Our kids’ favorite parties through middle school was the sleepover. 5 or 6 boys. Plan was, they make their own pizza, each boy has a section to do as they wish. That allowed for a lot of dietary variation. Then, they made their own pie. Again, they each had a section of pie and a choice of apple or peach. Woven into all of this was movie-making. It always involved my husband manning the camera and a stuffed bunny interacting with the boys. The movies were just a lot of boy-noise, know what I mean? Next morning was top-your-own pancakes.

Presents were usually “bring something for the local animal shelter” so newspapers, blankets, towels, leashes, toys, food. The boys loved it, and so did their moms! Clean out the linen cupboard!

We had one friend who never stayed over. One morning we got up, the boys were running around while we made the pancakes, and I did a quick count and asked “Where’s D?” One of the boys said oh, he went home. Yeah, about 1 am D had called his mom, she came and picked him up. I gave her a quick call and though we laughed I did suggest that she could have called or at least left a note! He turned into “half-a-sleepover” for a few years, where he’d stay till 11, Dad would pick him up, and bring him back in the morning. Everyone, all the boys, were cool with it.

Mind you, we had only our two boys! And both winter babies so not a lot of outdoor options. So, our older son always asked for a “summer party” around August, which involved all the boys from his class, all in he backyard, obstacle courses, water balloons, and tossing games, delivery pizza, brownies, kool-aid, and no gifts. It was always a great success.

We’ve done a pottery painting class, an outdoor picnic, and rented a party room at a skating rink.

This year, because of COVID, both kids had PJ/Movie parties at our house. I realize there is a narrow window where this sort of thing works, but it was amazing. I tend to NOT enjoy managing that many kids in our living space. But, this year, with everyone in comfortable clothes and with the snack options pretty obvious (popcorn, individual packages of gummies) – the screen provided a launch point for entertainment. Both kids still appreciate candy or treasure hunts, too, and I try to incorporate that when possible. Sometimes we do clues for a smaller party, but if more kids are involved, we just hide individually wrapped candy all over the house. I found a Hershey’s kiss last week from back in March…