4-year-old birthday party ideas
Emily Gulla
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Planning a four-year-old's birthday party might seem like a huge task, but we know that organising a special celebration for your child is important for you and for them. This is everything you need to know, from venues to food to gifts.
Indoor party ideas
At four years old, your child will be becoming more and more sociable, and they'll likely already have made a small group of friends at nursery, pre-school or playgroup to invite. They'll also probably be more aware that it's their birthday than in previous years, meaning they'll be more excited - but this doesn't mean big groups won't still be potentially daunting!
If your son or daughter is still shy around bigger groups, then hosting their four-year-old party at home around familiar surroundings might be more enjoyable for them. Or if you're looking for a different indoor venue, there's plenty of choice for different budgets, so why not try some of our other indoor party options below?
Your own home
By four years old, your child will not only be more aware that it's their birthday, they'll also be developing their own interests - perfect if you want to throw them a themed party! If they've started attending any clubs like dancing, football or swimming, these can make great party themes. Otherwise, classic themes like princesses, superheroes or animals will also work really well.
You can make or buy decorations, like bunting and balloons, make themed food, and tell your guests to dress accordingly (which could be super cute!).
A party in your own home is also a great way to keep the cost low, and it offers you more control over how many people you invite and how long the party lasts for.
Activity parties
By four years old, your child will be old enough to enjoy an activity party, and it's a great way to do something that's a bit different than the parties they might have been to in the past. Many dance schools will host dancing parties with games and music, and some football clubs will host mini soccer parties suitable for four-year-olds.
Time-wise, an hour to an hour and a half will be enough to tire out most four-year-olds.
Soft play centres
Soft play centres are an easy and hassle-free way to entertain four-year-olds. Most soft play centres will have specific areas that cater to younger and older toddlers, which is ideal if you're inviting children of different ages. They'll often also come with a party planner and catering included, so you can sit back and enjoy!
You can browse your local soft play centres with our handy search tool here.
Village hall or community centre
Your local village hall or play centre is another great indoor party venue, especially if you don't want to be restricted by the size of your home or the per-head cost of soft play. Plus, with all the energy that four-year-olds have, it'll be a great space for them to run around!
Hiring a hall will be the main cost you have to front, but you might want to add a bouncy castle, play equipment or a kids' entertainer, which can make it a bit more pricey. For less hassle, many halls will offer catering included, or if you want to keep costs down then consider making the food yourself (just bear the numbers in mind if you're doing so).
Check out your local halls for hire using our search tool - and remember to check that they offer children's parties as not all will.
Outdoor party ideas
Petting zoo
By four years old, many kids will LOVE being outside, and they'll be curious about everything - including animals, so a petting zoo or farm trip can be an exciting and engaging birthday party.
Depending on how familiar and comfortable your child and their guests are with animals, you might want to opt for smaller creatures like guinea pigs, bunnies and chicks. So don't panic about goats and ponies if you don't think they're ready!
The kids will all get a chance to stroke or hold the animals if they want to, and you'll be able to snap some super cute photos to look back on!
Garden party
A garden party is the perfect compromise when it comes to an outdoor party that still maintains the familiarity of your own home, if you feel your child will be more comfortable in recognisable surroundings.
You can decorate the garden with bunting, hire a bouncy castle, or organise some ball games if you've got the space. Plus, you have freedom when it comes to the theme, with animal, dinosaur or football themes working well outside.
During the summer months, a water play party in shallow paddling pools will be something a bit different for four-year-olds. Just of course make sure to supervise at all times.
Picnic
Going for a picnic party is an easy outdoor option, especially if the birthday boy or girl loves running around in the park. Get some friends and family together with picnic food, outdoor toys or ball games and head to an outdoor play area if you have one nearby.
There are plenty of games that can be played at a picnic, like pass the parcel (as long as you clean up afterwards), outdoor puzzles or tag. You might also want to bring chalks to draw on concrete, skipping ropes, or balls to play catch.
Who to invite
By four years old, your child will probably have made more friends from their nursery, pre-school or playgroup - and they'll have started being invited to other children's parties, too. Plus, they'll be developing socially and will be more excited about inviting their friends.
If your child has a few close friends, check that they can make it before arranging the date. Around 10-12 children in total will be ideal (if they have that many friends from nursery) - just make sure that there will be enough adults on hand to supervise, and ask if parents are able to stay.
Don't forget about family, too. Once you've invited grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and any family friends your guest list will likely be looking quite full!
If your child is getting into arts and crafts, then sitting down to make some invitations together can be a fun way to get them involved in the planning - and it'll add a personal touch. It's a good idea to send invites out between two to four weeks in advance, and ask for RSVPs early too so that you can get organised.
Games and activities
At four years old, children will have longer attention spans for focusing on a game, and they'll be better able to understand rules than when they were younger. Still, it's a good idea to keep things simple - and make sure to have small prizes on hand so that everyone feels like a winner (losing can still be upsetting at this age!).
Games like pass the parcel and pin the tail on the donkey will be quick and easy to play. And if you have space outside, you could pull out a parachute or host an egg and spoon race, sure to be endless fun!
You can buy ready-made sets to play pin the tail on the donkey. See more details at Amazon, here.
Check out some more party games for four-year-olds here.
Food and drink
Party food
Your child and their guests will be having so much fun at the party that it's unlikely they'll be sitting down to eat - so small, bite-sized food is your friend here!
If you’re worried about making sure there’s enough food to go around, fill up a cardboard meal box for each child. That way, you know no one will miss out and they can always take it home if they're having too much fun for food.
Party foods like mini hot dogs, mini pizzas and finger sandwiches will go down well (and the adults can eat some too!). To sneak some healthy options in there, include some carrot or cucumber sticks and pieces of fruit like melon, banana and strawberries.
For more ideas, check out our party food guide here.
Drinks
For drinks, the healthiest option is to stick to water or milk. If you want to give fruit juice to under-fives, the NHS recommends that you dilute it with 10 parts water to 1 part juice. Older kids can have squash, water or undiluted fruit juice.
The NHS advises against fizzy drinks for children, but if you want to offer them to older kids then do so after the food, so the kids aren't too full of sugar to eat anything healthy.
Plus, if you’re at home and are worried about damaging furniture or carpets, keep the food and drink in a designated room or the garden.
Birthday cake
There are plenty of different options for birthday cake, depending on how much of a baker you are!
If you're opting for a themed party and want the cake to match, most supermarkets will sell themed birthday cakes - or you can contact your local cake maker for something extra personal. Guaranteed your four-year-old will love seeing all their favourite things in icing form!
For a middle-ground hack, buy a supermarket sponge cake and add the personalised decorations yourself. The kids won’t know any different and it's an easy way to create something unique at a low price. We've got plenty of cake decoration ideas for you to follow here, from castles to trains, to a classic caterpillar cake - whatever your four-year-old will love the most!
If you fancy baking your own cake, browse our library of recipes, from cupcakes to chocolate cake or rainbow cake, plus gluten free and egg free options, too.
Desserts
For extra dessert options other than cake, it’s a good idea to have some finger bites available, like little chocolate bites (though not too many!) and sliced pieces of fruit like melon, strawberries and banana to make sure the kids get something healthy too.
Jelly and ice cream is another classic party dessert, and one that the kids will love. To make it that touch healthier why not try some of our fruity ice cream recipes? Alternatively, you can serve sorbet as a dairy-free option that goes down a treat with kids.
Gift ideas
Whether you’re buying for your own child or giving gift ideas to friends and family, at four years old your toddler will already be forming their own likes and dislikes - which means more opportunity to buy them a present they’ll love! Plus, they'll be preparing to start school, so educational gifts can be a great way to help them get ready.
Shape sorting clocks are a fun way to teach kids how to tell the time, and story books to read to your child will help to prepare them for learning to read when they start school. Outdoor gifts like a three-wheel mini scooter will be really exciting for your child and also perfect for the school run!
Amazon has a great range of mini scooter, see more details here.
Have a browse through some more of the best birthday gifts for four-year-olds here.
Party bags
Your four-year-old will likely have already been invited to lots of friends and family member's birthday parties, which means they'll quickly have gotten used to receiving a party bag each time, as will their friends! It can sometimes be tricky to know what to include ...
If you've thrown a themed party for your child, then having a theme to stick to for the party bags too makes it that bit easier. You can find cute stuffed animals for an animal theme or tiaras for princesses, for example.
A lot of plastic toys are only suitable for children aged three and upwards, so bear in mind the age of your younger guests when including these. Safer options are cuddly toys, play-doh, a colouring book or a large bouncy ball for older kids. Oh, and don't forget the cake!
Check out more party bag ideas here.
Tips for a great fourth birthday party
As with any party, planning ahead and getting organised with a list of everything you’ll need to do in advance of the big day will make things whole lot easier. These top tips should help things run even more smoothly:
- Child-to-adult ratio: It's a good idea to ask parents to stay at the party if possible. That way, they'll be on hand to deal with any chaos or accidents, and they'll also be able to look after their own children if they do get upset. Plus, if you have a large number of adult family members or parents as guests, make sure to include some grown-up food too (they'll be grateful!).
- Write down the gifts your child receives and who they're from as soon as your child opens them. You'll thank yourself later when it comes to writing thank-you notes!
- Plan the party for the morning or lunchtime. Some three and four-year-olds might still take an afternoon nap, and you don't want your party to clash. And even if they aren't still napping, you don't want kids to already be tired by the time they arrive if you host later in the day.
- Don’t drop your usual rules. Okay, a party is a time for kids to have fun - but that doesn’t mean you should drop your usual rules when it comes to tantrums and misbehaviour. However you usually deal with a tantrum, the best thing to do at a party is to take your child away from the audience, so going to a free room is a good idea. For the best chance of avoiding any upset during the party, make sure the birthday boy or girl has an early bedtime the night before, so they'll be less likely to be irritable.
Looking for more birthday party ideas? Check out our articles below, or swap tips with other parents in our forum.
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Does your child have a sibling with a birthday coming up? Check out our other birthday party guides by age:
1-year-old birthday • 2-year-old birthday • 3-year-old birthday • 4-year-old birthday • 5-year-old birthday • 6-year-old birthday • 7-year-old birthday • 8-year-old birthday • 9-year-old birthday • 10-year-old birthday • 11-year-old birthday • 12-year-old birthday • 13-year-old birthday • 14-year-old birthday • birthday ideas for older teens
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