9 Year Old Birthday partyThanks Everyone! I Have Recruited a Good Friend to Com

I totally agree with the craft thing! Often you can go to Hobby Lobby or any big craft store and get the plain wood jewelry box for a couple bucks, buy some paint, glitter, glue and gems and let them make jewelry boxes! You can do it with anything, but girls are getting "girly" at that age and that what I plan on doing when my daughter turns 9 in a few months! You could also make cupcakes and let them decorate a few and take them home in a little box!
Oh and, I know were in Michigan, but you might be able to do a scavenger hunt and have neat prizes and stuff for the kids!

Instead of spending money on gift bags and what you put in them, get a craft that they can do at the party and take home.

Craft ideas...
-decorate a picture frame (If you have a digital camera and printer you could take a group picture of all the girls and print it out for them to put in their frames.)

-decorate plain tote bags with fabric paint.

-make necklaces or bracelets

Take a look around somewhere like Michael's or JoAnn's for ideas.

Put on some music. They can dance if they want.

You won't need to have the whole party structured. They will have fun playing on their own too. Plan to have pizza, cake, a craft activity and maybe a game or two and let them have some free time as well.

I would do a make your own pizza bar. Give each a bagel or a square of french bread, let them top it themselves from the choices you put out.

Then after they eat, play musical freezetag or musical chairs, anything with music.

They can give each other manicures and pedicures. Just put out polish, remover, and files. You could get halloween colors.

Then let them decorate thier own cupcakes.

I agree with everyone else. Crafts are the way to go! They could decorate their own pillow case (plain white pillow case, fabric paints/markers), a spa day for them would be good too, and for that they could use your own polishes or you can get some cheap ____@____.com kids LOVE shrinky dinks! Most of them have never seen them before. I think they've got them at pretty much every craft store. Honestly though you don't want it too structured, allow some time for just having fun too. I think you'll be fine!

Skip the gift bags and let them do a craft they can bring home.
Let them use beads/strings to make friendship bracelets or necklaces. Or buy little inexpensive wooden picture frame crafts for them to decorate and then stick of photo of them at the party in it and give to them.

One game that is always fun for us it letting them bash on a pinata. LOL There is the typical pin the tail on the ______.. which as "old school" as it is, the kids still love. Make it something fun... get a poster of something your daugher likes (Bieber? Cartoon character like SpongeBob or whatever) and draw bullseye circles with black marker, stick it on the wall, and let them pin _____ on it. For Spongebob, let them pin a bubble to it, etc.

My granddaughters birthday is next month. They have been floating around all kinds of ideas for her party. They have come up with the following (which may or may not happen at my house lol)

cookie decorating sleepover party
6pm girls will arrive with sleeping bags and pillows
they will have spaghetti & meatballs & garlic bread (anna's favorite supper)

7pm they are going to decorate cookies (baked ahead by my daughter)

after that they are watching judy moody totally bummer summer
lights out at 11 (this of course does not mean they will be asleep lol)

the girls will each take home a dozen cookies in a tin

the next morning my daughter will be making pancakes and sausage then all girls go home by 10

We loved freeze dance at that age! Just play the music or your daughters favorite cd and them turn down the volume at random. If the girl moves, shes out. Goes on until the last girl is standing. If you have a game like twister, that is a good one too. We also used to play chubby bunny. Get a few bags of the jumbo marshmallows and the girls have to put one in at a time and say "Chubby bunny." The more marshmallows they get int heir mouth it starts to sound more and more ridiculous!

Definitely do a craft- it's an activity and a "goodie" all in one! At that age, rhinestones, sparkles and "secrets" are huge. Let them make jewelry boxes to keep their treasures safe or decorate a personal journal and give them a cool pen.

Depending on how you and her friends parents would feel about it... buy some cheap make-up and let them do "makeovers" on eachother. Take before-and-after shots and they can decorate frames to take home with their "glamour shots". My parents did this for my 9th birthday and it was a blast!

Pizza and cake is perfect. You could also consider having them "make their own" pizzas and bake them off while they are decorating.