We once hosted a field day themed party and in our backyard set up stations of games. So we had sack races, balloons that kids could pop with little darts when they threw it, bean bag games, a craft station with painting and a piñata. We broke the party into two groups and rotated through. The kids had a blast and enough parents jumped into really make it run smoothly. Everyone got a cheap medal as part of their party favor. The kids painted frames and while they ate cake, I printed off a photo of them all celebrating their “wins” to put in it. That was their favor. Super easy and cheap.

This all allowed the kids to really warm up and by the time it was for food everyone was comfortable and happy to run around in unstructured play after. We couldn’t afford a big party that year and I think this cost us less than $250.

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, I’m sorry bounce u and pump it up closed in the pandemic. That’s what you need.
Kensington Fire Dept does a very cute party for that age.

We did it at the fire dept at that age. They have a big room. We just brought toys..legos, set suppli s and board games...no organized activities. Then the fire dept does a tour. It was a bit chaotic but all contained in in the party room

Anonymous wrote:MyGym is fabulous for that age. They will structure as much as you want, or let the kids play free.

Mygym or a little gym. They are great.

I’m thinking of hiring an art teacher to do something for my DD birthday in a few weeks. Maybe something like that? For whole class I would really try not to have it at home. Can you rent an ice skating rink? It’s probably far but I think you can do parties at Wheaton regional ice arena

"Minute to Win It" style games are fun, you will have to tailor the games to the abilities of the age group. And maybe not make them timed 🙂. I remember kids being oddly fascinated by the little party game where you drop a penny into a bucket of water and try to get it into the little jar in the middle of the bucket.
With that many kids, you would need to hire a couple of teens or young adults to help. But the games themselves are mostly household items so you wouldn't need to buy much.

OP here. There are 20 kids in his class plus his brother. I'd imagine not all will come, so perhaps 15? And we're willing to spend a bit more on it if needed, but when I said $500 I was thinking of just the activity, assuming food, favors etc would be more. Thank you all so much--please keep the ideas coming!

Petting zoo or insects or reptiles that come to you

Like this
http://myreptileguys.com/DC/DC-birthdays.htm

$500 rules out a lot of parties for tons of kids.

We hired local parkour instructors to teach the kiddos some ninja skills. It was perfect - could accommodate about 40 kids, held outdoors, structured but with plenty of room for play. And it made DD SUPER popular - all the kids still talk about the parkour party.

Hire a superhero actor to come do activities with the kids.

Not your preferred location, but Little Gym on Capitol Hill is great

Ugh, I’m sorry bounce u and pump it up closed in the pandemic. That’s what you need.
Kensington Fire Dept does a very cute party for that age.

MyGym is fabulous for that age. They will structure as much as you want, or let the kids play free.

Call the Avalon theater- you can bring a DVD and rent the whole place for not too much $$$

Pinstripes bowling
Lucky strike bowling
Mad science @ your house
Climb zone- though adults will likely need to stay
Zavazone
Gymnastics party - either dynamite or silver stars

How many kids?

Hi all, I searched the archives first, but have a slightly different question and am hoping the benevolent DCUM community will have a genius idea. My kindergarten son is turning 6 next week and we're planning his birthday party--he absolutely wants to invite the whole class, which is great. We typically are happy to have birthdays in our backyard or at the park with cake and maybe one activity. However, our son is struggling socially in his K class, and from what I've seen, I think he'll have a difficult time being successful in an unstructured party (e.g. just go play or bounce house). He did great, though, in a more structured setting (the awesome Glen Echo aquarium, which had activities and a little tour). So, I'm looking for an idea of something somewhat structured--either nearby upper NW DC, or at our home/in our yard. I saw the Gem Truck on an old thread, which looks perfect, but he's booked for ages. And we can't spend a ton--maybe $500, which rules out something like Great Zucchini (also great). And we're behind schedule so it needs to be the weekend of 11/13 or 11/20. I'm totally open to ideas--an awesome person that will come facilitate fun games or some activity, going somewhere close...maybe setting up activities ourselves if they're easy/affordable and don't require too much facilitating by me (though not screens). The kid has had a tough year generally, and I want to do something special and set him up to succeed. Many, many thanks in advance for any suggestions or referrals!