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Party Planning for Boys and Girls

Hi Penelope,
I am planning a party for January. What are some activities that I could use, taking into consideration the fact that this is a boy-girl party?
Mary
Via e-mail

Dear Mary,
While I’m not sure the age of your guests or the focus of your party (birthday, simple get-together, dinner, etc.), I’ve definitely got a few party planning tips up my sleeve that should help you get started.

First, think about the age of your guests. Are the boy-girl partygoers of a young enough age that members of the opposite sex are still kind of yucky, or are they well past that point? If your party guests are still at the yucky stage, it may be best to offer two kinds of activities that would interest one group or the other. If you're in the market for a coed party theme, check out this quick list of party themes for boys and girls.

Did you or a family member get a Wii for Christmas? With such a wide variety of games and a fun process, Wii is perfect for boys and girls. A karaoke setup is another good bet, as songs can be chosen that fit both boy and girl participants. You might even set up a karaoke contest and pick a boy and a girl winner at the end of the day (check out these karaoke contest ideas and tips if a karaoke contest sounds right for your party).

One other group activity that might work is to give each party guest his or her own picture frame, small wooden box or another inexpensive, personalizable gift you could send each partygoer home with. Then set out beads, macaroni, pre-cut pieces of felt, ribbon or fabric or magazine clippings and let each party guest personalize his or her own take-home gift. 

The key to all good party planning is to make sure that you're offering activities that suit your guests overall. Even if the boys and girls at your party prefer to work in boy-boy or girl-girl pairs during the karaoke contest or the Wii fest, you've got everyone participating together and you don't have to worry about running back and forth between one room and another to check on your guests. Have fun!

Enjoy Planning.
Penelope