Truth or Dare – Free Questions for Kids and Tweens

Truth or Dare Game – free questions for kids and tweens

We’ve just posted a great list of fun truth questions and dare ideas for the game Truth or Dare on the website – Birthday Party Ideas 4 Kids.com.  They are clean, rated G and perfect for sleepovers, birthday parties or when the kids just want to have some fun.  The lists are free to print out or use them on the web with a link back. 

If you have any fun truth or dare ideas to add let us know.  

Click here for the free Truth or Dare Game on our website. www.birthdaypartyideas4kids.com 

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1st First Birthday Party Ideas and Games

Just added to our website – Birthday Party Ideas 4 Kids -  2  pages dedicated to ideas and games for 1st birthday parties.  

Lots of fun 1st birthday party ideas and games for one year olds to keep every one happy and make the party special.   Favors, foods, games and memory making ideas to make the first birthday unforgettable. 

Let us know your favorite games for 1 year olds – we’ll add them to the website for other Moms and Dads to share. 

8 Mall Scavenger Hunts for Tweens and Teens

8 great Mall Scavenger Hunts have  now been posted on the website.  Mall Scavenger Hunts

Included are:
Freebie Mall Shopping Spree
Information Sensation
Salesperson Scramble
Rainbow
A – 2 – Z Shopping Spree
The only ONE
Super Shopper
Ultimate Hunt

Free Mall Scavenger Hunt lists are available to print out for the hunts that require a list. 

It took a lot of work – and some shopping – to create these fun scavenger hunts.  They are perfect for tween girls – ages 10 – 12 or teens who want something different and creative to do for their birthday party. 

Many require no money at all – there is even a freebie shopping spree which includes a list of 40 free things teams can aquire in the mall – yes, really …. 40! 

There is also an informational mall scavenger hunt …. bet you always wanted to know how many booths were in the food court, how many buttons are in the elevator … and many more.

We’ve listed a traditional scavenger hunt that can be played in the mall using video or digital cameras to complete a list of fun tasks. 

We would like to add fresh ideas to the Mall Scavenger Hunts – feel free to give any hints, clues, suggestions or comments! 

Shop on! 

Birthday Party Invitation Ideas    Sleepover Ideas    Tween Party Games

www.birthdaypartyideas4kids.com

Who To Invite to the Birthday Party and Still Be Polite

Who to invite to the Birthday Party – sometimes it’s a sticky situation.
You envision a huge party with happy kids and 25 new friends for your child. 
Your child is dreaming of all those 25 presents piled high on the dining room table.  
Those are both great dreams … but there is birthday party reality.

Birthday Party Reality: 
Inviting everyone from the class is sometimes overwhelming and expensive.
It will set you up to host the 3 worst kids in class who’s parents need a babysitter for the day.  
It will bring the classroom dynamic into your home  - the bully will be the bully, the princess will still want things her own way.
15 – 20 kids can never be happy at the same time.
Visions of everyone playing the games nicely, sharing and taking care not to get chocolate frosting on the white carpet is not reality.

Bigger is not always better – For my daughter’s 8th birthday we invited the whole class and only 2 girls showed up.  Granted it was only a few days until Thanksgiving, but I was devastated.  2 guests!! I thought the party was ruined and I was a party planning failure.  The reality – they had the best time EVER!  They really got to know each other and now 5 years later are still best friends.  My daughter still thinks it was one of her best parties. 

So invite the kids that will make the party fun for your child. 

A good rule of thumb on how many kids to invite is still – one guest per age of the birthday child.  If your child is turning 7 then invite 7 guests.  

Most school policies about handing out invitations is that if they are handed out in school then every child must get one.  This is a good rule and there are several ways to work with it, or go around it.

Some teachers will allow you to place the invitations only in the childrens take home folders who are invited to the party.  Others will allow you to only invite boys or girls.  If neither of these is an option then you can mail or drop the invitation by the kids homes.  

Not everyone will show up that you invite, but you can have control over who enters your house and who becomes friends with your child. 

So, invite the kids that will make the party fun and give your child a chance to bond in an unstressful reality.

What to write on the Birthday Party Invitation

Now that you have your birthday party invitation picked out it’s time to fill in the blanks. 

First the easy part – what details to include in your invitation.
Date – Always include the day along with the date. 
Ex.  Saturday March 15, 2008
Time – Give the start and end times for your party. 
Ex. 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Place – Your house address or location of the party place. 
Hint – It is always good to draw a map on the back of the invitation or include one on a seperate piece of paper. 
For – Give your child’s name and how old they are going to be.
RSVP – This is always a little tricky.  Most of the time this important piece of information is overlooked and guests don’t let you know they are attending until they show up at the door.  Or you plan for 12 children and 5 show up. 
A good way around this is to add a comment like this to your invitation:
Please let us know if you are coming so we can prepare enough food.
Please call and let us know if you are attending so we can tell (name of place) how many to expect.
You can also ask guests to respond by a certain date if you need that information to plan your party. 

There will most likely be a few that will show up without calling.  Always prepare for 2  – 3 more guests then have called to tell you they will attend.

* Include your phone number and your email address in the RSVP.  Some parents are shy about calling other parents or too busy to pick up the phone, but they will take the time to email.

Also include any special information that the child needs about the party. 
How to dress if it is a costume party (give some examples of how they could create the look you want)
If you will be serving lunch or dinner
What type of food you will be having (this alerts any parents of possible food allergies)
What to bring (swimsuit, sleeping bag, pillow, old clothes if you are going to do a painting craft).

Sometimes parents think it is okay to send along siblings with the invited guest with or without warning.  If this hasn’t happened to you yet … just wait.  Suddenly there will be a 4 year old sister who has shown up for your tween daughters spa party and it is hard to say no when they are on the doorstep excited about the party.  To avoid this situation mention in the invitation that the party is for invited guests only. 

You can say it very tactfully.  Here are some suggestions for the invitation: 

“We are sorry, but due to the theme of the party we can not accomodate siblings”
“No siblings please”

Or you can incorporate it into your invitation and say something like :

“Your invited to Bobby’s party as one of his 7 very special guests!”

Next time …. who to invite and still be polite!

For more birthday party ideas, birthday party games, icebreakers, themes and party favor ideas - Birthday Party Ideas 4 Kids

Birthday Party Invitation Ideas

Birthday party invitations not only inform your guests of the party, but can also convey your party theme and create excitement before they arrive.  There are many fun and creative ways to announce your party date. 

Traditional – Buy a package of fun Birthday invitations at the store, fill them out and send to guests.  There are invitations that will fit almost any theme – this is an easy choice if you are short on time or find some great invitations that your love.

Computer print-out – Invitations that you make from your computer are getting to be more and more popular. There are many websites that feature free templates for birthday cards. Simply fill in your birthday party information and print them out. Use colored ink, or have kids color them in once they have been printed.

Make at home – Popular with teenagers these invitations can be made on the computer using pictures and different fonts and then printed out. We recently received a fun invitation for a friends 16th birthday that was made up in “ransom note” style fonts with pictures of the birthday girl through out her life. Fun and easy!

Photo Invitations – If you have a good photo program you can make invitations using a picture of your child and add birthday details around the picture. 

Creative Theme – Going all out with a birthday party theme is fun and what better place to start then the invitation to set the mood for the party. Be creative and think of different ways to invite your guests to the party. Here are a few:
Blow up beach balls and write the party details on the ball – then deflate and send to guests.
Message in a bottle invitations can be found at party stores – write your party information on a piece of paper, slip it into the bottle and seal with a cork. Yes, they can go through regular mail!

Puzzle invitations – Buy blank puzzles (available at craft stores) fill out birthday party information and send pieces to guests.

Send a prop or something you will be using at the party such as a bandanna, hat, or sword that they will have to wear to get into the party.

Send a taste – Send something from your party to get guests excited about attending.  Here are some examples:
Luau -place a little sand in the invitation
Circus or Carnival - include an admit one ticket, or a game ticket (found at most discount stores)
Pirate - a gold coin  

Secret message – make the information in code, or use invisible ink. Great for a mystery party.

Helium balloon – blow up helium balloons and slip the party information inside.  Tie a string on the balloon and then hand out to guests or tie on their front doors.  They will have to pop the balloon to find the place and time.

Be creative and have fun with the invitations – you are only limited to your imagination!
http://www.birthdaypartyideas4kids.com  for more birthday party ideas, games, and themes

Birthday Party Theme Ideas

One of the very first things to do after setting the party date is to decide on the theme of the birthday party.    The theme will weave itself through the party (invitations, goody bags, party games, party favors) so deciding early is important. 

Kids Party Themes     Tween Party Themes   

There are many ways to choose a birthday party theme.  Themes can come from:

A childs favorite character – Barney, Dora, Hannah Montana, Spiderman 

A childs favorite toy or interest – dinosaurs, princess, sports, cowboys/cowgirls, cars  

A place or setting you want to create – beach, luau, pirate island, sports team, jungle 

A child’s favorite colors - choose two or three of the birthday childs favorite colors and  decorate with only those colors. ( pink/green,  blue/orange,  red/white,  blue/silver ).  Your colors can be based on a holiday or favorite sports team. 

One color – Or choose just one color and have everything done up in shades of that color.  In the invitation ask guests to dress in that color to add to the fun.

Once the theme is set then invitations, decorations, games, food, goody bags and party favors can be chosen.

For more great themes for kids, tweens and teens – http://www.birthdaypartyideas4kids.com

Invitations are next!  

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