Boy

Another request for advice about birthday parties. Our son turns four in May; most of his friends are four to five years old. We'd like to have some kind of entertainment at his party. But we aren't sure what kind of performer would hold this age group's attention: clown, magician, story teller, puppeteer, balloon artist? Any advice from the group? Ann

2003 & Earlier

Ideas for daughter's 4th birthday

My daughter will be turning four in October, and I'd like some suggestions on how to throw a birthday party for her. Ideally, I'd like to follow the 'one child for each year' rule, but she goes to a preschool with 20 kids in her class, and I'd hate for any of them to feel excluded. This is the first time I'll be throwing an actual party, so I'd like it to be special. I live in Fremont, so if there are any specific recommendations for that area, I'd love to hear them! If it helps, she is a very girly girl who loves pink, the Disney princesses, Hello Kitty, you name it. Any advice will be greatly appreciated! Annabel

3 Year Old Birthday Party ideas

My son will be three in mid july and I'm planning to plan a birthday party. I'm not a natural party thrower and could use some suggestions (I've looked at the ucparents section already). I'd like to invite all of the kids in his daycare class (about 13 but I doubt they'd all be able to come), a few kids from his play group, and a few slightly older kids from the neighborhood. I don't know any of the parents well, so I'd like things to go as smoothly as possible. thanks in advance,karlyn

It sounds like you will be inviting A LOT of kids, maybe too many? It can get pretty overwhelming/chaotic/stressful with so many children (for you, your child and the other children). A good question to ask yourself is - who is the party for? The child is usually excited to have a few friends over while s/he is the special birthday child of the day.

I also find it helpful to remember to remain relaxed, flexible, and to let the birthday child determine (to some degree) what s/he wants to do rather trying to stick to a rigid ''schedule.'' Again, remember that the party is for them and you want to make sure that they are having fun.

When my daughter was a toddler, we usually invited as many kids as her age, plus one. It seemed more manageable for her and for us.

I know that a lot of people open presents so that everyone can ooh and aah, but I have found that this is difficult for the kids who are observing. I usually thank the gift giver and open the gifts at a later time, after the party.

Also, I have been to parties where clowns were hired and I have always thought that this was a terrible idea as a few of the kids were always scared to death (as was I, haha!) of the clowns.

Good luck! MK

oakland zoo
children's fairyland
habitot
local park picnic
luau in backyard

Does anyone have suggestions of low-key activities that would be a hit at a 3 year old's birthday party? I've searched the UCB website but did not come up with any specific information regarding 3 year olds. Has anyone had a great experience renting Kindergym at the Berkeley YMCA or alternatively, at Habitot? My daughter loves storytellers but I'm not sure if the rest of her friends would be able to sit that still at a party. Also, an etiquette question: if your child is enrolled in nursery school, is it best to invite every student in her class? Thank you in advance

Chuck E Cheese has music and the hostesses will lead them through some songs. There's plenty of activities for them to do and the best part is you don't have to worry about the cleanup afterwards. Also there is a good security system in place so your kids are safe. There are also other kid-oriented party places around (one of them is jungle-themed I believe).

One year I also had the party at my sons preschool (with permission from the teacher ahead of time). I hired a Peewee Herman impersonator and he basically ran the party for me, did fun activities with the kids, kept them entertained for about an hour and then we all helped cleanup. It was fun, the teachers liked the break and the kids had a great time.

Back to who to invite, if you are going to have it at your house, you need to decide how many kids you can handle (how much help you are going to have). You could probably hire a storyteller or a clown or someone to do facepainting. Lots of things to do out there that kids really go for. If you have it at some kid-oriented place, you can invite more because they can handle it.

It's more of an issue of how much you want to get into.

Marianne