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View Full Version : what to do at 3 yr old party?



lfp2n
03-20-2006, 09:55 AM
OK thanks ladies for getting back on my no gift question, now I'm wondering what you are all going to do at your parties. I think there will be six 3yr olds at mine, we aren't having anything major like bouncy castles but I'm wondering whether to load up on playdough or balls. Do you think they should just play, or should I try and structure it a bit, it seems like they may be a bit young for organized games. What are you all doing/have you done to keep them entertained for an hour and a half.

Thanks

Lucy DD 3/03

trumansmom
03-20-2006, 09:57 AM
We blew up balloons and the kids sat on them to pop them. Lots of fun for most kids, but the noise freaked out a couple of them. We also did pin the tail on the donkey, but that was a total bust! Hope others have some good ideas.

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/01 and Eleanor 4/04

kelly ann
03-20-2006, 10:02 AM
Most of the parties we have gone to just have the kids play. I recently went to a 2nd birthday party and they had some crafts. It was fun, but most of the parents were doing the crafts and the kids didn't have the concentration. It could have just been the crafts chosen though.

One idea...

You could have them make their own pizzas and then decorate their own miniature cake or ice cream sundae (while the pizza cooks) - kind of like a cooking class. I know my 3 year old would absolutely love this. You can also hand out aprons for party favors personalized with their name.

muskiesusan
03-20-2006, 10:49 AM
We pretty much just let the kids play as they are usually interested in seeing what toys we have. I did have foam stickers so they could decorate their party hats, but it was just laid out on a table for them to do when they felt like it.


Susan
Mom to Nick 10/01
& Alex 04/04

zoestargrove
03-20-2006, 10:55 AM
we haven't done anything organized yet, but I think for my son's 3rd birthday I'll plan a few activities. He keeps telling me he wants a pirate party...so, I plan on getting some pirate dress up accessories for everyone and leading them through a scavenger type treasure hunt.

I loved party games when I was a kid, sitting on balloons, musical chairs, three legged races, races where you carried an egg on a spoon, balloon tosses...I bet they'd like a pinata at three too!

kransden
03-20-2006, 11:09 AM
For ages 2-3 we had a treasure hunt. I bought a bunch of little plastic animals from the dollar store and scattered them all over. They filled up their cups with them. I also had a sandbox and bought "gems" (those plant rocks from Wal-mart) and filled the sandbox with them. Kids just love finding things. You can hide things in the house too. If you don't have a lot of something they can "find" 3 or 4 or 5 of whatever they are looking for.

Another fun game is save the frog (prince). Print out alligators and scatter them over the floor. The kids have to hop through the gators without stepping on any to save the frog. Bigger kids hop on 1 foot.

Karin and Katie 10/24/02

LBW
03-20-2006, 11:26 AM
We had our Music Together teacher come to DS's third b-day. She had the kids singing, playing instruments, and marching. It was wonderful. We also had a pinata.

I've been to parties with crafts, and it usually works well if it's a fairly simple activity. One great idea a friend's DH had was to have a bunch of paper airplanes made ahead of time. The kids spent a good 15-20 minutes flying them.

I have to say, most parties around here are at party places -- gymnastics, etc. So, the activities are all taken care of by the place.

miki
03-20-2006, 01:51 PM
We had toddler crafts at my DD's last birthday and they went over well. Painting with brushes and rollers. Stamping with large foam stamps and large ink pads. Stringing animal shaped beads onto long pipe cleaners. And, not crafty but the kids liked it, a plactic bin full of dried beans that they could dig through and find some seashells. Kind of like the PP's treasure hunt. This was all done outside, by the way. I wouldn't recommend the paint indoors.

jvorhis
03-20-2006, 02:46 PM
The last two years the kids have just played at Emma's Parties. This year we are doing a Dora Princess Party and I am going to try to follow something like this for the kids to do -

http://www.birthdaypartyideas.com/html/dora_parties_3.html

This site has awesome ideas.

Good luck and have fun :-)

laurena
03-20-2006, 07:54 PM
I was just at a 3yo party where the kids made pizzas and topped their own cupcakes. The mom had embroidered aprons with the kids names on it and gave wooden/metal cooking utensils as favors. Other than that, the kids just played and I thought it was a great party.

As one of my cousins pointed out, the parties just keep getting bigger every year, so no need to knock yourself out when they are really little b/c where do you go from there? :)

barbarhow
03-20-2006, 09:46 PM
Jack's 3rd birthday party is Saturday. I made (or should say am still making) a felt ocean-with fish, starfish, seaweed and crabs that goes across the space between our living room and den. It is 3 feet high and is scalloped at the top to look like waves. We made fishing poles out of string and a bamboo stake from Home Depot-cut in half. Attached to the end of the string is a metal disc to serve as a "fish hook". There will be prize bags on the other side of the ocean that the kids will fish for. On the bags we have attached a strong magnet. My DH plans to be on the other side to "help" just in case. (My mom did this one for us when we were kids-we loved it)
We also have a spiderman pinata-one of the string pull ones.
Other than that-we have pizza and cake.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03, a Red Sox fan
and Anna 5/12/05, my little Yankee fan!

jamsmu
03-20-2006, 10:58 PM
Barbara, Please include pics!! I'd love to see the "ocean"! TIA

natividad
03-20-2006, 11:12 PM
We just had our son's third birthday party a couple of weeks ago. We pretty much just let the kids play with no real organized games. I did set up a table in our playroom as an arts and craft station. I bought a bunch of foam door hangers so that the kids could decorate them with foam stickers. They are sold at AC Moore. The kids had a lot of fun and they got to take their finished product home in their goody bags. You can buy either self-adhesive stickers or use foam glue. I used glue and it was no problem with parent supervision. Hope this helps.

Naty
DS 02/03
DS 05/05

lfp2n
03-21-2006, 11:47 AM
Thanks everyone, you have given me some great ideas.
Barbara, I hope you share pics of the fishing game it sounds awesome, our DCs share the same birthday and party date!

Lucy DD 3/03