Eleven years of birthdays! Have you done it all in terms of birthday parties? Springfield Moms reader Holly Dahlquist shares details from her tween daughter’s party from five years ago!
“We have held family parties, swim parties, Chuck E Cheese parties, Glow Golf, Bounce House, bowling, Skateland, the Nelson Center and Washington Park.
My daughter wanted a sleepover with a few of her closest friends, but we wanted something fun that would be different than years past. What does every preteen girl like to do? Shop! So, I offered to take them to the mall, but I took it a step further and hosted her actual party at the mall complete with dinner in the food court, cake, presents, shopping and a scavenger hunt. Below is how I put our plan into action.
- Pick a non-crowded night so the workers might be more willing to help in the scavenger hunt if not super busy with other customers. We got there around 5:45 p.m.
Explain the rules. Ours were basic. The girls had to stay together, not run or be overly loud, and be courteous to anyone not on board with their scavenger hunt. (Side note: I was extremely surprised at how excited the sales associates were to help the girls. Employees loved reading the list and even offered suggestions!) I did not place a time limit on the hunt and told them they could also shop while doing the hunt.- In lieu of party favors/treat bags, I gave each girl $11 since the birthday girl would turn 11. One girl immediately quipped, “Best take home favor ever!”
Off they went with their list and cash. The girls did half the list in 45 minutes, and then we had dinner/pizza in the food court. (I brought drinks to save money). They took another 45 minutes to finish the list. We then had cake/presents back at the food court. The rest of the night was spent shopping! We closed the mall down at 9:00 p.m., which I would call a successful evening. We arrived home for a traditional sleep over with dancing, ghost stories, giggling and fun.
The highlight for me was when my daughter hugged me tight and thanked me for giving her a great night.”
Scavenger Hunt List
- How many bathroom stalls are in the food court restrooms?
- How many dressing rooms are in Loft?
Find out what the most expensive piece of jewelry is at Kay’s Jewelers.- Have a random shopper take a group picture in the elevator.
- Get a shopper’s autograph with words of advice.
- Get a shopping bag from Build A Bear.
- Everyone must high five a sales person in Champs.
- Ask to sample a pickle at Subway.
- Ask for a price tag from any store.
- Make a duck face holding an item with a duck on it.
- Perfume sample from Macy’s.
- Buy something under a $1.00 and pay with all pennies.
- Spell out YMCA with the help of two people you do not know.
- Have one person try on the same outfit as a window mannequin in Justice.
- Get a napkin from a food court restaurant (not Subway).
- Get an employment application from Auntie Anne’s.
- Buy something that you can all share for under $10 from Bath and Body Works.
- Get a mall directory.
