As a mother of two daughters, now aged 19 and 16, I have either hosted or one of my daughters in tow literally hundreds of variations on a girl’s birthday party. Some of them were quite horrible, some quite boring, some apparently ‘flops’; what I can say for sure is that a little girl’s birthday party is – and should be – as unique as the little girl herself.
Learn from my own ‘flops’ and highlights!
1. For my daughter’s first birthday party we had a huge ‘family’ party. We also had a small family, with myself having only one brother and sister, my husband now an only child, and the only grandparents still, thankfully, living. Some fifty guests attended: relatives, neighbors, our own family, and all those who had seen us through the three previous misfortunes, celebrated the happy pregnant little girl and mother with showers, all of them; our life, which I enjoy in the joy of our daughter’s first birthday. Serving children range from about four years of age to twelve years of age with their parents and families. We had a magician, a clown, and face painting. The older boys thoroughly enjoyed it, the little one year olds enjoyed running around, a real novelty treat for moms and babies alike. We adults who attended were treated to a very nice lunch, more than a lot of ‘kid friendly’ food too. We made lots and lots of faithful photographs; these were the people with whom we felt the closest, with whom we shared so much joy on the first birthday of our baby girl. Goodie bags were added to the age groups from older children and their preference for toys to separate the smaller bags, suitable toys and snuggly items just for them. It was something precious, but it was worth it for us to be home, to be with those we loved and who had seen the worst of times and times. Our goal was to say “thank you” to those who helped us unite a new mother with her new baby and a new little family. This family – adults, kids, childhood – party for our daughter’s first born was probably my all-time favorite birthday; it is filled with love, memory and celebration. We did it! We were now a ‘real’ family with our first baby girl!
2. When our girls entered the toddler years, some of the best parties we had for them (while twice the five-year-old age group) were gym parties. You can contact your YMCA or children’s gym for details and location of the party. (There are also small gym programs that will bring equipment and personnel to your home if you have the space for it.) These sessions were relatively short: two hours at most. Both boys and girls were invited into my daughter’s groups: play date friends, preschool friends, and of course the neighborhood kids. Goodie bags for these parties had an athletic or sports theme: jump ropes, mini footballs, soccer balls, basketballs, and baseballs for medium-sized toddlers. The bags also included a book about sports and themed games (I think I bought those plastic basketball hoops that were sucked into the cups that stuck to the surface, with little balls for the average kid to play part of.) The gym party was run by trained gym staff, and these parties weren’t huge. there were ten children or less, so that they were all well managed. Part of the gymnasium lasted at least an hour, sometimes an hour and a half. After this we had pizza (pre-ordered and delivered to the gym) with juice. There was always plenty of pizza (and soft drinks that I brought from home) for my parents too. The party ended with the birthday girl opening her presents to many ‘ooohs’ and ‘aaaahs’. At the end of the party, the kids were completely exhausted from the routine and were sleeping in the morning hours. A lot of kidding was involved in physical activities, and I had at least one of these gyms for each of my girls.
3. Is your girl a soccer player or fan? If so, I tried the hiking party, which was a huge hit with my younger daughter and friends. Indoor sports are popping up around major cities and suburbs. We hired one of these for the afternoon; The young guests are asked to bring their boots, under the roof of the laughter shoes and appetite to play! All the girls, some quite experienced players and others who had never played before, had a ball. The game was refereed by one of the indoor facility’s certified refs, and for the life of me, I don’t remember which team won, what the score was or any other particulars of the game. I remember the girls being excited and excited about playing soccer, especially at home, and everyone had a blast. After the ‘game’, the girls and their parents enjoyed pizza, chicken fingers and other food offered (and paid for by us) in the gym’s indoor sports cafeteria. We had cake, opened presents, and guests went home with related goody bags that also contained a book, hair ribbons, perscrunchies, lip gloss: the goodie bag wasn’t just limited to football-related things, but gave a wider view. all guests It was amazingly inexpensive and appreciated every moment!
4. My younger daughter has always been a bit of a ‘jock’. For his seventh birthday we decided to try something different. I hired an ‘ethics instructor’ who served the guests and manners of the young lady! We rented a meeting room in our local community center in the south. The instructor talked (briefly!) about table manners and the art and history of afternoon tea. Guests were invited to wear their best or favorite outfit, which everyone wore. They dined on hot tea and hot chocolate plus four pies and other delicious perfumes. The instructor also guided them in two skills: making a homemade bracelet and decorating and personalizing each picture frame. Goodie bags for this party with decorations, books, and plastic rings, hair ties, etc. This could also be done in your own home, with Mom serving as an instructor and supervising the techniques. At the end of the party we took a bunch of pictures of the little girls, some of whom absolutely hated wearing the dress but got into the spirit when their friends were also “dressed up”. Otherwise, it’s not that valuable, and we still took pictures of the treasure. You can also take a Polaroid photo of each girl at the end of the party and make it her party favor. Again, this type of party can be held at your home, and while things aren’t expensive, there are many notable ways in which you can cut costs and still have a great time!
5 . One of the best parties my girls took was an overnight event held at a great museum in Philadelphia. The girls got a tour of the museum after hours and then had dinner in the museum cafeteria (limited choices, but all kid friendly). He then bunked out for the night in the children’s section of the large museum, which boasts a floor to ceiling tree house. Everyone was asked to have a pillow and a sleeping bag, and several of us parents were asked to stay as chaperones. The girls were treated to a private tour of the museum and were even more excited when they got to stay there overnight! No one slept much; In the morning, before breakfast we went to the entrance of the day museum. I’m not sure how much this museum is charging the parents who hosted it. You can also see if your local zoo, zoo or aquarium holds kids’ parties as well, and what the cost is per child. It was certainly a memorable birthday party, and the guests slept almost the entire day following the party!
6. One of the themes of the many ‘fun’ parties we had and attended. They are years of tried and true tank parts. We happened to have a tank on the ground ourselves. We hired not one, but two, life guards, whose sole duties were to watch over the swimming girls. Chips, dip, pretzels, and soft drinks were served to the girls playing in the pool; towards the end of the day the lagan lagan We also happen to have a large one acre fenced backyard, and we put up a volleyball net for the girls who want to take a break. Between volleyball and swimming, the party lasted about 2 hours. You can also hold part of the pool, which we once did, during the fall and winter months. Since you obviously have to tear down an indoor pool very easily, sometimes it’s worth it not to worry about the weather. he wants to spoil the party; plus, it’s a huge hit that kids can swim in colder weather. Indoor swamps also have a base of certified lifeguards on staff. The parties fought for about two hours; for the indoor part of the pool everyone got dressed and went upstairs to one of the upstairs buildings where they had pizza (thank goodness pizza! Almost all the kids like it and it’s a relatively healthy fast food) and soda. ; then the girl opened her birthday presents. At our parties we had pizza, chicken fingers, salad and cake for food. The gift bags included pool toys, plus a book and a variety of inexpensive favors such as ornaments and small stuffed animals. The most important point to remember when hosting a pool party, whether it’s a home or pool facility (contact your nearest YMCA or club for indoor pool safety options), is to make sure you can hire enough trained lifeguards! This is an absolute must. Our parties ranged from ten to twelve girls in each party, and we had the convenience of having two guards whose only job was to watch the kids swimming or near the pool.
7. Our oldest daughter’s birthday; We threw out the dance party. We hired a gym at our local community center for a weekend evening and hired a disc driver. At 2 1/2 hours, both boys and girls could dance to the music while being supervised by their parents. We had a buffet of table foods for the kids to use for the evening: pizza, chicken fingers, salad, cheese platters, dips, vegetable dishes, soft drinks, and finally birthday cake. Sometimes we want to dim the lights for slow dances – but not too dark! We were also fortunate that a substantial number of parents stayed to help chaperone. We didn’t have any problems at all with the kids, kids, at that age, it was a hit to invite them to real dances, and my daughter was among the most famous parties. We invited over 60 guests to the evening; when you rent a gym for the night, you can have many guests or more. For a part of this size, you need to hire a really big camera. You could spin your records/CD or have a family friend do it for you to cut costs. Goodie bags stood out from the movie theater because they worked well for both boys and girls of that age. A scaled-down version of this dance party could be held in your home, if you have a base or recreation/family perfect, large enough that the kids can actually dance. I was always struck by mine. Party ideas include taking a group (ten to twelve girls) to a movie, followed by dinner at a nearby restaurant or fast food chain. We once took our girls, plus four guests, to a ‘Broadway’ play in our largest city, Philadelphia, followed by dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant. When my youngest daughter was about five, her birthday party consisted of taking her and ten of her closest friends to a play produced by a local children’s community theater group; then we ate lunch at a nearby kid-friendly restaurant. Everyone seemed to be watching a movie with their friends (an age-appropriate movie, of course!) or watching a play, which was a new experience for a few of our guests. If you limit the number of guests, this can be not only great fun, but also affordable. Check the local newspaper or online listings for free theater productions by local theater groups for ideas; It’s also a great idea to see local high school sports as a group. Feeding them later can be done in a fast food restaurant or a cheap restaurant (Italian, Chinese), which again is a real treat for many guests. One of my daughters was once invited to a museum party where they enjoyed a “private tour” of the museum from a guide, followed by dinner outside. Use your imagination: this kind of party can be quite expensive (one of my girls was once invited to an actual Broadway play; she got a terrible shock in a limousine to NYC!) or as simple as a large local girl group. games or music, followed by either going out from dinner or going back to your house to eat. The number of guests is limited only by imagination and wallet. This type of party provides a new and fresh experience not only for the birthday girl, but also for her girlfriend.
9. When my oldest girl has an October birthday, we had both a Halloween and a hayride/carriage. he faces the parties to it. Our local stable offers both fun Halloween hayrides; Several farms in the area hold pumpkin (or apple, blueberry, corn, cotton, etc.) picking parts as well. For the Haunted Hayride, our host invited over thirty kids in two wagons; they passed through the village, with witches, ghosts, and goblins sweetly frightened to death. (Afterwards, we went out to a local Neapolitan food party.) Pumpkin pie is great fun, especially for younger children; they love to do something new, and whatever item they took to keep (s) they took as well! Goodie bags were either Halloween related or farm animal related. If your child’s birthday is near any major holiday (Christmas, Easter, Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day, April Fool’s Day, Fourth of July), use your imagination to tie in the party with a theme.
10. A girls birthday party can be either amazing or crazy! We were lucky enough to have a complete third floor where most of the parts were made. Girls could invite as many friends as they wanted, up to fifteen guests at each party. I strongly advise you not to offer a dorm room until your daughter is at least nine or ten years old. To coerce the smaller than the babies, and finally bring some miserable camper home to their bed – and their parents – at 2 AM. I learned that, for a successful sleeping party, parents should do the following: Make sure you can sleep comfortably enough for any guest (use spare or guest rooms, an absolute or recreation room, or a third floor complete); make sure it’s close to the bathroom! (We have another full bath on our third floor). Someone is bound to forget his sleeping bag; make sure you have sleeping bags, blankets, disposable blankets, extra blankets, pillows and blankets. PLAN ACTIONS! Otherwise, a girl left to her own devices would be easily pierced. Rip more (not one or two, at least four!) CDs or tapes that are age-appropriate, and hopefully relatively new releases. Games plan: bingo, board games, etc., guests can either play or watch. Give small prizes to the winners. Also look at at least one craft, make bracelets, necklaces, rings, hair accessories yourself, or you can spill it on your clothes or on some dirty floor! They offer food throughout the evening: chips, dips, bowls and plates, apple plates, cheese plates. Later, you want to offer something more solid to the girls. Take a poll: ask each guest what they would like (your choices are simple! pizza, chicken, salad, ethnic food, etc.), and order. Kids love, love, love to eat, especially when someone else is doing the organizing and paying! Don’t start bedtime too early, or you’ll be asking kids who are out of their minds by 8 AM. In fact, 8 PM is a great time (at least for the hosts!) to start the party. Depending on the age of the girls, they should have at least four good hours of crafts, movies, eating, games, etc. before they drift off to sleep. In one of our best sleepers, the goodie bags consisted of (inexpensive yet ‘classy’) sleeper jackets and/or sleeping jackets. In fact, one of the techniques you can use in the evening is to decorate your sleepwear. (Buy large shirts sold in different colors, large men’s, for example, so that the girls can use them as shirts. Other ideas can be found in art stores: shirts, sweatshirts, and all kinds of decorations and pictures for them. That one thing is certain for me, let the parents know where time they pick up their girls, or do you bring them home after breakfast (since you yourself will probably be working three hours or less of sleep, make it easy for yourself by having breakfast in advance: bagels, whole wheat bread, donuts if you need them, muffins, croissants, more milk in with different flavors, juices and jams can be easily arranged in the fridge.
Other parties for girls are endless: afterhours shopping parties in a nice, trendy store or boutique (a term that can be purchased! It’s a lot of fun for girls looking for, buying , funny and trying things), for those who want to give the experience of taking half a dozen or girls shopping together; cooking classes (try local kitchen stores to see if they have types of free cooking and party accommodations), painting or ceramics classes (ask at Check out your local craft store if they offer art, painting lessons or craft and make your own ceramics take your kids parties; this can also be done at home if you have the equipment, space, time and patience), a candy party (one of my younger daughter’s favorites was held at a local mom and pop candy store. where for two hours the girls make different things: lollypops, cookies, etc.). Another disturbing idea for girls’ birthday parties is a trip to the hairdressers: girls are treated to a beauty salon, in which they have their nails done, apply a professional function, and ‘love’ or just wash and dry hairdos (again, this is really. It should be done at the salon, but especially (for younger girls, there’s no reason why you and your two girl-loving friends can’t treat yourself to new gifts, painted nails and light fixtures in your family’s /recreation room/basement yourself.) Salon parties are always popular, too among the most serious girls! And for many of them it will be a primitive experience, for their age. Don’t forget the roller skating party as well! There are many rinks that rent out the entire rink (especially during off seasons) for private roller skating parties. (Having an entire facility, or at least one rink, is the best for you, believe me!) Kids love to skate – or dance on the sidelines – to roller skating music, and it will be more than you think. first experience then. After an hour or an hour and a half, the girls (and boys, if you want to invite them according to the wishes and age of the birthday girl) can enjoy a light bite immediately in the skating food court. they may be limited by the availability of certain resources, such as indoor pools or covered disease facilities; it is one true work that is given with love and a party with the best wishes and wishes of the birthday girl!
