There were four of us, so when we were little, the other three would band together to help mom and dad set up. Mom and dad would always be cleaning and making cake. We did yarn mazes (tie one end of a bundle of yarn around little goodie bags of penny candies. Then wind that yarn all around the basement. The kids would come downstairs and get their end, and then follow it around the basement til they got to the prize at the end.) We would make a 'pin the nose on the donkey' game, set up silly six pins or a board game or something, hang up crepe paper streamers. Mom would rent a movie from blockbuster. Pop popcorn. The whole thing cost maybe 50 bucks. Cake mix, candy, movie, popcorn, dollar store decor. Always a blast for the kids under 8.