What will we do?
Now that you’ve chosen your party idea and have sent the invitations,
it’s time to plan the party activities. Planning what’s going to happen
and when will help to make your party a success.
Some guests will arrive early. Others will be late. Plan to keep early
arrivals busy for about half an hour before the party is due to start.
You can play games, color, or put puzzles together.
Having a make-and-do party hat table is one of the best ways to fill
this time. Set a table with paper plates and bags, construction paper,
string, yarn, glue, scissors, crayons, and odds and ends. As your guests
arrive, greet them, help them with their coats and hats, and show them
to the make-and- do table. Let each guest make his or her own party hat.
Later, you can all decide who has the prettiest hat, the funniest hat,
and so on.
If you receive presents at your party, everyone will be curious about
what is in the packages. Plan to spend about ten or fifteen minutes
opening presents as soon as all the guests have finished making their
hats, pictures, or puzzles.
Refreshments are an important part of any party. Allow about half an
hour for a meal and twenty minutes for snacks.
Plan to spend the rest of the party playing games (see pages 274-295).
During a two-hour party, you can play about nine games. When you plan
the games, be sure to mix active and quiet games. And be especially sure
to plan a quiet game for just before and after the refreshments.
Whenever you can, try to make the games carry out your party theme. And
although it’s not a game, everyone enjoys hearing a good story read
aloud.
You should write down your party plan and be ready with a few extra
games just in case the party moves more quickly than you thought it
would.
Whenever you plan a going-places party, be sure to purchase tickets and
arrange for transportation well in advance. It’s also a good idea to
arrange for extra grown-up help and to pair off the guests so no one is
left alone or lost during the trip.
Henry’s Fourth Birthday Lunch Party 10:30 to 12:30 10:30 to
11:00 draw and color play with puzzles play with Henry\’s toys 11:00
to 11:15 open gifts 11:15 to 11:45 games
Duck. Duck. Goose London Bridge Egg-Carton Race Treasure Hunt (string
beads) Farmer in the Dell
story
11:45 to 12:15 lunch
12:15 to 12:30
Treasure Hunt (candy) get ready to go home Extra Games: Simon Says. Dog
and Bone Sailboat Race
Katy’s Halloween Party (8 years old)
Afternoon Party 3:00 to 5:30
3:00 to 3:30
Make-and-Do Halloween masks
3:30 to 3:45
guess who\’s behind the masks
judge the masks
3:45 to 4:15
games
Pass the Orange
Pin the Hat on the Witch
Tin-Can Toss
Bingo (use the words, “I met an old
spook who was a witch”)
Bob for Apples
scary story
4:15 to 4:45
refreshments
4:45 to 5:15
trick-or-treat around the block
(grown-up help)
5:15 to 5:30
meet back at Katy\’s to collect prizes and get ready to go home
Al’s Going-Places Party (11 years old)
Afternoon Party 12:00 to 4:30
12:00 to 12:30
open gifts as guests arrive
Make-and-Do name tags (everyone makes a name tag that shows his name and
Al\’s name, address, and telephone number)
12:30 to 1:00
drive to the circus
look for out-of-state license plates
1:00 to 4:00
enjoy the circus refreshments purchased at the circus 4:00 to 4:30
drive home give out favors get ready to go home
