Boys and girls can be very different creatures, even from a young age. In your daughters and sons, or nieces and nephews, you probably see variations in their preferences and tendencies. If you have a party full of boys, choose some games that their active, sometimes aggressive, personalities will embrace and enjoy.
Boys Will Be Boys
Whether it is innate in their physiology or enforced by society, boys often tend to lean toward more aggression. Give them a set of blocks, and they are unlikely to build a bedroom for their action figures. Instead, they will probably build a city and destroy it. Harness the personality of boys by choosing games with structured rules. Make it clear what is allowed and what is not allowed before the game starts to avoid disastrous consequences.
Keeping It Fair
Boys, just as girls, develop at different rates. Some will be larger and stronger, while others will be smaller and weaker–even at the same age. If your group of boys ranges in size, set up the teams for them, rather than letting them choose them for themselves. Distribute stronger or more agile boys among the groups evenly to keep teams fair. If boys share basically the same skill or makeup, you can let them break into teams by themselves.
Rough It Up
Help the boys run off some energy and express themselves through some rough and tumble games, that may not go over as well with a group of girls. Remind the boys to come in play clothes, when you send out invitations. Football games, that allow tackling or rough play, will go over well, especially with older boys. Younger boys, who may not be aware of their own strength or the sensitivities of others, may benefit from running games, such as tag.
Calm It Down
After a few games that let boys’ energy run loose, you may want to initiate some equally fun, less active games. This serves as a bridge between the crazy, carefree games to the quiet time necessary for eating cake or opening gifts. Choose games that have boys standing in one place and participate, such as a ball or beanbag toss game. This will slow their bodies down. You can also introduce the slower movement, by announcing that they must play the last round of a game, such as tag by walking or crawling.
Differences in Boys
Not all boys are the same, even those who are from the same family. Don’t choose any games that the guest of honor doesn’t like. Even the toughest boys sometimes dislike too much dirt or mud on themselves. Choose games that will make everyone comfortable.
Photo Credit
- boy with birthday gift image by sonya etchison from Fotolia.com
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