Party Planning 101: Resources for Planning Your Next Party

Party Planning 101: Resources for Planning Your Next Party

My daughter's birthday is coming up, and we are ready to try something different. Now that she's a tween, she's ready to take over the reigns and plan her own party! Although I've always loved to plan my kids' parties, I must say, I'm excited to see what she'll come up with. She already has several themes bubbling in her head, including games, crafts and more. Of course, I know I won't be completely out of the picture (she'll need me to drive her to buy the supplies, food, etc.), I think this will be a great experience for her.

We're going to give her a budget, and I thought instead of reinventing the wheel, I'd look out on the web for party planning worksheets, tips and more she can use.  Within only a few clicks, I found loads of wonderful free party planning resources just waiting to be printed up. There's pretty much a planning printable for any type of party, from your kid's birthday party to your annual holiday get together.

Below is just a partial list of the resources I've gathered. I've also created a Pinterest board: Party Planning 101 with loads more ideas. Such a wonderful party community on the web-- everyone seems to want to help you get plan the perfect party and have fun! So get ready and start planning.

Party Planning Resources from Around the Web

General Party Planning Worksheets, Checklists and Apps

• Party Planning Worksheets (Checklists, Guest List, Gift Record, etc) from A Pair of Pears
• One Page Party Planning Sheet from Printed Ink
• Let's Boogie - Fun Party Planning Worksheets from ARMommy
• Loads of Party Planning Templates on Tip Junkie
• Detailed Kids Party Planning Guide from Start to Finish on The Momiverse from the Party Pail
• Hosting by the Numbers

Budget Planning for a Party

• Party Budget Printable from Parties for Pennies
• Party Budget Checklist from Confetti Sunshine

Theme Ideas

• *The* List of Party Themes
• List of Holiday Party Themes
• List of Baby Shower Themes
• List of Bridal Shower Themes

Places to have a Party

• List of Places to Have a Party

People to Hire to Help at a Party

• List of People to Hire for your Party

Food Ideas and Amount of Food Needed

• List of Party Foods
• Party Drinks - Planning Guide (for Adult Parties)
• How Much Food to Serve at a Party from Chickabug

Game Ideas for Parties

• List of Traditional Party Games

Winter Wonderland Party: Game Ideas

If you live in snowy place, then your outdoor Winter Wonderland Party game options are plentiful-- there is sledding, snowball fight, snow fort building and so much more... but undoubtedly the day of your party, there may not be any fresh new snow... or you may live somewhere where snow doesn't even fall. No worries, there are plenty of indoor game ideas to ensure a wintry good time! Here are some of them:

Freeze Dance
This is a classic game, and although it's great year round, it's name is very appropriate for a Winter Wonderland party. To make it more wintry, play "winter time" music. Here are some winter music ideas:

• Holiday Songs about winter like, Let it Snow and Winter Wonderland
• Indy Rock Winter Songs Playlist
• Classic Rock Winter Songs

After you have your playlist ready... just turn on the music and let the crowd dance. Once the music stops, everyone must freeze. First to move is out... Keep going until one dancer is left.

Blizzard Relay (Indoor)
Divide the party into 2 teams. Have a "race course" route-- say, down the hall, into a bedroom and back. Give each team 20 cotton balls ("snowballs"). For each person's turn, he/she must place the cotton balls on a paper plate, and walk through the course, then pass the cotton/snow balls to the next team mate. First team to finish wins. This can also be done with 10-15 rolled up socks.... The more stuff to carry, the harder this becomes.

Cold Feet
Gather all those single socks, and add a few pairs in as well. This is a game to see how many socks one can put on in a minute. Make sure to take pictures when many socks are being worn!

Winter Suitcase Relay
Divide the party into 2 teams. Fill 2 bags or "suitcases" full of winter clothes, give a suitcase to each team.  Include items like snowpants, hat, goggles, ear muffs, mittens, winter socks, boots, jackets, long underwear and more. Create a course in your house, say, down a hall, into a room and back. For each person's turn, he/she must put on all the clothes and items in the suitcase, and walk through the course, then take them off. The next person does the same thing. This repeats until all team members have gone. First team to finish wins.

Football, Tailgate or Big Game Party: Art Activity and Game Ideas

Football Saturday (and Sunday) is just around the corner... here are more Football party ideas-- some great arts and craft activities and game ideas for your affair!

Arts and Crafts Ideas for your Football Party

These art activity ideas are great for a big game party at home, or if little ones will be at your tailgate party, consider bringing a small folding table and setting out these activities for some pre-game fun.

Make Your Own Pennant

You can cut pennant shapes from poster board

or buy pre-cut pennants online. Set these out

with crayons or markers and make some colorful

pennants to root for your team! Below are some

online options for buying pre-cut pennants:

• Canvas Pennants
• Paper Pennants
• Felt Pennants

Make “Green” Cheerleading Pom Pons

Girls will love this activity and be even more excited when they are done... they can cheer on their team in style. Best of all, this is a great craft using recycled materials.

• Empty your plastic bag bin, and if need be, ask friends and neighbors for their extra plastic bags.
• Sort the bags into colors if you’d like, then cut into 1” wide strips.
• Lay the plastic bag strips, several 15” pieces of cut string, and colorful electric tape on a table for kids to assemble their own pom pons.
• To make the pom pons, have kids gather a bunch of plastic bag strips together
• Tie the bunch together in the the center.
• Now, fold the bunch in half and bound the folded edge with colorful electric tape.
• Make sure to leave the extra string hanging loose.
• Tie the extra string in a loop, so kids can wrap around hands to be held.

Now let, the cheering begin!

Face Paint in the Team Colors

Hire a professional face painter, or perhaps just your local teenage

babysitter for some face painting fun. Print out some college

logo and mascot examples as well as NFL logo examples for

helpful guides.

Football Coloring Pages

Check out your team’s website and search for “coloring pages”

to see if you can find any art pages for kids to embellish.

Here are some examples:

• NFL Coloring Pages

Game Ideas for your Football Party

Of course, watching the game is the main attraction of this party, but perhaps you have a large crowd coming or want some half time entertainment ideas... here are some game ideas for your next Football Party:

A “Friendly” Game of Flag/Touch Football

This scene has been played out in many movies and TV shows! Do you remember the scene in the Big Chill when the old friends head out at half time to play ball? How about the hilarious Friends Thanksgiving episode where they play a “friendly” game while the turkey cooks!

Now it’s time for you to have some “friendly” competition at your party with a little scrimmage. Pick up some flag football supplies and find a humorous trophy for the winning team. All will remember the fun!

Football Trivia Game

Print up some of your favorite football trivia questions and quiz your friends of their knowledge during half time. Offer a prize to the winner like tickets to another game, a football jersey, or even just a gift card to the local coffee shop. Here are search results for football trivia questions:

• Football Trivia Questions

Cheerleaders Unite

Are some of your party goers not interested in the scrimmage, but would rather cheer from the sidelines? Put those “Green” pom pons (from the Art Activity section above) to use and make up some cheerleader routines! The funnier and sillier, the better! Here are some websites with some basic cheers:

• Basic Cheer Moves
• Basic Cheerleading Jumps
• Some Cheerleading Yells and Chants

Sing the Cheer Song

Show your team spirit and gather the crowd to sing the cheer song loud and clear! Make sure to look up the words on the college/teams website, so you get it right! Here are some sample College Team Fight Songs (note, some teams have recently moved divisions, so you may need to click the old division to find your team):

• PAC 10 Fight Songs
• Big 10 Fight Songs
• Big 12 Fight Songs
• and more...

Circus Photo Booth: Party Game

My Friend Mindy and I in the Circus Time Photo Booth

I'm sure by now you've seen the many creative "photo booth" ideas that folks have set up for parties... I just love it! A couple months ago, I had a party to host at my kids' school. It was a circus theme to thank all the hard working volunteers. I thought a photo booth was definitely in order for some fun and amusement! Although my pictures are of adults, the kids that attended, loved the booth as well!

Here's what I did to create it...

A Vase filled with Circus Photo Booth Props: Mustaches, Nose, and Smiles

Prop Materials:
Black Foam Core Board
White Foam Core Board
Dowel Sticks
Markers
Tape

Photo Booth Materials:
Plastic Table Cloth with polka dots (this of course, can be fabric)
Circus Flags
"Photos" banner made of card stock and strung with ribbon

I did not use any templates for the props, just drew freehand some mustache shapes in pencil on the black foam core, and some clown smiles (and frowns) on the white foam core. After I colored the smiles/frowns, I cut out all the shapes with a straight edge razor. I could have glued the dowel to the shape, but since I was pinched for time, I simply taped the shape to the dowel... and voila, my props were made!

Friends at the Photo Booth

For the photo booth, I hung a festive polka dot table cloth against a wall, and hung some pendants and banners. I also added the clown hat and bow tie to the mix for props.

Hamming it up!

As you can tell, the booth was a hit!

This is such a great way for kids to have fun at a party, and they'll love the picture afterward. Perhaps near your photo booth, add a mirror or two for the kids to see themselves... they'll get such a kick out of it!

I'd love to hear about your photo booth ideas. Please share your links!

Party Game: Red Light, Green Light Version 2.0

It seems like all kids love a good game of Red Light, Green Light. Just over spring break, a range of kids 5-16 were playing it and having a ball. So, why a version 2.0? Well, there's nothing wrong with the original version, but sometimes the kids can get a little bored... So to add some twist and keep the game going a bit longer, here are my suggestions for Red Light, Green Light Version 2.0!

We all know the original version goes as simply as-- green light means go, and red light means stop. Usually it's running when the light is green.. and trying to stop when the light is red. For version 2.0 we're gonna add a few more options to add some spice...

• Assign different colors to different players, so when purple light is called, just the purple player can go. Another similar option is to call out groups to go by age. So, "All 4 year olds go..." "All 2 year olds go..." (This helps younger players stay in the action.)
• Instead of running when the light is green, how about different modes of transportation per game. For instance, have the kids skip, hop, hop on one foot, crawl, do jumping jacks, squats/lunges, tip toe, etc. Make the whole game, until one person tags the light, that mode of transportation.
• Add "traffic" obstacles to get in the way of the light/person who's it. Depending on where you're playing, could be patio chairs, cones, even trees if you have them!
• Add a "yellow light" option as something to call out. On "yellow light" the kids must go in sllllooooowww motion! The more exaggerated the slow motion, the better!
• Add a "Police!" option to call out. When "Police!" is called, everyone must go backwards.
• Act like an animal... instead of running, have the kids be an animal to get to the light... so, "Green light doggies..." and they have to run like a dog and bark! Could make a great video to show at the end of the party!

Now off to play, enjoy!

Party of the Month: Sugarplum Holiday Dessert Party

I have so many party ideas, that I thought I'd create a monthly blog post called "Party of the Month". Each month I'll be highlighting a bnute productions party kit, and giving ideas for decorations, food, arts and crafts, entertainment, goodie bags and more! I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas as well, so make sure to comment!

The Party - December 2009

Sugarplum Holiday Dessert Party

Whether it be a holiday dessert party or just a holiday sugarfest, your guests will love this party theme. bnute productions offers all the basics you'll need, invitations, banners and more... but below are more ideas to make this a sweet holiday gathering!

Decoration Ideas

Besides a festive personalized Sugarplum Banner, to make this party sparkle, you'll need to create a candy fairy land. Keep your main color palette simple by using lots of turquoise, reds and whites, then add accents here and there of other bright candy colors. Online many candy decorations can be found (i.e., lifesaver garland, large candies, oversized candy canes), but here are some simple directions below to making your own large lollipops like pictured above.

Large Lollipops

An old wrapping paper tube, some color poster board, a ribbon, some glitter and clear cellophane is all you need to make a sparkling oversized lollipop or two. Cut 2 circles from the colored poster board. Add glitter and decorations if desired. Tape or glue each circle to either side of the top end of the wrapping paper tube. Now wrap the lollipop with cellophane and tie with a ribbon.

More Decoration Ideas

With the extra color poster board, make large candy shapes (peppermints, gumdrops, etc.) and add lots of glitter. Then punch a hole in the top, string and hang from the ceiling. Make sure to also scatter filled candy jars throughout the house for easy access to nibbling!

For more Candy Decoration How-To's, see:

HGTV Hard Candy Decorations

How to Make Giant Candy Decoration Ideas

Food & Drink Ideas

The menu for A Sugarplum Dessert Party is a pretty simple... just serve lots and lots of yummy holiday desserts-- cookies, fudge, brownies, cakes, etc. Don't forget to make sure there is lots of jars full of candies too-- chocolates, gumdrops, peppermints, and ribbon candy too! For drinks, offer some hot cocoa, flavored milks (chocolate, strawberry, vanilla), and coffee. Don't forget eggnog-- this is the best (and only) time of year to indulge in this creamy drink!

Art & Craft Ideas

Candy Garland Project

Yes, you can buy candy garland, but why not set up a table and have folks make their own... Making candy garland is simple. Buy several bags of peppermints or candies that have wrappers. Simply staple the wrappers end to end... or for a bit more festivity, tie the ends of 2 candies with ribbon.

Make it easy for your guests and have baskets filled with candies (one color per basket) as well as set out a basket of pre-cut ribbon. The ribbons should be cut to approximately 7" long.

Game Ideas

Candyland

Of course you have to had a Candyland board game set up... Why not a couple games set out.... it's great for kids, and nostalgic for folks who haven't played it in awhile!

Hansel and Gretel Hunt

Another idea... lay out a trail of candy, and at the end, have a prize. You could lay out several trails, each trail using a different candy. Depending on the kids ages, make the trails difficult by making the kids hunt for the candies along the way.

Treats & Goodie Bags

Well, this party is one big treat to begin with, so further explanation isn't necessary... but for a goodie bag, why not give each guest a small cellophane bag, and have them gather candies from your assorted jars around the house to take home.

Another idea... how about a book for each child. "Twas the Night Before Christmas" would be a perfect fit, given the Sugarplum reference in the poem!

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Enjoy these ideas, and have a sweet and wonderful party!

Halloween Party Game Ideas

Your Halloween Party is coming up any day now... How on earth are you going to entertain a bunch of hyped up, sugared-filled kids? A Halloween game or 2, of course!! So, here it goes...

Best Scream Contest

OK, so for this game you need a lot of patience, and perhaps and ear plug or 2, but I'm sure the kids will love it. First off, describe different types of screams to the kids, so you don't just get the loudest shout they can manage. Here are some good descriptions for different screams:

1. The I'm-in-the-shower-when-someone-scares-me Scream

2. The it's-the-biggest-spider-I've-ever-seen Scream

3. The I-can't-be-loud-because-I'm-being-chased-by-a-man-eating-zombie Scream

4. The I've-just-entered-into-Frankenstein's-lap-and-his-head-is-open Scream

Now that you've given the kids some ideas... have them line up, give them a number, and let 'er rip! For awards, give them descriptions like above for their signature scream.

Monster Mash Freeze Dance

This is an old favorite-- freeze dance-- but now play it to your favorite Halloween tune. Monster Mash is a good one! The directions are simple. Have all the kids get into the middle of a big room or open space. Tell them they need to continue to dance until the music gets turned off. If they move when it's off, then they're out. For an award, you can give them a mummy oscar statue for best performance (take an old Barbie and wrap it in gauze bandage.)

Costume Awards Show

Instead of just "scariest costume" or "funniest", try to think of unique and creative categories! For instance, best costume for "Who You Would Not Want to Meet in a Dark Alley." Here's some more:

"Most Believable Costume"

"Goriest Costume"

"Most Likely to Be Put in Jail"

"Costume Most Likely to Win an Oscar"

etc.

For the awards, you can make a mummy Barbie (like mentioned above), or pick up one of these Skeleton Award Trophies at buycostumes.com.

Would love to find out what your favorite Halloween party game is!

P.S., If ya like the artwork here, be sure to check out my Spooky Halloween party invites and Spooky banner... both are posted on etsy store.

Oktoberfest Game Idea

Last year around this time our family had a great Oktoberfest party. Above are the place cards I made for the table. I loved trying to feebily translate each of our names into more of a Germanic version... Fortunately for some, their names were of German origin, so they didn't get mangled!

The party had all ages-- from 4-74, so I knew coming up with a game was a must to entertain! This game below, was a hit! Tears were definitely shed when it was time to come inside and eat.... although the adults sure liked taking the break to enjoy the variety of beers being served. So here it goes.... a must-do Oktoberfest game:

Oktoberfest Beer Garden Relay

Supplies:

2 pitchers (plastic preferably)

4 mugs (plastic preferably)

Create 2 teams, and set up a relay course. Put some obstacles in the course, like a chairs, waste basket, table, etc.

On the starting end of the course, put the 2 pitchers filled with water.

Line the teams up, and hand the first "runner" 2 empty mugs for each hand.

Each runner needs to fill up his/her mugs (from the pitcher with water), run through the course, not spilling water, around the obstacles, and back to the start. He/She empties her mugs back into the pitcher and hands her mugs to the next person to start over.

The team who finishes first wins!

Have fun, and try to stay dry! :)

County Fair Games for Your Party

And They're Off....

We love going to a fair! And the kids just love the games. The bummer is, Mom and Dad shell out so much money, and the kids barely ever win! Occasionally they get a consolation prize. You know the ones... those cheap stuffed animals that lasts all of a half day before it's newness is gone, and it is discarded in the pile of all other junk toys...

So, instead of shelling out the money at the fair, why not play the games at home! Below I've outlined some great carnival/fair style games that are perfect for a party, or any day!

Aren't They Cuuute??

Ducky Ring Toss

Object of the Game: To have your ring land around a duck in the water.

1. Buy a bunch of rubber duckies. Check out Oriental Trading and search for "toy rubber ducks" to find all sorts of styles. Also purchase an inexpensive ring toss game or two, so you can have some rings to use to throw around the ducks. (The rings can come in handy for other Carnival games as well.)

2. Once the ducks arrive, write on the bottom of them a number from 1-3.

3. Fill up the kiddie pool with lots of water.

4. Put all the ducks in the pool. The more the merrier.

5. Create 3 bins of prizes, labeled 1, 2, and 3. Note: The prizes can be anything you'd like... a toy, a stick of gum, a sticker, a box of raisins... use your imagination!

6. Have kids toss rings around the ducks. When a ring is around the duck, pick up the duck to see the number on the bottom, and let the child select the appropriate prize!

Penny Toss

Object of the Game: To have a penny land on a plate and not fall off.

1. Pull out all your pots and pans and arrange them upside down (bottoms up) together in group on your lawn. Ideally you want your pots and pans to be of different heights.

2. Cover them up with a plain sheet. Smooth the sheet so the surface is even.

3. Place plates (of different sizes) on the bottoms of the pots and pans.

4. Create some type of line where children can stand to throw the pennies.

5. Once a child's penny lands on a plate, give them the penny as a prize!

Knock the Bottles

Object of the Game: To knock down as many bottles as possible on one toss.

1. You have 2 easy choices for setting up this game...

a. buy a prepackaged set up for this game (for instance, Oriental Trading has a Milk Bottle Toss game...)

b. Or make it your self at home...

2. To make it at home Gather up 6-9 plastic soda bottles (look for bottles with very wide caps/mouths, so they can be stacked easily). Clean out, and preferably remove the label, so they are all the same.

3. Find a wiffle ball, bean bag, or some other light ball.

4. Set up the bottles in a pyramid and let the kids at it!

Hopefully some of these games will inspire you to throw your own carnival at home! In future posts, I'll make sure to write up some more!

Good Luck!