One child walks round outside saying duck, duck, duck and then pats someone on the head and says goose. Pass the parcel to the music, when the music stops, the child holding the parcel unwraps a layer. This follows the same principle as Pass the Parcel, but saves you the faff of wrapping up loads of presents. The children take turns at putting their hands behind their back and trying to eat until the string is empty. Every child that can get to the end without falling off wins — though of course you can enrol all the other children in pulling faces and causing general distractions to cause them to fall off.
Kids Birthdays and Parties. You can also buy them ready filled of empty, so that you can choose what goes into them — which can be great for ensuring there is plenty for every child. Find the post by clicking here. One person — this can be the host or a child — is the seeker and hides their eyes whilst counting to or whatever number is suitable. This game is brilliant when you want the children to calm down before they sit down for birthday party food. A whole bunch of supper fun party games to keep your five year old and their friends happy for the duration of a whole birthday party!!
Then I give a bigger prize to the winner at the end. Anyway, back to the party games: I am also wondering whether we could get away with Pass the Balloon rather than Pass the Parcel. Musical Statues Dance to music, when it stops stand as still as possible — like a statue! Musical Chairs Line up chairs, with each one facing the opposite direction. Dance around the chairs to music, when the music stops sit on a chair immediately.
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The child without a chair is OUT! The last child left is the winner. You can adapt this game to play it using cushions rather than chairs. Musical Animals Shout out an animal. When the music stops everyone has to pretend to be that animal. You could give a small prize for the best animal each round.
A Birthday Party Survival Guide for Parents
Musical Numbers Set out number squares — make them from paper and stick them to the floor with Bluetak. Plus also put smaller number squares into a hat or bag.
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Croix Trail, Franconia, , franconia. The Mall of America's massive aquarium can handle parties for any age group, providing everything from cake and educational activities all the way up to a snorkeling experience.
Broadway, Bloomington, , visitsealife. For a totally kid-centric experience, Leonardo's helps the birthday child decide the project and pick a theme, from toy making and electricity to chemistry and painting. All kids really want is a pizza party, right? Take them to Davanni's, which provides a separate room for riotous kid pizza-makers. Several metro locations including Edina and St. Lace up your skates where Olympians have done before you at a U. Rent out the rink and plenty of skates and put your own music on the loudspeakers like you own the place.
A private room and pizza are provided, too. NE, Blaine, , superrink. Combining the old-fashioned soda fountain classics with a modern twist such as the Princess Rainbow Float , Cold Front will surely be the cherry on top of their special day. Gather up for a round of bowling at the Nook and introduce any newcomers to a celebratory Juicy Nookie.
Brave little firefighters will love the role-playing party complete with a bucket brigade, sliding down the pole, and pulling the alarm. And if you have an April through October baby, they'll even get a fire-truck ride, as long as the weather cooperates. But make sure you start planning at least three months out, spots fill up fast! How many birthday parties come with a naturalist? Treat kids to snake encounters, tips for survival skills, or any of the other themes they offer. NE, Fridley, , springbrooknaturecenter. Rock climbing, robot-building, and archery are all birthday party options at Base Camp, with a catalog of options organized by age and group size.
There's even a space shuttle simulator for the most adventuresome guests. Private party rooms available, and Buca is a nearby dining option. Let the kids play, explore, and learn with their friends at the Children's Museum. No matter what option you choose, you'll be able to stick to your budget while making sure that the kids have a great time with museum admission for the whole day and more.
Ages 2 and up. Two or more hours spent digging their hands into clay? The stuff of dreams for kids. And if they're nine or older, they can even try throwing pots on a wheel, and keep what's created. There's also a room available for cake and gifts. Bowl or play bocce ball while noshing on Italian-American cuisine. Ages 10 and up. Reserve a picnic table or a shelter as a home base for nature exploration and time in the wading pool. Sea Salt can serve up snacks and ice cream! With family friendly rides all the way up to the looping roller coasters Valley Fair is known for, the hardest part of this party will be dragging everyone away.
Grab the crew and hit the skate park—or make it your own by renting the place out. A private session comes with free board rentals and plenty of customizable options. For less experienced boarders, add an instructor for your group. The time-honored painting party is still a draw for creative youngsters, who can come home with a coffee mug for Mom or a plate worthy of the finest after-school snacks.
Paul and Edina, paintyourplate. Bring the whole crew bowling where there are plenty of lanes, pizza, and games. Kids can burn off more steam with the arcade, air hockey, and laser tag. Four Twin Cities locations, bowlbrunswick. A stable that's willing to indulge your child's pony-loving dreams be careful what you wish for! Hayrides, pony grooming lessons, and campfires are also available.
NW, Andover, , bunkerparkstable. A Bakken-certified party host leads kids in science puzzles and games before they're let loose on the electric museum. You're welcome to bring your own birthday meal into the private party room. Little zookeepers can investigate bugs and reptiles, while older kids can receive personal tours of their favorite animal class of the animal kingdom. Circle or dessert parties can get old and boring with some of the same relatives or friends, but drunken nonsense with music too loud to discuss anything is so much better?
Ferry — Thank goodness things are starting to change. Future generations of expats will breath a sigh of relief. Have you ever been at a Dutch funeral? The tea and the hapjes are much the same!!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course, when the people in the circle are boring, then the circle can be pretty annoying. I am also Dutch and have a good tip. I have found that suggesting early to start drinking something stronger than coffee is often very well received, especially by the male members in the circle.
And offers to pay the host for the ruined carpet where you dropped your cigarettes. I used to live in France, such a civilised country in this respect…. Gotta love the Dutch! Lol this is so brilliant: Dutch guy here, this is indeed how at the very least most birthday parties are. In South Africa we do pretty much the same, except replace the tea with beer, and the table full of cheese snacks with a bbq.
And I now feel a little bit sorry for my wife who is Chinees and dragged to all the parties the last few years. And is about to give one herself…. So you speak your host only when entering and leaving the party. A kind of willfull slavery. But never try to change seates! Once you are seated you are stuck. The cirkle will shoo you from the chair. So every seat is invisibly reserved, since there is allways a shortage of chairs, allthough extra plastic garden chairs were provided by at least two neigbours. Happily there is a cure nowadays: The best party is allways in the kitchen.
Story from my boyfriend family from Leiden: Everybody knows the soup is the last call, so drink your soup and go. Dutch circle party, brilliant! We avoid them like the plague after having suffered a few. She must have known more about the hell we were about to enter as she had brought her book to read. She spent the whole time wedge between 2 aunts reading her book and not a word said or an eyelid batted. Agree with a comment that always try to escape to the kitchen.. Most Dutch circle parties have a set end time at a very respectable hour which the host or hostess will politely remind you of by starting to clean up around you.
I am Dutch, married to an American, and I cannot count the number of circle parties I have sat through in. America, in the house of my in-laws, in a small rural community.
Parents can survive the party season...
Every aunt, uncle, cousin, neighbor and dog would show up. I would go hide out in a bedroom for a while and read, but invariably my dh would come looking for me ;. I am a Dutch born Australian who has lived here for — ahem — many, many decades. Because it is an important birthday, it started at 11am and finished at about 4pm. It was exactly as you have described, although at least people spoke a lot of English my Dutch is sparse. There were a couple of young Dutch backpackers there were staying with one of the guests , and they looked absolutely haunted, poor things.
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On the pretence of showing them the garden I took them out of sight and slipped them a cigarette and a beer. One of them remarked that it seems that there is nowhere far away enough to escape these sorts of gatherings. The only slight variation worth mentioning is that several of the mainly ancient guests brought along various electronic devices loaded with a few thousand of their favourite family and travel photos. Ah well, at least the food was plentiful and lekker.
The British alternative to the Dutch circle party of course is everyone going to the pub and getting pissed in the absolutely minimum amount of time possible, making lots of noise, crashing at a weird hour in place unknown and waking up without any clue what has happened.
2) Joining The Circle
Having lived in Holland for 13 years no longer, now watching people get drunk at parties no matter the hour in Australia I am well acquainted with circle parties, the evening ones were better as the cake and coffee requirement were out of the way quite promptly to be followed by snacks and drinks to ease the night. What has not been mentioned is after the deliciously awkward moment of congratulating everyone on the hosts birthday you are offered a choice of taart and coffee.
I still have nightmares about those events. I never suffered the language humiliation as I learned to speak fluent Dutch within months of living there. I have a large family so I practically had to go to one every two weeks, plus the ones from people my parents knew. When I became a teenager I rebelled against this as teenagers do and got into a fight with a few of my family members because they felt I was neglecting them by not going to these parties.
It was a real guilt trip and it made me feel awful for not going to the parties. So I started going again, against my will, forced to sit with people. Nowadays I only celebrate my birthday with my direct family and never go to these parties anymore. SO hilarious, SO recognisable… Just to add my tuppence worth: What kind of twisted-logic-in-the-universe invented such an utterance?? In my experience there are usually two camps at these parties — people who accept the circle and people who do not.
I felt exactly the same, but stopped going to such predictable parties as soon I left my parents. Nobody could force me to join birthday, Easter, X-mas or whatever. I remember the conversations at such parties about cancer and other illnesses! I found out that the dutch are actually educated to keep the tradition of the circle party. My Dutch sister-in-law was convincing me to sign my 1. I was completely horrified by the thought of my own child hosting his own circle party in the future.
Hahaha, love your style! I ended up with the non-social thing to do.
Accept cake and coffee and leave as soon as is social acceptable. The nicest parties are thrown by my expat friends, non of this circle sitting or cheese and augurken madness…. Believe it or not, they teach the etiquette at birthday parties for Inburgering KNM course to be precise. I find it all exhausting. And weird that we eat the birthday cake first is it rude to decline? From where I come from Singapore , we eat the satay and all the abundance of delicious food first, then everyone gathers to sing the birthday song, blow the candles and slice the cake.
I have no idea if it is rude to decline cake. I think it might be. Find out more about the Dutch Circle Party by checking out these posts: April 9, at