Partyspot.com, June 26th, 2007
Re-make the games
Classic party games are always fun, especially at kid-friendly fetes. Make them over to match your party's theme, whether it's pin the tail on the mermaid (for an under-the-sea theme) or frog-frog-prince (instead of duck-duck-goose for a fairytale-theme).
Golden Oldies
An easy theme for adult birthday parties -- make it all about the year the guest of honor was born. Play tunes from the decade in which the birthday guy or girl was born, and name tables for celebrities who were big at the time. Be sure the person's going to enjoy it though -- someone who's turning "40 again" might not be into playing up the whole retro thing.
Keep It Under Control
Kids' birthday parties can get pretty wild, so plan ahead to keep things manageable. Try to keep a ratio of one adult for every five kids under ten years old. You don't have to invite the same number of children as your child's age (that old-school rule is long gone), but you should probably rule against inviting the entire grade, too. And don't feel like you have to have them over for the entire day -- two to three hours of partying is plenty for the grade school set.
Let Them Help
Unless it's a surprise, by all means let the birthday girl or guy help with the planning. They can help out with choosing colors, themes, favors, the cake, and more. Even if you want the final result to be a surprise for them, solicit their opinions, likes and dislikes, and so on early in the party-planning.
This is Your Life
At a big sit-down birthday dinner, entertain guests with a slideshow or video showing photos from all years of the guest of honor's life. Try to include pictures of the birthday guy or gal with guests who are there that night, too. Set it to music or have the person acting as M.C. give amusing remarks throughout. Low-tech version: Use photos of the guest of honor at different ages (one, two, three, etc.) to number the different tables.
Sign Them In
Create a sign-in board using an enlarged photo of the guest of honor (now or as a baby), or go artistic with one that represents their name or the theme of the party. Provide guests with plenty of markers or pens (test them out pre-party to be sure they won't make a mess of hands or clothes) to sign it with. They can leave their best birthday wishes, and it will be a great memento to present the birthday guy or girl with at the end of the party.
