Make her big day one to remember—for all the right reasons.

Party Plan

The secret to a successful party lies in the behind-the-scenes planning. We recommend you start planning about three weeks before your daughter’s birthday bash.

Pick a Theme

A theme is like a recipe for planning a perfect party. It’s much easier to come up with ideas when you have a theme. The theme can be as simple as “think pink” or “movie night.” But when everything ties together—from the invitations to the games, snacks, and activities to the decorations and —it makes for a more memorable event. The American Girl party kits give you a step-by-step guide to planning a great party. For more theme-party ideas, read Snooze-a-Palooza! (American Girl, Spring 2005)

Guest List

Remember when making the guest list that a crowd can be, well, a crowd. A common rule of thumb is for the birthday girl to invite the same number of guests as her age (eight guests for an eighth birthday, ten for a tenth birthday). Consider cutting that number in half for sleepovers. Remind your daughter that an odd number of guests will make for an even number (including her) during games and activities.

Invitations

The invitation is your daughter’s first chance to build excitement about her party. Try to tie the invitation to the theme to give girls a sneak peek at the fun in store. Be sure she covers the basics: her name, the party location, day and time, and pick-up time (particularly for a sleepover!). Remind her to include your phone number for R.S.V.P.s and a date you’d like to hear back by. This helps you plan for prizes, games, food, and favors based on how many girls will be there. Also, if she’d like her guests to bring anything special to participate in planned activities, be sure she writes that on the invitations, too.

Tip: To avoid hurt feelings, it’s a good idea to mail invitations rather than pass them out at school.

Party Time

To help your daughter keep the fun on track, make a list of everything she wants to do and when you hope to do it. At the party, though, you’ll both need to be flexible. Something you thought would take 15 minutes might only take 2 minutes. Or the girls might like a game so much that they don’t want to stop after the allotted time. It’s better to overplan and make a star next to anything that you consider to be a must-do, giving priority to games and activities that require materials or props that you’ve purchased.

Games

Games can make or break a party. You need them to keep the fun rolling, but some games can cause trouble among a group of girls. Avoid games where there’s one winner or a definite loser. Participation and an equal playing field make everyone feel comfortable. But if a girl doesn’t want to play a particular game, let her take a break and join in when she’s ready.

Try one of these party games for can't-miss fun:

Dress-up Relay

Fill two suitcases, each with a complete adult-sized dress-up outfit. Include accessories like clip-on earrings, a tie or scarf, belt, socks, shoes, even pantyhose and a slip! Make sure there are an equal number of items in each suitcase. Divide the girls at the party into 2 equal teams. On “go,” players take turns running with the suitcase across the room, putting on every item in the suitcase over their regular clothes, and running back to the group. The next person in line helps the previous player “undress,” repacks the suitcase, runs across the room, and repeats the process. The first team to dress up all of its players wins.

From Snooze-a-Palooza! (American Girl)

Gift Grab

Before the party, wrap one small gift for each guest (it’s best to have them similar or the same). Have name labels ready, but don’t attach them to the gifts until party time. Divide the gifts equally between two large bags.

At the party, divide girls into two teams. Give each team one of the large bags of gifts and a pair of oversized gloves. Quickly attach the name labels to the gifts and place them into the appropriate team’s bag.

On “Go!” a player from each team puts on the gloves, finds the gift with her name on it, opens it, returns the gloves to the bag, then passes the bag to the next player. The first team to open all its gifts wins.

From American Girl magazine

More Can't-Miss Things to Do:

High tech:

Karaoke

Twister Moves®

Dance Dance Revolution®

Low tech:

Balloon volleyball

Mad libs

Hairstyling (see Hair: Styling Tips & Tricks for Girls book (American Girl))

Scavenger hunt

Mom Patrol

Make sure you talk with your daughter before the party so you know what she expects from you in terms of support, and she understands your ground rules. Which rooms are off-limits? Does she want you to hang around to help keep things rolling? Should you step in if an argument crops up? Or would she rather run the show as much as possible? Same goes for other children in the family. To avoid a big to-do at your daughter’s to-do, talk to her and her siblings in advance. Maybe she could allow younger siblings to join in the fun a little, especially at the beginning of the party. Or, sign little sibs up for coat-taking or snack-passing. Remind your daughter that her friends probably don’t find her little sister half as annoying as she does. It’s also an opportunity to teach younger siblings to respect their sister’s wishes at her party. And an older sibling may actually be an ideal chaperone.

From Snooze-a-Palooza! (American Girl)

House Rules

Go over any house rules you have with the girls at the beginning of the party. Some examples might be:

• Any rooms that are off-limits
• Whether telephone or television use is permitted
• No cooking without an adult
• Do not leave the house
• Treat each other with respect

A good motto for a group of girls at a party: Fun. Friendship. Flexibility.

Party Room

Try these special touches to decorate your party room in style:

• Sprinkle confetti on the tabletop
• Put colored light bulbs in lamps
• Drape a tablecloth over a phonebook or a shoebox. Use the raised platform to show off your cake or other centerpiece.
• Have a couple of disposable cameras handy to capture the fun.

Food Fun

You don’t have to go overboard with menu ideas. Just pick a few fun snacks or treats that tie in to the theme—and that taste yummy! When you can, make food ahead of time.

If you don’t want to serve lunch or dinner to the crowd, schedule the party in the mid-afternoon, or—for a slumber party—start the fun at 7 or 8 p.m. This also makes for a shorter evening to fill with activities.

Stir up one of these alternatives to a traditional birthday cake:

Very Cool Cupcakes

1. Let two pints of ice cream (any flavor) soften for about 30 minutes.
2. Place cupcake liners in a muffin tin.
3. Spoon softened ice cream into liners. Freeze until solid.
4. For fun colors, add food coloring to vanilla frosting, then frost cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, sugars, and candies.

Tip: Plan your topping ideas before removing cupcakes from freezer, so they don’t melt too quickly while you’re decorating.

From The Mix-It-Up Cookbook (American Girl)

People-Pleaser Cake

You can’t go wrong with this clever cake idea sent in by one of our readers. You end up with four different cake and frosting combos—something for everyone!

1. Prepare batter for one box of chocolate cake mix and one box of yellow cake mix, according to package directions. Use the same brand of cake mix for both flavors.
2. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Pour half of the chocolate batter and half of the yellow batter into opposite sides of the pan at the same time. The batters should meet at the center of the pan, but not mix together. Use the remaining batter for cupcakes or another cake.
3. Bake the cake according to the instructions on the cake-mix packages.
4. Once the cake has cooled, frost the bottom half of the cake with chocolate frosting and the top half with vanilla frosting.

The result: Everyone gets what she wants! Guests can choose chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, chocolate cake with vanilla frosting, yellow cake with vanilla frosting, or yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

Cookie Sandwiches

Girls will gobble up these cake-and-frosting sandwich cookies!

In a bowl, mix together 1 box cake mix (any flavor), 1/2 cup shortening, and 1 egg. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Flatten balls slightly on cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees, until cookie edges are lightly browned. Let cool. Spread frosting on flat side of a cookie. Add another cookie to complete the sandwich treat! Stack and serve.

From American Girl magazine

Rainbow Punch

Place 6 scoops rainbow sherbet in a punch bowl. Pour in 8 cups of ginger ale. Serve in punch cups. Guaranteed giggles!

Make Her Own

Sundae bars are always popular food treats. Girls also love make-your-own bars with the fixings for:

• Tacos
• Nachos
• Popcorn
• Mini pizzas
• Hot pretzels

Favorite Favors

Have your daughter hand out favors at the end of the party. That way, guests won’t be distracted from the festivities and begin opening their goodies before they go. It’s best to give everyone the same things so there’s no room for squabbles or trading. The favors are your final opportunity to tie in the party theme. Here are a few surefire hits:

• Bookmarks
• Cute pencils or cool pens
• Socks
• Earrings
• Specialty magnets
• Inexpensive rings
• Nail polish
• Body glitter, soap, or lotion
• Bouncy balls
• Pez® candy dispensers
• Hair accessories
• Flavored lip gloss
• Stickers
• Sunglasses
• Charm necklaces
• Coin purses
• Key chains
• Disposable cameras
• Flower (plastic) leis
• Gum or candy

Go beyond the bag with one of these original favor containers:

• Cosmetic cases
• Mini lunch boxes
• Recycled mint tins
• Chinese takeout containers
• Mini purses
• Baskets

From Party Secrets (American Girl)

Sleepover Secrets

Sack Spots

Have your guests set up their sleeping bags in a separate room as soon as they arrive. Stock the area with books, magazines, and board games in case someone wants to turn in early and needs a little something quiet to do. Make sure guests know where the bathroom is, and leave a light on in the hall so that girls can find their way in the dark if they need to.

Sweet Dreams

Not everyone will think it’s dreamy to tell scary stories at bedtime. For a funny twist, suggest that each girl tell a joke she knows instead.

From Snooze-a-Palooza! (American Girl)