Birthday Party Tips for Tots and Teens

The number of candles on the cake, the color of the gift-wrap, and the number of balloons lining the ceiling are not the elements that make your child’s birthday so special. It’s the guests who attend, the games they play or activities they do that make a young one’s birthday party so memorable….

Lots of Time to Plan….
Depending on the time of year, many options are available for neat locales to host a child’s birthday party. From a local park to a public pool, a restaurant such as Chuck E. Cheese’s with rides and games to a fast food joint like Burger King or Mickey D’s, a bowling alley, a movie theater to the comfort of your very own home, the magic comes from the planning put into the party.

Pool Party
If your child is a summer baby, consider having a pool party if all or most of the guests are able to swim or if the pool has a shallow end. Make hotdogs and hamburgers, lemonade and have cake and ice cream by the pool. Make up some games for the kids to play so that they can win cool prizes-pool floats, beach balls, candy and small toys (make sure there are age-appropriate toys for all guests invited).

Games to play at a pool party are only limited by your imagination. If you can get a floating basketball hoop, set the kids up on two teams and see how they do! If not, use a simple inner tube as a substitute basketball hoop. Play volleyball in the water, send the kids on a hunt for sinking objects like quarters, rubber rings, and action figures or play the classic game “Marco Polo” (like hide-and-seek in the pool, with the person being “it” keeping his or her eyes closed). Another fun game to play is “Shark!” Everyone has surely played this at sometime or another… one person becomes the shark and chases everyone else-the “fishies”-around the pool. When a fishy gets tagged, he or she becomes another shark!

Fun-and-Games Party
A party focusing on fun and games can be held just about anywhere, but consider renting out an Arcade or having a party at a restaurant that has a playground, an arcade within it, or just a general “Fun Zone” atmosphere. Chances are even if you can’t rent out the entire place, the kids will have so much fun they won’t even notice anyone else!

Winter Party Ideas: Ice-skating and Snowball Fights
Winter babies can have fun, too, by having a party at an ice-skating rink with enough hot cocoa and goodies to go around and perhaps by reserving the whole rink for the guests alone. Got a hockey fanatic for a child? Even better yet-turn half of the ice-skating rink into a shootout or mini-scrimmage!

If you don’t want to host a party at a rink, you can always have a party at your own home with food, fun and games inside and a snowball fight and sledding outside (weather-permitting)! Hot cocoa will warm up little ones and cookies hot out of the over serve a perfect treat.

Minor Planning Involved….
Sure, these elaborate parties sound like a lot of fun, but what if you don’t have a lot of time to plan the ultimate shindig for your child? Last minute planners fret not, here are some ideas to make your child’s party a shining success!

Modern-day Pizza Party
Have a pizza party with lots of different toppings for the kids to select! Buy pre-made pizza dough shells, sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, ham, pineapple, bacon, sausage-whatever toppings you like, and let the kids create their own masterpieces! Pizza shells should come in normal pie sizes and all the way down to personal pan sizes, so you can decide how to go about the pizza party. Rent some movies or dig out a bunch from your collection so the kids have something else with which to keep themselves occupied. Play music, board games or even make up games for the kids to play and win prizes!

Slumber Party for Just the Guys or Just the Girls
Invite your child’s closest group of friends and prepare for a long night! Get tons of snacks and goodies, throw the kids in the car and pick out a bunch of movies-or take a vote and send your spouse out to get some flicks! Set up some board games, let the kids tell ghost stories or play video games or even have a cooking competition. Girls are usually more accustomed to the sleepover party atmosphere, so they may need only minor supervision as they’ve been at these types of parties dozens of times!

No matter what party planning tips you ultimately choose, your child will have a wonderful time simply because he or she is spending a special day with family, friends and loved ones. Enjoy your day together-just don’t forget to take some photos!

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