Thread: How to Entertain pre teens?? HELP!!!!

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ok guys, I am in a quandry. My past 5 parties have always been aimed at the under 10s. lots of cutsie decorations and plenty of silly party games...pass the parcel, dancing games, wrap the mummy, I'm sure you get the picture!

Well daughter is 11 now and starts High School this week so thinks she is 18 .

This means that the party is going to have to be different this year but I don't know how! The children we are inviting (about 10 -15 of them) are going to be too old for the "party" games but still need something "structured" to keep them occupied for 3 hours.

The theme is "Witches Wingding" so lots of Witchy type decor with a dose of Gothic thrown in for good measure. I have the decor & the food sorted but it is how to entertain them without them getting bored or running a mock!!

They all like spooky but not gory (I am sure that will come!).

I was thinking about a quiz but I don't want to make it feel like school! But that will only last for a while.

PLEASE has anyone got any ideas? I still have plenty of time to get things together but I am totally at a loss as to where to start.

Any suggestions?


BW

Originally Posted by Britishwitch

ok guys, I am in a quandry. My past 5 parties have always been aimed at the under 10s. lots of cutsie decorations and plenty of silly party games...pass the parcel, dancing games, wrap the mummy, I'm sure you get the picture!

Well daughter is 11 now and starts High School this week so thinks she is 18 .

This means that the party is going to have to be different this year but I don't know how! The children we are inviting (about 10 -15 of them) are going to be too old for the "party" games but still need something "structured" to keep them occupied for 3 hours.

The theme is "Witches Wingding" so lots of Witchy type decor with a dose of Gothic thrown in for good measure. I have the decor & the food sorted but it is how to entertain them without them getting bored or running a mock!!

They all like spooky but not gory (I am sure that will come!).

I was thinking about a quiz but I don't want to make it feel like school! But that will only last for a while.

PLEASE has anyone got any ideas? I still have plenty of time to get things together but I am totally at a loss as to where to start.

Any suggestions?


BW

I recall having a halloween party when I was around that age. Everyone came in a costume. We had cool food/snacks and halloween music. There really weren't any activites planned. We just danced like crazy and acted silly the whole time. That was the best party ever- better than any birthday party I ever had!

Music is a huge factor in that age group so get a DJ or have someone you know play current music with Halloween songs in between....Stop the music once in awhile for the games like wrap the mummy?.....Is that the one where they split into teams and wrap toilet paper on a person with a 5 minute time limit?......I DJ'd a teenish party once that did that and they really enjoyed it....At the end they picked the "Best Mummy" and won a prize....I know music was a huge part of that party....They even made a "Monster Jams" facade around the table I set up on out of mostly painted cardboard but it turned out pretty cool.....ZR

PS....You could also do others like pin the eyeball on the skull or a ring toss type game and give prizes to who gets closest or rings the most...and OF COURSE a prize for the "best costume".....Music is the biggest factor though probably....ZR

Trust me, don't stress too much, just think of the complete opposite of the past parties I remember being that age and going to a halloween party. Instead of "cutesy" decorations, use more "scary" (but not over the top) decor. like skeletons, fake spiders/rats, etc. A good decoration for this age is creating siloettes on walls or eyes in the trees or bushes. Fog Machines and black lights really help these. Also, play some halloween-ish music or those sound effect CD's. As off food, basically the regular party snacks, with a twist.

Good luck and have fun!
Kate

I got my first pack of Tarot cards when I was 12, and had a blast playing with them. An Oujia board would also be interesting.

There is a game called "Tempt Your Fate" (check this section) that could easily be adapted to be more silly and fun. The party guests can choose to participate by choosing to try, but it's not something that they HAVE to try. I had prizes for the good fates like $4 dvds picked up from discount places, and if they got a bad fate, they had to do things like sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" complete with hand movements or dance for one minute to the Monster Mash.

I've got the perfect book that'll help....



Penny Whistle Halloween Book by Meredith Brokaw
Discusses the history and lore of Halloween and includes instructions for making costumes, decorations, and invitations and planning games, activities, and menus for Halloween parties for different age groups.

Also the board game "13 Dead End Drive" is fun for all ages.
But, being a Haunter... I add some theatrics to it. Dim down the lights (but not too dark that you can't see the board) & play a thunderstorm cd as background noise. (game takes place on a dark stormy night)

Haunted Mansion Clue is a spirited good time!

Halloween trivia with some small prizes would be fun.

I love this thread! Im in the same situation, Im having a witches wingding for my 12 yr old daughter.

I'm 30, but I'm pretty sure this would appeal to younger people too - this year we rented an arcade version of Dance-Dance-Revolution. Its a video game where you try to match the dance steps the screen directs you to do in time to some blaring pop music. I think it will make for some drunken hillarity, but even without the liquid encouragement I bet tweens would be amused. Party rental companies usually have a lot of these types of things.