Ive been really satisfied with how Sony TVs handle Bluetooth gamepads lately. Youll be happy to know setup is basically plug and play. I personally recommend these two because they have the lowest input lag in my testing:

• Sony DualSense Wireless Controller for PlayStation 5
• Microsoft Xbox Wireless Controller with Bluetooth Support Just put them in pairing mode and find them in the TV bluetooth settings. Works well every time.

I've tried quite a few of these over the years. If you want to save some cash, the <a href=" https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt= SteelSeries+Stratus%2B+Bluetooth+Gaming+Controller+for+Android+and+Windows&BI=8941&KBID=10361&SID=12345&DFF=d50" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored">SteelSeries Stratus+ Bluetooth Gaming Controller for Android and Windows is super reliable. Another solid shout is the 8BitDo SN30 Pro Bluetooth Gamepad with Hall Effect Joysticks. It's compact and those hall effect sensors mean the sticks wont ever drift. One tip: keep a long USB-C cable handy for the initial pairing if the Sony Bluetooth menu gets finicky.

No way, I literally just dealt with this yesterday. Small world.

Like someone mentioned, the setup should be straightforward, but I had a really hard time with some cheap generic controllers I bought recently. It was so disappointing when they just wouldnt sync up properly with our Sony set and I felt like I just wasted my cash. I am always so worried about buying the wrong tech stuff, honestly... its just stressful. To stay safe, I would look at the 8BitDo Pro 2 Bluetooth Controller. Its been way more reliable for me than the random off-brands and it connects easily. If you want to spend even less, the Logitech F710 Wireless Gamepad is a solid choice. It uses a little USB plugin instead of direct Bluetooth, which feels a bit more stable since I am not great with wireless settings. It isnt as fancy as the expensive ones, but it works fine for the kids. Good luck with the birthday party!