When we saw the commercial for High School Musical III this summer with the release date of October 24th, my 9 year old daughter and I simultaneously looked at each other wide-eyed. We slowly smiled at each other, and without saying a word, we knew how we would celebrate her October birthday.
I checked into some local theaters to see what types of party packages they offered. I chose one with a party room that we would have before the movie. With over an hour in the party room before the show, I knew that the girls would need something to occupy their time. I searched the web for party ideas and party favors, keeping in mind the personalities of this group of tweens. I decided to play some games and provide a small gift for the winners. Since I knew weeks in advance how I would structure the party, I used every shopping trip, whether it was for groceries or clothes or household items, to check out the clearance bin for things young girls might like. At some clothing stores, I picked out a couple necklaces and hair bands for less than $1 each. I found HSM notebooks and binders on sale and picked up a few. I found mini journals on the clearance rack and there were enough left to give one to each girl. That would be a perfect party favor – a journal to write about the experience. My daughter and her friends love to write, and I know from their parents that they all keep journals. I was really excited to send each girl home with something meaningful.
I decided on three games centering around High School Musical characters and music, including a Guess the HSM Character, HSM Bingo, freeze dance, and musical chairs. “Guess the Character” is a fun ice-breaker (not that these girls needed it) in which a character’s name is posted on the back of a girl and she has to guess who it is by asking “yes” or “no” questions. For example, if a girl has the character “Gabriella” on her back, she can ask other guests if her character is a boy. Then she can ask if her character is blond. She would get “no” responses for both, and be able to narrow down her line of questioning until she guesses Gabriella. The nice thing about this game is that the girls can ask anyone a question, so they can move around and interact with all the party guests.
For Bingo, I created Bingo cards with the names of all the HSM characters and other trivia (Wildcats, East High, Fabulus, etc.). It was a little labor intensive to make 10 unique cards, so I actually typed 10 names in various squares including a free space and printed off the card. I made 10 copies on different colored paper and then filled in the remaining 15 names in random order. I put all the names on little scraps of paper and put them in a hat. I gave each girl the opportunity to pick a name from the hat and call it out. The girls loved the prizes. They walked around the prize table before the game and saw all the neat things.
We also played Freeze Dance, but not for prizes. The game is so subjective that it seems difficult to pick a winner. Freeze Dance is a game where all the girls dance while the music is playing. We played the soundtrack from High School Musical. When I stop the music, everyone must freeze. The girls get crazier as the game goes on, contorting their body into strange shapes, and when the music stops, they have to hold that position – even if it involves both hands overhead with one leg in the air. Because they have a tendency to call each other out for the tiniest movement, “You wiggled your nose!”, we play for fun and not for prizes.
The last game we had planned was musical chairs. You think tweens are too old for musical chairs? Think again. With the HSM soundtrack, and super competitive girls, the game becomes an extreme sport. Of course, the last girl with a seat wins.
The party was a great success. Keep ‘em moving. Keep ‘em entertained.
For other great places to have a
birthday party check out
kidwinks.com the site to know with kids in tow.
