How to Throw A Girls' Tea Party

Little girls love to play make-believe and dress-up. Throwing a tea party for them is a way to combine these interests into a fun afternoon gathering. With a little planning, creativity and imagination, you can throw a tea party the girls will always remember.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Establish a theme for the party. Popular girls' tea party themes are garden party and Victorian.

2. Design or purchase invitations for the tea party and mail them to guests. Ask the little girls to wear a party dress and hat to fit the theme of the tea party. Send the invitations at least three weeks in advance of the party date.

3. Purchase an inexpensive little girl's tea set to use during the party. If the children are young, you can expect some of the cups and saucers to break during the party.

4. Hold the party outdoors if weather permits. A tea party held in a garden is the perfect setting, but if you must have the party indoors, hold it in the most formal room in your house, such as the living room or dining room.

5. Decorate the tea party table with a pretty floral tablecloth and small vases full of fresh flowers.

6. Make cookies or biscotti for the girls to dip into the tea. Place sugar cubes and lemon slices in small dishes on the table, and pour milk, honey and vanilla into small serving pitchers.

7. Assemble cheese and peanut butter and jelly finger sandwiches. Cut them into fun shapes using cookie cutters.

8. Give the guests inexpensive costume jewelry necklaces and rings to wear during the party.

9. Send each little girl home with a tea party favor, such as a crown or a small bag of cookies.

Tips & Warnings

• Involve the little girl who is hosting the party in the planning process. Often times, she will have an imaginative idea to enhance the tea party that you would never think of.
• Keep the party's length to about two hours. If it's longer than that, the children may grow tired.
• If you don't want to serve tea to the girls because of its caffeine content, look for decaffeinated tea instead.
• Show the girls how to hold tea cups properly and encourage them to pretend that they are grown-up ladies at a social gathering.
• Don't use your good china tea set for the girls' tea party unless you're willing to accept potential breakage.