Random Party Ideas #1

Music really sets the mood for a party, so make sure to take the time to create the right playlist. Depending on the type of party, you may even want to have multiple playlists. Here are some strategies to help with choosing the right music. If your party has a certain theme, like “the 50s” or Mardi Gras, search for music that matches. For a Halloween party, songs like “Monster Mash” and “Thriller” work perfectly. For a dinner party, you might want to start with mellow music as guests arrive, switching to classical or jazz music during dinner, and ending up with lively dance music if you intend to have guests stick around. Finally, keep the age of your guests in mind. If most are a similar age, choose music that might’ve been popular when they were in high school. If your guests have a wide age range, choose a more varied or eclectic playlist that has something to appeal to everyone.

Random Party Ideas #2

Most kids LOVE animals, so consider inviting some animal friends to the party in the form of a petting zoo!  There are some important considerations here though to make sure that both the animals AND the kids have a fun, safe time.  Be certain that you deal with a farm that treats the animals humanely and fairly, so that the handlers recognize when the animals need a break.  Rest time for the animals can be a good time to open presents or eat.  In addition to watching the animals, be sure to watch the children carefully too.  Kids who don’t have pets at home need to be taught how to gently handle an animal.  Ask the handlers ahead of time if the children can help feed the animals under careful supervision, and each guest can be provided with a scoop of oats, corn, a carrot, or another appropriate food.  And finally, hand washing is critical around animals of course.

Random Party Ideas #3

If you want to have people over for lunch but you aren’t sure what to make, try a Make Your Own Pizza party!  And kids would really enjoy this idea too.  You provide sauce, cheese, a wide variety of toppings, and dough, and your guests provide creativity (and you may ask them to bring along a cookie sheet – but don’t tell them why!).  If you have a bread machine, pizza dough is very easy to make.  Your bread machine probably came with a recipe book, and you can find plenty of dough recipes (along with reviews!) on the internet.  Or you can buy ready-made crust at the grocery store.  Split the dough into individual portions (or give each guest a ready-made crust), and have a big bowl of sauce with a ladle on hand.  Each guest gets a ball of dough to pat or roll into a circle, and then each pizza gets topped with sauce and favorite toppings before being placed in the oven.  Guests might want to mix and match pieces of pizza to try different topping combinations.  Background music like “That’s Amore” will get everyone in the mood for pizza!

Random Party Ideas #4

If children will be at your party, keep in mind that you unfortunately can’t always count on parents to remember to bring toys or entertainment for their kids!  In order to keep guests of all ages relatively happy, it’s worth having some things on hand for your younger guests.  Stickers and Play-Dough are good choices for younger kids, but provide a place like a notebook to stick the stickers and play with the Play-Dough so both aren’t all over your house!  A few Match Box cars or puzzles can keep older kids busy for a while.  Bored teenagers can be entertained with movies, board games, or even just a deck of cards.

Random Party Ideas #5

If you’re the parent of a teenager and your son or daughter wants to have a sleepover in the summer, try a campout slumber party!  The kids will be right in the backyard, but the house will be blissfully quiet.  Put up a tent or tents (depending on how many campers you have!) for the kids to sleep in, and throw some sleeping bags, blankets, and/or an air mattress inside.  Build a fire in the yard for roasting marshmallows, but adult supervision is important.  Flashlight tag is a fun game, and of course, telling ghost stories is a must!  A quick internet search for ghost stories will give you some great ideas.  Don’t be surprised if your campers decide to come in the house at some point during the night!

Random Party Ideas #6

If you want to have a summer pool party on a scorching hot day but you don’t have a pool, don’t despair – just host a water party! Hook a hose up to a sprinkler and jump in it like little kids! Stick a slip and slide in the yard and invite guests to see who can slide the farthest. A great game for a hot summer party is a water balloon toss. Guests stand in two lines about 3 feet apart and the person directly across from each guest is their partner. Give one person in the pair a water balloon, and on the count of three, each guest tosses the water balloon to their partner. If anyone’s water balloon breaks, then that pair is out! But of course, everyone else will be jealous because they’re no longer hot! For the second round, each guest takes a step away from their partner, and then on the count of three, the water balloons are tossed back. Repeat until there is a winner! Those who don’t really want to get soaked can lounge next to a kiddie pool and take the time to dunk their feet in the water when they get hot.

Random Party Ideas #7

A wine tasting party is a popular choice for wine aficionados! Stop by a wine specialty store where a sommelier, or wine consultant, can help you pick a good variety of quality wines. Also pick up wine glasses that are appropriate for the different varieties of wine that you’ve selected if you don’t already have some on hand. For appetizers, consider the appropriate foods to pair with the different wine varieties, or just pick up a range of appetizers. A fruit and cheese plate is an easy choice, as well as a plate of different nuts. Be sure to be inclusive for any guests that are new to wine tasting by explaining the process for tasting different wines and enjoying the flavors.

Random Party Ideas #8

Here’s a fun activity for either a baby shower or a birthday party! In your invitation (and a reminder would probably be helpful when your guests RSVP), ask everyone to bring along a baby picture of themselves. Display each photo, labeled with a number instead of a name, at the party. Photos could be taped to a wall or hung from a string using clothespins. Give each guest a pen and a piece of paper, and ask them to guess which baby picture goes with each guest! The winner gets a baby bottle full of little candies.

Random Party Ideas #9

A dog birthday party is loads of fun. No, we’re not talking about a dog-themed party, but rather an actual party for your four-legged companion and his or her friends! If you and your dog are dog park regulars, invite some of your dog favorite playmates. Dogs can chow down on bone-shaped dog treats while humans eat a bone-shaped human cake. And if the cake for your human friends isn’t chocolate and doesn’t contain raisins or macadamia nuts, it wouldn’t hurt for the dogs to have a small bite. While the dogs are having fun with each other, human friends can play pin-the-pawprint-on-the-dog by placing a cut-out pawprint on a dog poster while blindfolded. To encourage dogs and their human companions to interact in a game, set up an easy agility-type course with different obstacles that the dogs and humans complete together. Or have a friendly obedience competition so the better-trained dogs can show off! One thing to exclude from a dog birthday party is balloons. At least one is bound to get popped, and some dogs are as terrified of the sound of a popping balloon as they are of thunder or fireworks.