Throw a Party!
By Cara, age 13, California
Summer brings many opportunities to bring everybody together. So why not throw a rockin' party? Everyone loves 'em! I decided I wanted to be "Le guide" to doing just that! So please allow me share with you a few ideas for throwing an awesome, rockin', bangin', bustin' partayy!
Music
Call up a few people and ask them who their favorite bands and singers are. Call up both guys and girls, so your music mix will be more balanced.
Games & Activities
At most parties I've gone to, the kids didn't really want to play games - they wanted to dance. The problem was that the games were more for 8 year olds than 13 year olds. So I dug up some good games that teens, including myself, would enjoy. :]Truth, Truth, and Lie
In order to play this game you'll need index cards and a pencil for each player. There needs to be at least 4 players. Each player needs to write his or her name on a piece of paper. They then need to write three things about themselves. Two things need to be true and one should be false. The players then exchange cards with each other and try to guess which one is false. This game is a really good ice breaker.
Karaoke
If you have a karaoke machine, then by all means USE IT!!! But don't bring it out till everybody seems to be comfortable around each other. Chances are everybody will be to afraid to sing if they are not yet comfortable.
Nobody is EVER too old for Pin the Tail on the Donkey! Get creative and make your own poster with any item that you can pin something on, such as pin the heel on the shoe, or pin the cherry on the ice cream.
Numbers
Line up six people in a row. The first person at the beginning of the line will be called number 1, the second number 2, and so on. Number 1 needs to call out any number ranging between 2 and 6. If number 1 calls out 5, then number 5 would have to call out another number. If 5 calls out a number that isn't even in the game, like 8, then number 5 would be disqualified. If number 5 hesitates before calling out a number, then 5 would be disqualified. Another person would then join the game becoming number 6, not taking the place of number 5. (Number 6 would take 5's place.)
Food
You should go to your friends for this as well. Get a list of foods and drinks they would like to have at the party. Try to have drinks that come in cans or bottles. Guests can be very wasteful with cups, and big bottles of soda are not exactly pleasant to clean in the middle of a party. Be sure to keep markers and pens around so that your guests can mark which can is theirs.
Parents
Most kids don't feel comfortable dancing or doing just about anything if they are being supervised by an adult they don't know very well. Try to get your parents to stay in a separate room. If guests' parents need to talk to your parents, it's always good to meet their requests. They shouldn't be completely isolated, but should stay in the kitchen or living room.Keepsake
A sign-in clipboard would make for a great keepsake for you. You could pass it around the party and have people add their names and comments.
Seating
Make sure there are lots of seats for guests to sit in. Provide as much of a clean and comfortable atmosphere as possible.Theme
If you would like, work with friends to create a theme. You can work together to make decorations. Here are some ideas:A Night in Paris
For this one, it's all about the pink lighting. If
you can get strings of pink lights, and put them around the room, that
would work! Hand drawn pictures of the Eiffel Tower on the walls would
be good decorations. You might be able to get some little French flags
from a party store, and maybe find a poster of Paris or a cafe where
they sell posters. Think of the many ways you can put your color printer
to good use. As hostess, consider wearing a French beret and horizontal
striped top, and cutting up fresh French bakery bread and various cheeses.
Summer
Of course, there is also the summer theme! Decorations
consisting of clouds, suns, and flowers are very, very cute! Streamers
that match the colors of the other decorations work too! And what better
way to represent summer than with a lemonade stand?! Put up pictures of
cute lemons, glasses of lemonade, and banners that say "Lemonade 5
cents!" You can also get pink and yellow streamers to match!
Costume Party
You might want to avoid this. At most costume parties
I've gone to, some kids dressed up and others didn't. That created
groups. The kids in costume hung out with other kids in costume, and
kids who didn't dress up hung out with the kids who didn't dress up, so
as not to feel different or weird.
Finally, the trash issue. Keep trash bins in all corners of the room if possible. You don't want people trashing your party, do you?
Thanks for stopping by! Hope your party rocks!
Love and peace,Cara