In preparing for a birthday party in my house, my children are very helpful. They enjoy helping set the itinerary, practicing the games, and assisting with setup. However, at the party, my children do not enjoy being the center of attention. Thus far, both my son and older daughter get embarrassed and shy.
Since I now know this behavior is likely to occur, I decided to keep my daughter with her friends throughout the party. She did much better this year and seemed to enjoy it. Whew!
Greeting Guests
On the day of the event, we were ready a little early to receive our guests. My daughter greeted each girl at the door and brought her friends to the living room to play.
Playing Games
One friend did not care to participate in the games, so this friend continued to play with some toys while the other girls played.
Pass the Orange: The girls did a great job keeping the orange moving and cheering each other along.
Strawberry Spoon Race: Though my daughter practiced this game and said it was her favorite, she wanted to quit in the middle of her turn. Not sure if she got frustrated, tired, or embarrassed, but the girls who started the game finished. Of course, there were prizes for all.
Strawberry Strawberry Shortcake: My daughter ended up loving this game. Some of the girls forgot to sit back down, so they kept running around the circle. Others were really fast back to their seats. This game received the most giggles and laughter of all the games.
Musical Strawberries: This game was a good idea, but the girls kept stepping on the strawberries and sliding across the carpet. Since I did not want them to get hurt, we revised this game a little and had the girls walk on the outside of the circle. When the music stopped, they needed to be standing next to a strawberry. With this adjustment, the game worked perfectly.
Eating Food
Having my mom help in the kitchen was a blessing. As the girls won the Musical Strawberries cake walk, they went to the kitchen where my mom scooped their choice ice cream and then sat them at the table with their chosen cupcake.
If my mom needed more time, then we kept the music playing. Once my mom seated one child, then we stopped the music and the winner went to the kitchen. Working with one child at a time kept the party calm without chaos.
Once all the girls were served, we sang and let my daughter blow out her candles. Then the girls chatted and enjoyed their food together.
Opening gifts
All the girls came to the living room, sat in a semicircle with their gift, and waited their turn. We started with the winner of the first game giving her gift to my daughter first. Having her friend sit with her, my daughter did not feel embarrassed or the center of attention. This arrangement worked well.
Expressing Gratitude
While Daddy was removing the gifts from their packages for the girls to play, my daughter thanked her friends for attending her party and for all her gifts. I stood with her and encouraged her to thank her friends. I was very proud of her announcement.
Delivering goody bags
With all the goody bags previously packaged with the attendees’ names on the bags, I read the name and allowed my daughter to deliver the bags to each of her friends. She enjoyed giving to her friends.
Playing until pickup
The girls enjoyed sorting through their goody bags, playing, and talking until their parents arrived for pickup.
The party was a success! My daughter enjoyed the party, the girls stayed busy, each activity flowed into the next one without interruptions, and no one got hurt.
By preparing in advance, weighing the cost, and keeping event notes, I followed the itinerary, made adjustments, and enjoyed the process. Birthday parties can be lots of work, but the results are worth all the money, energy, and time. Hope your planned events are running smoothly as well!
Question: What adjustments have you made at an event when the original plan did not work? Please add your answer by clicking the Leave your Comment button.