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| |    Parties for School-Age Children by Penny Warner reviewed by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. Between the ages of six to nine years, children often become true party animals--sometimes it seems as if they have a birthday party to go to every weekend! When it finally comes time for your child's own party, she's likely to have some pretty strong opinions about the event and will want something special that fits her personality, temperament, and interests. At this age, your child is very adept at physical tasks and cognitive skills, so the party games and activities can be more involved and challenging than in previous years. School-age children also tend to be a little more self-conscious, so begin with a quiet game to warm them up, then move on to a couple of active games to use up some of that energy. End with another quiet game to calm the kids down and get them ready for refreshments and opening gifts. Although family is still important to your child, she may have lots of friends that she'll want to include at her party--perhaps even her whole class. Try to keep the numbers down for crowd control--especially if you're having the party at your house--and don't let your child pass out invitations at school, so there won't be any hurt feelings. However, if your child insists that she absolutely can't pare down her guest list or social ruin will ensue, it might be better to plan an event that can easily accommodate a large number of participants, such as a soccer game at a local field or indoor facility, a pool party, renting one of those inflatable jumping gizmos, or a picnic at a park. You also might consider having two celebrations--a special dinner for family and relatives, and a big party for friends. If you decide to throw a party at home, keep in mind that elementary-age children still love theme parties, and having one will give you a focus for decorations, activities, and even the refreshments. Here are some suggestions to help you (and your child--remember that she'll want to be included in the planning) throw a terrific birthday bash: 1. Choose a theme If you choose a theme that matches your child's interests, hobbies, or fantasies, you'll find the party comes together easily. Just use your imagination and you'll soon turn your child's fantasy into reality. Themes that are popular with this age group include:
Once you've chosen your theme, it's a snap to create or buy invitations and decorations to set the right mood. If you're going with a Game Show Party, for instance, draw or use the computer to design invitations that look like audience tickets to a game-show taping and decorate the party room to resemble the set of the show. For the Great Outdoors Party, send the guests granola bars with the party details attached, or design invitations in the shape of canteens or tents made from construction paper. Even if you set up camp in the family room, pitch tents (you can make them out of blankets and clotheslines if you don't have real ones), decorate with plants and posters of forest creatures, and play nature tapes of babbling brooks and whoo'ing owls to lend a woodsy note to the festivities. 3. Plan the games and activities Kids this age love a challenge, so make the games exciting and fun, without being too difficult and frustrating. Your theme is sure to inspire some activities, and you can mix in some traditional favorites as well. Trivia bees on subjects that kids know well, such as storybooks, TV shows and movies, and school subjects, are always popular, or you could create an obstacle course using hula hoops, large cardboard boxes, planks of wood, jump ropes, and backyard play structures. 4. Serve fun and healthy foods The kids will need to refuel frequently at this active age, so keep bowls of snacks available for the kids to munch on whenever they like. Include goodies like popcorn, crackers, cubes of cheese, cut-up fruit, veggie dips, and quartered sandwiches. Have the bakery make a cake that matches the theme, or do it yourself and create a cake that looks like your game-show logo, a huge playing card or magician's hat, or a camping scene. 5. Stock up on favors Once again, let your theme be your guide and keep the spirit of the party going with appropriate favors. You can hand out novelty flashlights or compasses to your intrepid campers, for instance, or give out small trick kits after your magic show. If you can't come up with any theme-based items, go for perennial favorites such as sticker and activity books, craft supplies, humor books, sports equipment, water toys, and fun T-shirts. 6. Don't forget the camera! Take lots of pictures and videos to preserve the memories of this special time, and create a scrapbook or photo album to save the pictures and other mementoes.
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