I need ideas to keep kids intertained at my daughter 9th birthday coming up. Im being brave and having a slumber party. so i want to keep the girls as busy as possible. i need cheap or free dont want to invest in much. thanks
My older daughter planned the activities for her little sister's slumber party. We got flip flops from Old Navy and stuff from the craft store to decorate them with. This was also their bring home. I was shocked to find out some ten year olds have size 9 feet but I digress. We had pizza and cupcakes. Then brought out the videos. Well we also have a pool but you said inexpensive.
go to birthdaypartyideas.com, fantastic site :)
Other than that, my main advice at this age is to be prepared for tears and drama, as I'm sure there will be some!
Drawing on my own youthful experiences here ...
1. Create your own ice cream sundae with prizes for certain categories (most creative, largest, whatever) -- catch: sundae must be eaten completely to win the prize
2. Decorate your own pillow cases, then use to sleep on (I think we used some sort of colored hot wax? But use whatever you'd like)
3. Bunco! Suuuper fun for this age group w/ rotating tables
4. Flashdance! Instead of musical chairs, music starts, everyone dances wildly, music stops and everyone freezes! Those who don't are out. Last one standing wins
Have fun!
Pull out the board games.. Take them to a pool. Rent some movies, video Games. They will figure out things to do..
Be very clear about the snacks.. so they do not go through your pantry..
Have choices..
Ask what she wants to serve for dinner and then for breakfast.
Veggie tray, fruit tray, popcorn. rice crispie treats.
Lemonade, juice
On the invite give a clear drop off and morning pick up.
going along with the makeover idea, why not have a fashion show?!? The girls will love putting on a show for the rest of each other and maybe even your family. When I was young, we always played games that are good for groups like twister and freeze dance. Chubby Bunny was always a silly game that got everyone laughing. A movie and popcorn to end the evening is a good idea because it forces the girls to relax in the dark and get ready to sleep. You can make a rule that the girls have to lay on their sleeping bags or the movie goes off and it's bedtime for everyone. Board games are a good idea too, but you have to be careful about which ones are played to make sure that it is one that everyone can play (some games are only for 4 players so that leaves some girls out). We used to do scavenger hunts at that age and go door to door in teams looking for a list of random things that the neighbors could part with (empty toilet paper roll, a 2003 penny, a plastic spoon etc.) We used to do this on our own, but in this day and age I would recommend having the teams headed up by adults (maybe mom and dad teams). This is a fun game to do in the dark with flashlights, or the next morning before the parents pick them up.
if you haven't sent the invites out yet make it for like 7pm. then order pizza or make hotdogs or whatever. by the time they eat and watch a movie it is bed time. you can do some scary (but not too scary lol) stories or book and its bedtime. also make sure you put a pick up time on the invite.
I would have a some craft supplies, a movie and popcorn. Other than that, they will be fully entertained. No need to worry, they will be more than happy just to gossip and have lots of time together.
Have them give each other a "makeover"
provide some nail polish, brushes, elastics, barrettes and hair spray, dryer curling iron etc
I would only "schedule" one or two activities - craft project, manicure. The girls will decide what they want to do..
Have 2 or 3 movies available for them to watch. Anymore than that, they'll just keep going back and forth on what to watch. Don't forget the popcorn.
Have music. You'll find the may want to dance or sing.
Have a few group type board games available.
