How to Host a Tea Party for Any Age

Tea parties are a great way for friends of any age to get together and have a good time. While the traditional tea party involves adults, it is also a popular treat for young girls to take a part of. Make sure your tea party is centered around the participants involved for an enjoyable time.

Start by sending out invitations to your guests. For children, it is a fun idea to create your own invitations using scrapbooking materials and stamps. As for adults, many have email and Evite.com can be utilized for free. Use a fun icon of a tea kettle with a cup and saucer. There are thousands of free images on stock.xchng.

Before guests arrive, prepare the table everyone will be having tea at. This should have an elegant décor with a linen tablecloth, cloth napkins and a decorative centerpiece. Teacups, saucers, plates and utensils should already be set in place as well. If this is for a children's tea party, you can use fun, girly placemats under their setting.

As guests arrive, have someone waiting at the door to take the ladies' coats. If you are looking for some playful fun, have a selection of hats available for guests to wear as they get in the Victorian tea time party mode. Little girls will especially love this idea and you can even have feather boas available.

After guests are seated, it is a good idea to have someone serving the food and replenishing the hot water. A selection of dried tea leaves should also be brought out for guests to choose from and enjoy. For the younger crowd, this can include tea bags. For the older crowd, tea bags will work, but you can also go with loose tea and strainers for a more traditional effect. Honey, sugar cubes and milk should also be set out.

As the host, you can propose new topics to discuss or even make things fun by allowing guests to pull out an index card from a set of topics. As the adult hosting a tea party for children, you'll want to make sure each girl has a fair chance at speaking during the conversation and enjoying one another's company.

Guests can leave with a gift bag of a fine selection of teas to remember your party by. If you take pictures during the tea party, be sure to share with your friends on Evite.com or send out thank you cards to guests with a photo of the event on the cover.