Consider how many of your teen’s friends you’ll allow them to invite over. If the party is too large, your teen won’t be able to spend quality time with each guest. However, you don’t want them to feel like they’re leaving anyone out. Five or six friends are a good number to shoot for, depending upon the size of your house.

Choose a theme. This will help you decide what foods to serve and what types of activities to enjoy. Is there a movie everyone would like see? Movie night themes are great. You can prepare popcorn or other snacks you’d get at a movie theater. Sports themes are good ideas for both male and female slumber parties, particularly if your teen plays that particular sport. There are many theme ideas you can come up with. If your teen enjoys it with their friends, that theme will likely be a hit with them.

Establish some rules. Make sure you and your teen discuss non-negotiable rules such as no members of the opposite sex, no drinking, and no pranks. Discuss the rules with the guests after they all arrive and your teen can enjoy themselves and you’ll have less to worry about.

Plan a menu. Once you have chosen a theme, you’ll have a better idea of what type of food to prepare. Of course, no matter what theme is chosen, it’s a good possibility the teens will want pizza. Rather than order pizza for delivery, why not purchase the ingredients and allow the teens to make their own pizzas? Don’t forget about breakfast. Even if they stay up all night long, most teens will appreciate having something more than cereal and milk planned.

Play a game or two. Some teens love to play board games. It that describes your teen, ensure you have several games to choose from. Here are some more suggestions for games:

- If they prefer to be more active, plan a game of charades using popular music, actors, movies, or something similar as the basis for the game.

- Write down the names of famous people on sticky notes and place one on the back of each teen. They have to figure out who they are by asking their friends questions. The first person who guesses correctly wins.

- Rent a karaoke machine and let the teens sing their hearts out. If you have a videotape recorder, you can allow your teen to tape the party so they’ll have something to remember the evening, and possibly the bad singing, by.

Start with the guest list. Ask your child who they’d like to attend. Some party experts recommend one guest for each year of your child’s life. If your child is very young, this is probably a good rule of thumb.

Set the stage by decorating with bright, cheerful colors. If you have a disco ball and flashing lights, dig them out to lend credence to the atmosphere you’re trying to create. Go through your child’s favorite music or purchase something new which the children are familiar with and are apt to move to.

Prepare foods you know your child and their friends will eat. Pizza bagels are a great option so each child can have their own personal pizza. You may also want to provide baby carrots and fruit such as grapes or apple slices. Don’t forget the birthday cake or cupcakes decorated with musical notes to keep with the theme of the party. Provide milk or juice boxes for the children when they get thirsty.

Play fun musical games to get the children moving. Limbo under a stick or freeze dance. What? You’ve never heard of freeze dance? Play music and let the children dance to their heart’s content. Instead of just freezing when the music stops, have them freeze into a shape associated with birthday parties such as a candle, party hat, or balloon.

You can still host a fun dance party even if your children are older, but you may want to choose different music. Parents may or may not be shocked about the type of dancing done these days. Some seems downright vulgar so you may want to ask your teen to have a decade-themed party.

Ask your teen to look through old records, cassette or 8-track tapes you still have to get an idea of what music they may want to play during their party. Of course, unless you still have the equipment to play them on, you may have to buy copies of the same songs on a newer format.

Suggest the teens dress up accordingly to add to the fun of the party. Give a prize to the teen that comes in the most accurate costume. However, instead of giving them a prize associated with the theme, give them something they’ll enjoy like a coupon for a CD of their choice.

Prepare plenty of food since teens can be big eaters. If you can think of popular foods of that time period, it will work well with the party theme. Try to find decorations to match the decade theme, as well.

For a teen party, you’ll want to have rules set such as no drugs, no alcohol, and no couples pairing off and disappearing. To help your teen feel like a grown-up, stay out of their way as much as you can but let your teen know you’re close by if you’re needed.

Follow these tips on how to host a fun dance party for children of all ages. Using the same basic ideas, you can have a party your child will enjoy no matter what age they are. And since you know children love to move, you’ll provide them with a great party.

Start out by determining how much money you want to spend for the party. Remember, once you choose a theme you’ll want to have decorations, tableware (plates, napkins, cups, and tablecloth), food, beverages, birthday cake, invitations, and games. Decide how much you can spend for each item and don’t go over it. There are plenty of ways to have a great party without breaking the bank.

Next sit down with the birthday child and ask them what they would like for a theme. They may want to have a character party with their favorite cartoon character, movie, or something along those lines. If that’s the case, it’s possible there may already be decorations and tableware available. Try to find matching invitations, plates and cups with that theme. The other items for the table can be co-ordinating colors if you need to save money.

Typical themed parties for girls would be princesses or other Disney characters. Boys may enjoy having a super hero or pirate theme. Instead of going overboard with store-bought decorations, try to think of ways you can decorate with items you have at home or can print off the internet.

Buy or make the invitations in plenty of time to get them addressed and sent out. Two weeks is generally a good amount of time. This will also leave time for the parents to call and let you know if their child will attend.

Plan a few games or a craft which is in keeping with the party theme. Don’t feel pressured to provide goodie bags for the guests. While they are a nice thought, if you talk to most parents they’d rather spend the money on something else for the party. They also don’t like stepping on the small toys once the children lose them.

Food is always a necessity at birthday parties. Not only will you want to have a great birthday cake, you’ll probably also want other snacks. Since the children will be having sweets in the cake, try to serve other healthy snacks like vegetable sticks or fruit. If possible, stay away from chips and dips. Serve only 100% juice for beverages.

Themed birthday parties can be a lot of fun but they can also be a lot of work for the adults. Don’t feel like you have to purchase a party kit or have everything related to the theme if money is a concern. Your child is most interested in having their friends over, being the center of attention, and enjoying themselves.