Girl Party Planning Tips and Hints

When you host a Girl Party you never have to worry about where they are, they typically make enough noise that you can tell!

I've hosted dozens of parties for my daughter. Some were birthday parties but a lot of them were sleepovers and just for fun gatherings. Here are some of the things that I've learned during that time.

Girl Party Invitation

Only invite the number of girls that you feel comfortable overseeing. Don't feel that you have to invite every girl your daughter knows.

If you are planning on having a sleep over, limit the number of girls to a number that you can comfortably fit. Consider the space needed for their sleeping bags!

Mail the invitations for the Girl Party about 2 weeks before the party.

Don't rely on word of mouth, send an actual invitation. You can print simple invitations from your computer.

Party Decorations Planning

Decorations for a Girl Party are easy to find. The market seems to produce more items for girls than they do boys!.

For most girls pink, purple and white are favorite colors to decorate with. As they get closer to their teens you might have to have an all black decoration theme!.

Use balloons, streamers and posters for the party decorations. You can get away with few decorations for the younger girls, but as they get older they are going to want more elaborate set ups.

A great online source is

Girl Party Games

Plan on having activities and games lined up, but also allow them time to talk!

Don't force them to play games or do art projects if they decide they want to listen to the latest songs instead!

Party Planning Timeline

Birthday parties will typically last about two hours. This is plenty of time for a few games, eating some cake and opening the presents.

2 Hour Party

15 minutes:
Guests arrive, try to have something for the guests to be doing while they are waiting for the rest to show up.
30 minutes:
Games and other group activities.
30 minutes:
Entertainment or crafts. The main idea of this time slot is to settle the kids down a little before the cake is served. You could cut the time down on this section and add extra to the cake eating time.
20 minutes:
Cake and Ice cream time. If you are serving a meal, this time frame should be increased by an extra 10 minutes or so.
15 minutes:
Opening Gifts. This could take more or less time depending on the guest list.
10 minutes:
Thank the guests and Goodbyes. You will want to have small activities to keep the kids busy while everyone is leaving. This could be a good time to hand out party favors. The girls can be looking through them while waiting for their parents to show up.

All times are suggestions for setting the party up, you will want to adjust the timing by how well things are going.
If the games are going well, feel free to add another game that they will enjoy, or play the same game over again.
On the other hand if a game is just getting too out of hand, feel free to stop the game and suggest something different.

Party Favors

Here again the market for girl items is amazing. There are so many choices out there. Pick things that your daughter would like to have. She may like make-up type items or she could be into yo-yo's.

You can make the party bags up well ahead of the party. Buy decorative bags and fill with toys, candy, or little trinkets.

If your daughter is old enough you can have her decorate each of the bags.

Make sure you have a few extra goody bags on hand, it would be terrible to run out of them. Much better to have a few left over.

Party Planning Food and Drink

Don't think that because you are hosting a girls party that you don't need to have food around. Girls can eat alot!

Birthday Parties

Cake and ice cream are typical for younger girls parties. Older girls may want something different like a favorite food.

If you serve cake, try to have the cake relate to the theme of the party.

Sleepover Parties

Pizza and bottled drinks are great for sleepover parties. Plan on two to three slices per girl.
Don't forget to plan something for breakfast! Cold cereal, orange juice and milk will suffice.