Ideas for parties

So, you're going to throw a party, eh?  Well, you are going to want to keep those guests entertained!  There are many things that you can do to entertain your guests, depending on age and other factors.  Hopefully you can find some ideas here and/or get some inspiration that will help you come up with some great ideas for the perfect party.

As with brainstorming, you may want to start by listing your constraints, or an outline of what you want to do.  Is there a theme you want?  Who is the party for?  Is is your son or daughter's birthday party?  Maybe a party for teens, or adults?  Do you want decorations and a theme, or is it more of a casual get together?  Maybe it's a date, or a group date?  Maybe you could even throw a surprise party!

To get ideas for a theme, think of the likes and interests of the person who the part is for.  What do they like to play with?  What toys do they have?  What did they ask and/or get for Christmas?  What did they give others?  What type of Valentines did they give out?  What do they do in their free time?  What are their favorite movies or TV shows?  Who are their heroes?  Do they like sports?  What are their favorite hobbies?  Do they like animals--ponies, horses, hedgehogs?  You could even branch out for theme ideas and look at kids their age.  What do they have on their backpacks?  What do they like?  What games do they play at recess, or board games they play at home?  What video games do they like?

Are you having lunch or dinner with the party?  What types of food?  Are you going to have pizza?  Are you planning on having a birthday cake?  Will you have ice cream?  Will you have an ice cream cake?  What about snacks?  You could have some Chex mix, or finger foods.  Are there dietary restrictions of any of the guests?  Would folks like a fruit tray or a veggie tray?  Maybe you could do a pot luck and ask people to bring something to share.  This could be a casual "whatever you want to share to much no," or you could assign out drinks, main dishes, sides and desserts.  Are you going to take care of the meats, for a BBQ, napkins, plates, forks, drinks, etc., or have someone else bring them?

Where will the party be?  Do you want it at your house, or outside?  Do you want it at a park?  Do you want to have it at a pool?  If you have it outside, what will the weather be like?  You should be prepared for that sudden storm that blows in unexpectedly.  You should have a plan B.

What types of games do you want?  Board or card games?  Maybe you can have people bring some, like a game pot-luck.  What about active games for kids?  Maybe you could play pin-the-tail-on-the whatever your theme is animal, or duck-duck-goose, or tag.  There are lots of variations.  Maybe you want to play kick-ball, soccer, volleyball, frisbee, ultimate frisbee, or have a treasure hunt?

There are lots of great party ideas on the internet.  What are some of you favorite party memories or ideas?