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My little boy is turning 3. We'd like to invite some of his friends from day care. My elder daughter is 8 and she has a group of friends her age that she'd like to be a part of the occasion. The 8 year olds no longer enjoy inflatables etc.
Any birthday ideas that can be an enjoyable experience for both age groups?
Arts and crafts is what springs to mind for me. You get out of it what you put into it, and everybody can get something out of it.
I just googled "making paper snowflakes for children" and some interesting sites came up, including firstpalette.com, which had things like crafts by ages, or crafts by seasons. Have everybody start with one project, but get enough supplies for multiple projects, because the little kids may rush through several of them, doing a slap-dash job, while the older kids may really get into one project and take their time.
You could also have them decorate cupcakes or gingerbread people.
I suggest having a two-part-er.
First, accomplish what you want by having everyone together. Cake, Ice cream, food, and drinks always does well for this. Try to have a single activity that is widely liked, like coloring on the sidewalk, or playing in the water.
Then allow for and encourage separation in the age groups. Play "sandbox trucks" with the younger group while the older group can play something else (sorry 8 is a hard age to come up with a blanket idea).
Almost no activity is going to cover it for both age groups for long. But there are some shared activities that you can start with.
