Birthday party ideas for 5 year olds

What, where and how?

So your child is about to turn six, but what should you do to celebrate? Do you want to have a full-on party? If so where will you host it? If your child's not keen on the idea of having a party, perhaps inviting just a couple of children to do some sort of activity might be a better option?

Really the possibilities are endless, and ultimately whatever you do needs to suit your child. It is their birthday after all!

Themed parties

If you are thinking of a party, you can make things more fun by having a theme. Think Mermaids and Pirates, Superheroes, Fairies, High School Musical; whatever your child's into at the moment.

Get them involved from the outset: they can help design decorations; help decide on what to eat, what sort of games to play, etc. Not only will this take some of the pressure off of you, they'll also feel more involved and grown up.

Ideas for party games

There are lots of different games which make ideal party games:

Oh My! - a variation on musical chairs;

Ten second objects - an upbeat and exciting ice-breaker;

How low can you go? - a fun physical game that doesn't need much space.

Activities

Alternatively your child might prefer to have an activity-based party. Arts and crafts can be really fun and doesn't necessarily need to cost a lot. For example, each child could design their own plate or cup with a pottery painting party. The kits can be purchased relatively inexpensively, or there are some pottery cafes which can host your party for you.

Specialist venues

There are a wide variety of venues which will host and run your children's party. Examples include leisure centres, soft play centres, gymnastics clubs, sports centres and so on. Alternatively, you could spend a day at a zoo or children's farm. However, costs can quickly spiral at these sorts of parties and you may find that if many children have their parties at the same venue, it gets a little tired.