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So your son is turning 8 and you want to throw him the mother of all birthday parties?
Well, explore these birthday party ideas for 8 year old boy and see if there is one that suits you and your son depending on considerations such as your budget, his interests, the weather, and more..
Cool Birthday party ideas for 8 year old boy
So below are the best birthday party ideas for 8 year old boy that we recommend you try out as your son turns +1 (cool activities, exciting party games, and more)…
Birthday party ideas for 8 year old boy – Basic idea
Try the following for a home party (works best if you have a huge yard and the weather is decent):
- Invite his friends
- Show them the backyard
- let them run around the whole place like insane monkeys (bubbles, hula hoops, balls, and NERF guns might help but even if they are not there, the boys should have a blast)
- Serve them cake + juice pouch bags
- Get them to play more
- Open the birthday presents
- Pinata- kids finally get baggies (and it is not a must you go for candy, as you can see here)
Play can go on for 2-3 hours and at 8, parents should be fine dropping off their children without staying.
Chuck E. Cheese
Try your nearest Chuck E. Cheese location.
The truth is, going the Chuck E. Cheese way will make the party a breeze (you won’t have to buy anything- not even the decorations- and they even supply the cake if you don’t already have one).
All you have to do is just show up and your host will run the show to the end.
To add, Chuck E. Cheese have new party-at-home offerings these days (food, decorations, and cool gifts)…click here for more info.
Sundae or cupcake station
If you don’t mind handling the mess, we highly recommend you make your own sundae/ cupcake station where children can choose from a multitude of different toppings.
Try it especially if you are thinking of having a birthday sleepover- He will probably remember it for years.
More suggestions
If it will be a summer birthday, consider having a small party theme like Minecraft and a pool party.
Nerf War
This is another pocket-friendly party plan especially if you have a bunch of Nerf or water guns laying around (and your son’s friends have their own Nerf guns to bring along to the party).
You can even have it at an appropriate park- Once the boys bring their Nerf guns, you break them up into teams.
And if you must have it in the house, it’s best to limit your guest list.
Here are some Amazing Nerf gun ideas to explore.
Paint & Sip
With this, you turn your own home into a Paint & Sip Art Studio.
Don’t forget to provide a canvas, paint, and fruit juices, soda and snacks so your son’s party guests can paint as they enjoy the drinks and snacks.
More proposals…………………..
Other ideas we propose for his upcoming birthday include indoor bowling and playing mini-golf in the house.
Learn how to come up with an indoor mini-golf place here.
And if you want some more physically exerting play…
Get a badminton/volleyball set and get them to play with his boys in the backyard – you obviously might have to offer a helping hand if the boys are very new to the game.
You can as well have other physical activities including a high jump contest.
The climax can be a classic movie just before pick-up time.
Quick Tip: Our advice is you try to think up more activities for the group than you think they’ll need. Even extra stand-by games like Hot Potato, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey (buy the set here), scavenger hunt, or Simon Says. You will be absolutely surprised at how quickly they go through these activities/games so it’s better to have plenty of options. You will want to have a rotation of events/activities in a sort of a competition.
And if you don’t want a large party…….
At 8 years old, you may give him a different experience by letting your son have a sleepover (with just 2-3 friends) instead of throwing a huge party.
This is not only cheaper but also a bit easier to plan..
You just order some pizza and cake and then rent a good movie for them and they are likely to be super happy.
A word on selecting a birthday party theme
When it comes to the theme, ask your boy to pick a birthday party theme he likes then go from there-you will plan decorations, activities, and more based around that.
There are myriad themes he may find ideal ranging from the outer space (think of a massive cardboard space-ship to play in), to the ocean (held at an aquarium), to medieval knights(made cardboard shields plus balloon swords!)
Oh, and do not micro manage the party!
One more word of advice: don’t micro manage the kids because it makes the party weird..
The thing is, he and his buddies are grown enough to do things in a proper way without your involvement even if they’re only 8 (kids have a way of keeping order among themselves when together)
I’m cautioning you against this since I once went to a micro-managed birthday party when I was young and found it quite boring.
Wrapping it up
As regards games, don’t forget to ask your son what he wants too-He perhaps have a couple of games he would chose and yes, he is likely to know what his friends could want to do.
Keep in mind that 8 year olds are really fun, non-judgmental, and generally very enthusiastic to play!
Whatever birthday party ideas for 8 year old boys you decide to go with, just know that with the above ideas, your son’s 8th birthday party is sure to be a hit.
ALSO READ:
Where to take kids for their birthday [10+ awesome places plus games]