Many moms struggle to find activities that are youthful enough for their 10 year olds without being overly childish. Children in this age group are often difficult to please as they fall into the category of early pre-teen and, as such, are in the midst of a challenging transition. To ensure that your 10 year old has a party to remember, focus on crafting an event that appeals to her specific interests and provides a plethora of diversions for her and her guests to partake in.
Many moms struggle to find activities that are youthful enough for their 10 year olds without being overly childish. Children in this age group are often difficult to please as they fall into the category of early pre-teen and, as such, are in the midst of a challenging transition. To ensure that your 10 year old has a party to remember, focus on crafting an event that appeals to her specific interests and provides a plethora of diversions for her and her guests to partake in.
Theme Selection
Set your party planning off on the right foot by selecting a dominant theme for your event. To ensure that your party is representative of your 10 year old’s interests, select a theme that fits in with the current fads and appeals specifically to your kiddo. Instead of blindly grabbing at themes in the dark, ask your child to create a list of movies, TV shows or musical groups that he currently enjoys. Work with your birthday boy to select a theme from the list of interests he creates. By doing this, you both ensure that he enjoys the theme and allow him to take ownership of the party-planning process.
Energy-Burning Games
Keeping 10 year olds engaged for long periods of time can be a challenge. Keep your likely-high-energy guests entertained throughout the event with a plethora of games. Keep it simple by going with some classics, such as Twister, which allows your guests to burn off energy while competing against their peers in a body-twisting challenge. Or prepare more original games such as a scavenger hunt in which you send your guests out into a set area and challenge them to gather items from a list. Consider preparing a zany relay race by setting up mess-producing stations around your yard and asking teams to move through these stations and complete off-the-wall challenges. These creative game options are a bit more mature than the standard Pin the Tail on the Donkey, making them more appropriate for your 10-year-old guests than some more juvenile party game options.
Fun Food Option
Pleasing a 10 year old’s palate does not require the preparation of an assortment of fine foods. To make your party food extraordinary, don’t focus on the quality of the food you present, but instead of the variety. Set up a table full of assorted snack foods. Your party guests, who may still be picky eaters, will likely delight in selecting their favorites off of this buffet of chips, cookies and candies, and you will delight in not having to spend the entire party in the kitchen preparing canapes. If you want to present your party guests with more substantial food options, give them some finger sandwiches, chicken tenders or mini corn dogs. These foods are more filling but still perfect for on-the-go party guests.
Power of Ten
Keep the concept of 10 present throughout your party to remind guests as well as the party girl herself of the reason for the bash. Place confetti cut into “10” shapes around the space. Select and hang a banner that contains the number 10. To make the all-important numeral even more present, and add to the fun, turn the task of finding 10s into a game by preparing a hidden 10s challenge. Prior to the party, write the number 10 on index cards and hide them around the party space. Tell guests to bring any of these hidden 10 cards that they find up to you and trade them in for a prize.
Focus on Favors
At party’s end, thank your guests for their attendance by presenting them with favors. Ten year olds are often not thrilled by some of the smaller trinkets presented to younger party goers. Instead of giving your guests a baggie full of goodies, invest in one fancier favor, such as an inflatable guitar, beaded necklace or pair of sunglasses. These more sizable favors will likely be appreciated by your nearly pre-teen party guests more than a set of party nick-knacks would be.
