The difference between planning for the very young daughter and
the tween daughter would be the sophistication of the event; the theme
would essentially be the same. You've developed some creative ideas,
that all sounds terrific, but will they work? I mentioned in my lead-in
that your young daughter has possibly enjoyed an occasional sleepover,
so let's assume that she and ten of her friends are tight-knit enough to
enjoy having a themed party centered around a Hawaiian Luau, for
instance. The tween version of your daughter will no doubt qualify. You
can call it "Emma's" Birthday Luau and invite all her friends to arrive
in bathing suits. Whether you have a pool or not, the girls can still
enjoy a summer backyard party dressed in bathing suits. If you happen to
live on the water and have your backyard on the sand, you're closer to
really looking like everything is taking place in the islands. You can
also make the birthday girl feel extra special with a huge Happy
Birthday banner or one that says: "Aloha Emma".
But calling it a luau and pretending that it's a luau requires some advanced planning in setting the scene. No Hawaiian setting would be complete unless you have palm trees dotting the landscape. Those are easy enough to get if you locate a party store online that sells simple blowup palms retailing for about $15-20 apiece, or you can locate a theatrical prop supplier that can furnish much
more elaborate trees that look somewhat like the real thing. Depending upon which level of realism you select, this faux foliage can sell anywhere from $50 to $200 each. I tend to go for a better blowup model, that if used in some abundance, can set the mood very nicely. After all, this is a pretend location and children's imaginations are what will keep this party alive, and I'm sure you want to maintain some reasonable budget restrictions.
So let's say that you have palm trees all over your yard and you have authentic hula music playing in the background, along with some faux tiki torches, totems, and foam surf boards scattered about to set the scene. I would say that you now have a reasonable Hawaiian backdrop ready to accept the arrival of "Emma's" guests. Each individual upon arrival would get an ornate flowered lei, (maybe a plastic ukulele) and a tall cup of Hawaiian Punch with a big straw sticking out of it, to immediately put everyone into the party mood.
What everybody is going to do for the next couple of hours, which is usually how long the average party lasts, should be your next area of concern. Here are some ideas for that. As long as the party music keeps reminding them that they're in Hawaii, why not have them don hula skirts over their bathing suits and get some group instruction on how to perform this fun, Hawaiian mainstay. A group of ten young hula "students" trying to hula while playing a ukulele could make for some sensational and funny videos and photos, not to mention the fun it will create when everyone tries to coordinate the moves. If one or more of the less introverted girls decide they want to get out front and show everybody how it should be done, then that in itself would contribute even more to the fun.
With the girls in a happy and festive mood, you can keep things interesting with a table set up to give everyone some creative face painting. Every child loves to have their face painted and it also happens to be one of the most requested activities at children's parties. Make certain that you get paints that are hypoallergenic and dermatologist tested and approved. Face painting is an art and requires a lot of practice, so make certain you get online to get instructions on how to do it properly and what supplies you'll need to make it all happen. Again, take pictures of all your handiwork. Girls love to have photos to take away as mementos of a fun day at their friend's party. But unless you have some assistance at this party, you're going to have your hands full taking pictures and videos and keeping ten girls interested and organized. The reason I mention assistance is because I'm suggesting that while someone is taking care of the music and any refreshments you might have, and another is doing the face painting, that you have someone else assisting everyone with a craft once each girl has been painted. In this way, there's never any down time for them to become bored, and you can keep the pace solidly upbeat, fast moving, and exciting for the birthday girl and her guests.
For a craft, you might want to come up with something that each child can take home with them at the end of the party. This might be a picture frame that they can paint and/or decorate with shells, for instance, by gluing them to all four sides of the frame in their own artistic fashion. If you have a digital camera, you can go around taking pictures of each girl's painted face and print it out for them to insert in their frame. It's usually met with a great deal of fun and excitement. Whew, are we done yet? Nobody said this was easy, but it sure can turn out to be one of your daughter's most memorable days. So let me run down a few more ideas for you to add even more to the festivities. You can, at some point, switch away from Hawaiian music and switch their attention to their collective "favorites". You can put together your own mix on a CD, weeks in advance (with the help of your daughter), then introduce it at this point in the party. This is perfect timing, because everyone will have had their faces painted and the crafts have been completed. It can serve as your countdown to the cake by adding a dance contest and giving everyone a "prize" for competing and then declaring the contest a tie. Then, with the music still on, and the cake being enjoyed, this could be the perfect wind down before everyone is told that the party is coming to an end once everyone is finished and the cake is removed. And just like in a movie, the perfect ending would be a happy birthday song as backdrop while all the guests gather their take-home goodies and say their farewells to the birthday girl.
But calling it a luau and pretending that it's a luau requires some advanced planning in setting the scene. No Hawaiian setting would be complete unless you have palm trees dotting the landscape. Those are easy enough to get if you locate a party store online that sells simple blowup palms retailing for about $15-20 apiece, or you can locate a theatrical prop supplier that can furnish much
more elaborate trees that look somewhat like the real thing. Depending upon which level of realism you select, this faux foliage can sell anywhere from $50 to $200 each. I tend to go for a better blowup model, that if used in some abundance, can set the mood very nicely. After all, this is a pretend location and children's imaginations are what will keep this party alive, and I'm sure you want to maintain some reasonable budget restrictions.
So let's say that you have palm trees all over your yard and you have authentic hula music playing in the background, along with some faux tiki torches, totems, and foam surf boards scattered about to set the scene. I would say that you now have a reasonable Hawaiian backdrop ready to accept the arrival of "Emma's" guests. Each individual upon arrival would get an ornate flowered lei, (maybe a plastic ukulele) and a tall cup of Hawaiian Punch with a big straw sticking out of it, to immediately put everyone into the party mood.
What everybody is going to do for the next couple of hours, which is usually how long the average party lasts, should be your next area of concern. Here are some ideas for that. As long as the party music keeps reminding them that they're in Hawaii, why not have them don hula skirts over their bathing suits and get some group instruction on how to perform this fun, Hawaiian mainstay. A group of ten young hula "students" trying to hula while playing a ukulele could make for some sensational and funny videos and photos, not to mention the fun it will create when everyone tries to coordinate the moves. If one or more of the less introverted girls decide they want to get out front and show everybody how it should be done, then that in itself would contribute even more to the fun.
With the girls in a happy and festive mood, you can keep things interesting with a table set up to give everyone some creative face painting. Every child loves to have their face painted and it also happens to be one of the most requested activities at children's parties. Make certain that you get paints that are hypoallergenic and dermatologist tested and approved. Face painting is an art and requires a lot of practice, so make certain you get online to get instructions on how to do it properly and what supplies you'll need to make it all happen. Again, take pictures of all your handiwork. Girls love to have photos to take away as mementos of a fun day at their friend's party. But unless you have some assistance at this party, you're going to have your hands full taking pictures and videos and keeping ten girls interested and organized. The reason I mention assistance is because I'm suggesting that while someone is taking care of the music and any refreshments you might have, and another is doing the face painting, that you have someone else assisting everyone with a craft once each girl has been painted. In this way, there's never any down time for them to become bored, and you can keep the pace solidly upbeat, fast moving, and exciting for the birthday girl and her guests.
For a craft, you might want to come up with something that each child can take home with them at the end of the party. This might be a picture frame that they can paint and/or decorate with shells, for instance, by gluing them to all four sides of the frame in their own artistic fashion. If you have a digital camera, you can go around taking pictures of each girl's painted face and print it out for them to insert in their frame. It's usually met with a great deal of fun and excitement. Whew, are we done yet? Nobody said this was easy, but it sure can turn out to be one of your daughter's most memorable days. So let me run down a few more ideas for you to add even more to the festivities. You can, at some point, switch away from Hawaiian music and switch their attention to their collective "favorites". You can put together your own mix on a CD, weeks in advance (with the help of your daughter), then introduce it at this point in the party. This is perfect timing, because everyone will have had their faces painted and the crafts have been completed. It can serve as your countdown to the cake by adding a dance contest and giving everyone a "prize" for competing and then declaring the contest a tie. Then, with the music still on, and the cake being enjoyed, this could be the perfect wind down before everyone is told that the party is coming to an end once everyone is finished and the cake is removed. And just like in a movie, the perfect ending would be a happy birthday song as backdrop while all the guests gather their take-home goodies and say their farewells to the birthday girl.