[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

 

[dippedstix]

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!

 

[ZombieRaider]

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

 

[ZombieRaider]

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

 

[Firefighter_Barbie]

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

 

[Frankie's Girl]

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.

 

[Haunty]

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.

 

[Haunty]

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.

 

[NewbieHaunter]

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

 

[HeatherEve1234]

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.

 

[NewbieHaunter]

Thats an awesome idea and even better because I already have it for the wii!! I never would have thought about using it for the party. Thank you!

 

[Britishwitch]

You Guys are terrific! I knew you would come up trumps! There are some really cool ideas here.

I new that the really "cutsie" stuff would have to go and have started gathering the spooky and scary instead.

I did think that we were talking about music above all else and as that seems the common theme throughout I will go with the flow!

Thank you all so much. You Guys really are the best!



BW

 

[Warrant2000]

If you have an extra adult or two, have them dress up in a costume, make a grand entrance, and

a) start an activity
b) chase them around trying to eat the pre-teen flesh. Combine this with a sudden change in lights, fog, and sound.
c) throw a few handfuls of candy out - sort of a live piñata.

 

[SleepyHollowPumpkins]

Pree-Teen Party

We are trying to plan a party for pre teens as well...

Not really sure what we are going to do yet but we had thought about showing a PG movie. The following movies are rated PG and will provide a good scare/creep-out without the gore:

Poltergeist
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Watcher in the Woods

We are also thinking about some dance music mixed through the iPod and plyed through the TV.. That way we can download Music videos to mix in as well. There are a few good halloween videos like Thriller, Monster Mash, Etc. I think there is also one from Chris Brown that is about Vampires.

We thought about trying to teach them the Thriller Dance. Then watch the music video and try to do the dance. We were going to get a buddy to break in dressed as a zomibe and scare them during the dance video.

 

[chartreusechaos]

I did my first pre-teen party last year, after 4 years of family parties. I found a game (torture!) called Lightning Reaction (just google for sources). Four kids hold "buzzers" and watch a flashing light in the base. When the light turns red, everyone presses their buzzer. The last one gets shocked! It was a huge hit! The shock is unpleasant, but not painful.

I had Mario Kart Wii set up in one room and let them challenge each other. Scary movies in another room - PG-13 movies such as The Ring, The Grudge.

Food in another room. Note: they don't eat near as much as you'd think, but keep the soda flowing. I use cans in huggers - less spillage than cups with ice. The food I used was finger food like Skittles, popcorn, that they could put in a plastic cup and carry from room to room.

Costume contest - funniest, best girl, best boy, scariest, most original.

The finale is a "haunted house" in the basement. I did a maze with black plastic sheeting. Scene of biohazard, dot room, corpse brides (two dummies and one real), and a Michael Myers. Actors were a few parents and older siblings of the guests.

As soon as school started this year, my daughter was getting hit up for an invite to this year's shindig. Parents have already asked to help this year. It is the event of the year at her school!

 

[SleepyHollowPumpkins]

Ideas

We are showing a PG scary movie. This was hard to find something that is actually scary.

PG Films:
Poltergeist
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Watcher in the Woods

Also thought about teaching them the Thiller Dance and then watching and dancing along to Thriller. We have a friend that is going to dress like a zombie and "break" in and scare the kids while we are dancing.

I do like the idea of the Dance Dance Revolution though!

 

[NewbieHaunter]

Im having a bunch of 12 yr old girls.... heres my 'Tempt your Fate' game set up
the push pins will have ribbons attached to helium balloons with their fate inside.
Its all on a tri fold board that I can easily set it up anywhere.
the pan and scoop is for the 'scoop a poop' fate (tootsie roll in grape nuts cereal)
the bowl is goody bags of various 'treats' ...bracelets, earrings etc
Im hoping it will go over well but with tweenage girls who knows! lol

 

[teeshaw]

I like the idea of that game! Awesome.

I am definitely in the same boat, I'm hosting my 13 year old sister's Halloween party this year and need some good ideas as well. Our house isn't too big, so there are only going to be about 6 girls there. I'm trying to avoid the electronic games and go for something old-school Here are some things I've come up with so far:

One idea I found that would be cool is getting a large bowl of cold cooked spaghetti noodles, adding stuff that makes the noodles extra slimy and gross, like a bit of oil. Even fake bugs or fingers and toes. Add plastic eyeballs with a number written on the back. The kids have to put their hand/arm in there and search for an eyeball, and the number on the back indicates which prize they get. (Such as a little basket of goodies, a movie or a giftcard of sorts)

The Wrap The Mummy is always fun. Prize for winning team with the best mummy.

One year a friend of mine did a party game where she dangled donuts off a piece of string in her kitchen, and the idea was to get everyone on their hands and knees and eat their donut first without utilizing their hands or dropping their donut! Messy, but we had a blast! This game is totally on my list. A prize for the one who is able to complete the challenge. I guess if you want to be healthy (as hard as THAT is on Halloween) you could use apples or another fruit/veggie.

Skeleton Scavenger Hunt - A plastic skeleton would probably work best, take him apart and hide the parts in separate sections of your house or the outdoors. Divide the guests into teams and have a race as to which team can find all of the parts and put them back together again. Prize for the winning team.

Pin the Face on the Pumpkin - self-explanatory. You could use an actual pumpkin with black construction paper cut-outs for the face. And of course, a blindfold is needed It's a good game for girls who like to giggle and laugh at themselves. Prize for the best pumpkin face I assume, haha. To make it even more interesting, you could have all the guests go at the same time, and have to actually glue the cutouts onto the pumpkin, as compared to having tape stuck to the back, and all they have to do is just position and place it on the pumpkin. It's easier to judge who's is the best when they are all lined up. Add in a time limit perhaps?

I'm doing pizza and veggie/fruit trays for food in between games. Maybe add some finger food like chips and skittles (as was suggested before )

And I guess to make it all come together, little gift bags at the end of the party filled with whatever. Candies, pencils, jewelry etc.

Hope my entire party plan helps!

 

[Halloweenie1]

Im having a bunch of 12 yr old girls.... heres my 'Tempt your Fate' game set up
the push pins will have ribbons attached to helium balloons with their fate inside.
Its all on a tri fold board that I can easily set it up anywhere.
the pan and scoop is for the 'scoop a poop' fate (tootsie roll in grape nuts cereal)
the bowl is goody bags of various 'treats' ...bracelets, earrings etc
Im hoping it will go over well but with tweenage girls who knows! lol

Nice job! Very cute!

 

[cuethemusic]

When I was about 12 I went to a halloween party at a friends house in her basement, which had 2 rooms. One room was for music/dancing and all the lights were off but they had glow in the dark halloween decorations everywhere and I remember just thinking it was a really cool atomosphere. In the other room she had a ouija board, scary movies playing, and an adult was doing crystal ball fortune telling. Her mom also set up a scavenger hunt in the backyard which was lit by lanterns and it ended up being a blast!

I think it's important to not really dictate what is happening when like with children's party "okay now it's time for pin the tail on the donkey", but rather just offer them a variety of things to do and let them choose for themselves.