Putting Together Party Games For Girls - Things to Think About

Deciding on which party games to play is dependant on a number of factors:

- whether boys are attending

- how big the group is

- whether there is a theme

- what the attendees want to do

When deciding whether boys can come, you might want to bear in mind that girls are sometimes withdrawn when boys are around.

In addition, because girls typically mature quicker than boys, girls may prefer games which are more restrained and less physically gruelling! Naturally, this depends on which girls are coming, because many of them may prefer activity games to sitting quietly, and whether the main girl wants boys to be invited!

A good idea would be to ask the birthday girl, if it's a birthday party, what types of party games for girls she would like to be seen played and whether any of her friends have any ideas about what games they would like to play. That will certainly give you some inspiration.

Smaller groups of girls are likely to know each other already, but for bigger groups it may be a good idea to include some icebreaker party games during the course of the party to get the party started and give them an opportunity to get to know each other. Indoor party games are more suitable for smaller groups, whereas outdoor party games are better for large groups. Treasure hunt games can be played both inside and outside. This is also true of hide and seek and all the traditional party games.

Where there is a theme to the party, it will have an effect on what games can be enjoyed. There may be additional games that spring to mind for a particular theme, e.g. 'the hidden teddy bear' for a teddy bear picnic theme or 'find the madhatter' for a tea party theme. However, regardless of the theme, it's a good plan to involve the girls in making the decisions for what games they want to be played and then getting them to work out how the rules of the game can be changed to suit the theme of the party.

A key point to remember is that the success of the party games will depend on whether the children enjoy each other's company and have a great time. Involving the children in determining the games will help ensure that anyone who's not enjoying themselves has an opportunity to suggest a game they would like to play and therefore engage with.

A top tip for ensuring the party runs like clockwork is to organize the games before the day of the party. Some of the best games have been where the attendees were notified in advance of the party, and been asked to bring food suitable to the theme, wear fancydress or create a character that they will be during the party. This is a great way of involving people and making them look forward to the party even before it arrives!