How to Plan a Home Party for a Nine Year Old
Set a budget., Get the invitations., Decorate., Pick different activities., Purchase or buy snacks., Provide some loot bags., Congratulations, and enjoy the party!
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Set a budget.
Give yourself a reasonable budget that includes:
Decorations Food Presents/Loot bags Any rentals Invitation cards And any other costs.
It is important you stick to your budget. -
Step 2: Get the invitations.
Give out handmade or store-bought invitation cards for the party at least 1 week in advance, so the guests can confirm if they can come or not.
If you give cards out last-minute, they may have other plans! Invitation cards should include:
Name (of birthday person) Date Location (where the party is) Time (when the party starts and ends) Contact information (Phone number and email) Make sure you receive their confirmation.
For example, you may kindly ask them on the card to call and confirm their arrival. , Put up your decorations before the day of the party to make sure everything gets done.
Get your child to help you come up with a theme for the party.
Themes include but are not limited to:
Colour themes (e.g. all pink, shades of pink, or neon, etc.) Disney Princess themes Star Wars theme Action figures theme Race car theme After you chose a theme, you must buy the actual decorations, which can include:
Balloons (round, helium, worm-shape, or water) String decorations A birthday sign A piñata (candy-filled or other wrapped-treats) Chain decorations* Pom-pom decorations Sticker decorations Poster decorations Origami decorations (hanging from thread) Cut-out decorations (e.g. you can cut out large paper images and glue them) Chain decorations are made of paper by cutting out rectangular strips of paper and taping them loop by loop.
They are a great space-filler, and they are also fun to make.
They are home-made and you can choose your own colours, according to your theme.
Most of these decorations can be purchased at dollar-stores, and are usually at a favourable price.
Try to include home-made decorations, they aren’t any less special! Remember to buy enough decorations for the amount of space you are using.
Then, put them up.
If you are using multiple rooms for the party, set them up equally, but put up more decorations in the main-room. , Sit down with your child and discuss what they would like to do during the party.
Ask them about:
Movies-(make sure they choose age-appropriate movies.
Movies also usually run for more than an hour, so choose a movie that fits your time schedule).
Games – this can include board games like Bingo (or other games you own/can purchase), or if the weather is suitable, outdoor games like basketball, octopus, tag, dodge-ball etc.
Crafts- e.g.: painting nails, face-painting, frame-making (you can use popsicles, or buy cheap craft frames to decorate), cookie-decorating.
Try to stay away from “drawing competitions”, because not everyone enjoys drawing and it can make others feel excluded.
Do not introduce too many competitions (e.g. singing competitions).
In between games/crafts, they can also have snack intervals to just talk, eat and relax.
Offer them drinks and small snacks to keep them fuelled up.
Before making any final decisions about games/movies/crafts consult with your child.
Ask them if they are comfortable with these choices, and if they think their friends will enjoy it. , Depending on how long the party will last, there should be at least one full meal for the guests + snacks + drinks.
It is your choice whether you want to get cake at the party, or some other dessert.
Snacks can include:
Crackers Chips and Dip Cupcakes Rice Krispies Pretzels Jello Pudding Take into account any allergies the guests may have.
To be safe, get peanut-free snacks. , Loot bags are a way of saying “thank you” for coming to the party.
They are fun to receive, but must be fair and creative.
First, start by gathering what to put in the loot bags.
Most dollar stores have very cute and creative party sections where you can find objects to put in the loot bags.
They may include:
Key chains (e.g. flip-flop key-chains) Stickers Fun rings Cute magnets Decorative pencils/erasers Bright note-books Small race-cars Decorative beads Party hats Mini puzzle games A small plushie (GIRLS) You can also choose to get them other gifts such as :
Creams (e.g.
Bath and Body works) bracelets/necklaces Leg Warmers Mini-purses Other accessories (e.g.
Ardene and Claire’s) Hair clips (BOYS) Some ideas for boy loot-bags:
Small air-craft toys Small toy race-cars Small robot toys You could also choose to put a variety of candy in their loot-bags like:
Candy canes Chocolate coins Kinder surprise eggs Marshmallow Candy Make sure every guest gets an equal amount of gifts in their loot-bag so nobody feels excluded.
Then, put the gifts in individual bags. , -
Step 3: Decorate.
-
Step 4: Pick different activities.
-
Step 5: Purchase or buy snacks.
-
Step 6: Provide some loot bags.
-
Step 7: Congratulations
-
Step 8: and enjoy the party!
Detailed Guide
Give yourself a reasonable budget that includes:
Decorations Food Presents/Loot bags Any rentals Invitation cards And any other costs.
It is important you stick to your budget.
Give out handmade or store-bought invitation cards for the party at least 1 week in advance, so the guests can confirm if they can come or not.
If you give cards out last-minute, they may have other plans! Invitation cards should include:
Name (of birthday person) Date Location (where the party is) Time (when the party starts and ends) Contact information (Phone number and email) Make sure you receive their confirmation.
For example, you may kindly ask them on the card to call and confirm their arrival. , Put up your decorations before the day of the party to make sure everything gets done.
Get your child to help you come up with a theme for the party.
Themes include but are not limited to:
Colour themes (e.g. all pink, shades of pink, or neon, etc.) Disney Princess themes Star Wars theme Action figures theme Race car theme After you chose a theme, you must buy the actual decorations, which can include:
Balloons (round, helium, worm-shape, or water) String decorations A birthday sign A piñata (candy-filled or other wrapped-treats) Chain decorations* Pom-pom decorations Sticker decorations Poster decorations Origami decorations (hanging from thread) Cut-out decorations (e.g. you can cut out large paper images and glue them) Chain decorations are made of paper by cutting out rectangular strips of paper and taping them loop by loop.
They are a great space-filler, and they are also fun to make.
They are home-made and you can choose your own colours, according to your theme.
Most of these decorations can be purchased at dollar-stores, and are usually at a favourable price.
Try to include home-made decorations, they aren’t any less special! Remember to buy enough decorations for the amount of space you are using.
Then, put them up.
If you are using multiple rooms for the party, set them up equally, but put up more decorations in the main-room. , Sit down with your child and discuss what they would like to do during the party.
Ask them about:
Movies-(make sure they choose age-appropriate movies.
Movies also usually run for more than an hour, so choose a movie that fits your time schedule).
Games – this can include board games like Bingo (or other games you own/can purchase), or if the weather is suitable, outdoor games like basketball, octopus, tag, dodge-ball etc.
Crafts- e.g.: painting nails, face-painting, frame-making (you can use popsicles, or buy cheap craft frames to decorate), cookie-decorating.
Try to stay away from “drawing competitions”, because not everyone enjoys drawing and it can make others feel excluded.
Do not introduce too many competitions (e.g. singing competitions).
In between games/crafts, they can also have snack intervals to just talk, eat and relax.
Offer them drinks and small snacks to keep them fuelled up.
Before making any final decisions about games/movies/crafts consult with your child.
Ask them if they are comfortable with these choices, and if they think their friends will enjoy it. , Depending on how long the party will last, there should be at least one full meal for the guests + snacks + drinks.
It is your choice whether you want to get cake at the party, or some other dessert.
Snacks can include:
Crackers Chips and Dip Cupcakes Rice Krispies Pretzels Jello Pudding Take into account any allergies the guests may have.
To be safe, get peanut-free snacks. , Loot bags are a way of saying “thank you” for coming to the party.
They are fun to receive, but must be fair and creative.
First, start by gathering what to put in the loot bags.
Most dollar stores have very cute and creative party sections where you can find objects to put in the loot bags.
They may include:
Key chains (e.g. flip-flop key-chains) Stickers Fun rings Cute magnets Decorative pencils/erasers Bright note-books Small race-cars Decorative beads Party hats Mini puzzle games A small plushie (GIRLS) You can also choose to get them other gifts such as :
Creams (e.g.
Bath and Body works) bracelets/necklaces Leg Warmers Mini-purses Other accessories (e.g.
Ardene and Claire’s) Hair clips (BOYS) Some ideas for boy loot-bags:
Small air-craft toys Small toy race-cars Small robot toys You could also choose to put a variety of candy in their loot-bags like:
Candy canes Chocolate coins Kinder surprise eggs Marshmallow Candy Make sure every guest gets an equal amount of gifts in their loot-bag so nobody feels excluded.
Then, put the gifts in individual bags. ,
About the Author
Rebecca Rodriguez
Writer and educator with a focus on practical practical skills knowledge.
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