Party Activities for Boys 3-5 years old

One of the biggest questions I get is WHAT do I DO with all these kids during the party? The first thing is to limit the number of children attending to a manageable number {see Pro Tip below}. Next, follow the ABC's of Party Activities for boys 3-5 years old to find developmentally appropriate activities to support just about any birthday party theme.

*Pro Tip: Take the age of your child and add 1. That's how many children you can handle with two adults. Add additional adults as the guest list grows to maintain a nice ratio.

Activity ABC's

These little men are just learning their letters, sounds, and early reading skills. It seemed fitting to use the alphabet to guide us through this list!

• Artistic Creation – Crafts and images
• Building – Construction – Assembly
• Color Fun – Painting
• Demolition – Knocking things down
• Excavation – Digging
• Fantasy Play – Make Believe – Pretend
• Gross Motor – Big body movements
• Hunting and Exploring – Clues – Scavenger Hunt

Artistic Creation:

• Make an object using different shapes. You can make trucks, dinosaurs, ships, or anything!
• Create a collage by pasting different objects to a page – buttons, feathers, paper, tissue, etc.
• Simple shape cutting
• Using stickers to decorate anything
• Use sidewalk chalk to create – then “erase it” using a scrub brush and plain water

Building:

For a Construction Party, Building Party, or Lego Party these make great activities.

• Hammering golf tees into foam blocks
• Balance a huge Jenga tower made from cut 2×4’s
• Work in teams to construct simple structures with blocks, boxes, or Legos

Color Fun:

• Throw paint balloons or eggs at a canvas and make an abstract work of art
• Use squirt bottles filled with colored water to “paint” an old white sheet

• Water painting is perfect for 3-4 years but if you only have a few kids you can manage washable paint.
• Finger painting is always a hit, although messy!
• Use masking tape or a vinyl shape and let the kids paint over it in any colors they want. Peel off and reveal the finished work of art!
• Create a “Magic Picture” creating a resist image with a white crayon so they image only shows up after they apply paint.

Demolition:

• The wrecking ball is SUCH a fun activity for this age. Building up and knocking down is what they like to do with all of their toys.

• Roll a ball and knock down cans, any modified bowling
• Knock down cans or targets with bean bags, squirt guns, NERF guns, etc
• Tossing rings, sponges or balls into a designated container

Excavation:

Digging is an activity most kids enjoy at this age though likely a messy activity and best done outside or in a garage. If you're concerned with overflow, lay down tarps to cover the area before setting up the sand pit.

• Finding buried “treasure”: ie. Pirate Party
• Excavating a building site: ie. Construction Party
• Digging for dinosaur bones: ie. Dinosaur Party
• Looking for worms and bugs: ie. Creepy Crawly Party

You can dig through anything. Think past sand and get creative:

• Chicken feed for a Farm Party
• Popcorn for a Carnival Party or Movie Party
• Pea gravel for a Fishing Party or Under the Sea Party
• Rice for a Ninja Party or anything really!

Fantasy Play:

• Dress up using the party theme: Pirates, Superheros, Knights, Police Officers, Scientists, Ninjas…the list is endless.
• Act like different animals
• Stage a rescue or a hold up for a Spy Party, Ninja Party, Superhero Party, etc.

Gross Motor – Big Body Movements:

It’s important for these little guys to move. Work on large motor skills and add in unstructured running around time!

• Crazy dance contest
• Blow bubbles and try to pop them
• Kicking cans into a bucket, large balls over a finish line, or large soft balls to each other
• Obstacle course – climb through large boxes like a tunnel
  • Make it a relay race by having them grab a paper {theme appropriate cut out} taped to the end and race back
  • Use a timer instead of racing each other to keep up motivation but avoid negative competition.
• Tug-of-war
• “Walk the plank”, tight rope, or I-beam to balance

Hunting & Exploring:

• Scavenger hunts – nature hunts are my favorite if you can be outside
• Following simple clues to solve a mystery
• Gather and sort objects like bugs or hardware. Put them into a special container with tweezers or tongs {fine motor skills}

What NOT to Do

*Pro Tip: Set yourself up for success by avoiding common pitfalls of party activities for boys 3-5 years old.

DO NOT

…expect them to produce any type of craft or project that is supposed to look a certain way.

…make them sit still for more than 10-15 minutes

…stick to a rigid party schedule; make most of the activities flexible and voluntary.

…force a child to participate. They are still figuring out how they fit in this world and may be holding back just to observe. If you push them, they may shrink further back, but if they see how much fun the other kids are having they will likely join in on their own. If they don’t, that’s ok. They still had fun on their own terms.

…expect any activity to go smoothly if it requires much supervision or explanation. Keep it as simple as possible.

…try to take make them hold still for photos! This is tough but can ruin the fun.

There. You're all set. Well, for your activity list anyway. Choose your top three activities. {No more than 4!} Now, imagine you are doing the activity with your child. {Or actually do a test run}

• Then, make a list of everything you'll need for each activity
• What do you need to have set up?
• What would make the activity go more smoothly?
• Can you pre-cut or prepare anything ahead of time?

*Pro Tip: Gather everything up at least a week before the party so you can focus on the details at crunch time.

Which of the party activities for boys 3-5 years old are your favorite? Now that you're ready to go, relax and enjoy the party.

Until next time,

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