Birthday Party Ideas for 8 year olds

I performed at Ameen's birthday party in Wellesley, MA today.  It was a Star Wars Jedi Knight Training party, and it went very well.  But parties for this age, especially when they're all boys, can be a little wild.  Here's a few tips on how to make it a success:

1. Get rid of that energy: 8 year old boys are old enough to need an organized activity, but young enough that they still have a ton of energy.  We use parachute games for this purpose.  I spend about 5 minutes getting the children to expend that energy into the parachute.  When you plan your first activity, try to exhaust the kids.  Seriously, try to exhaust them.  It will pay dividends quickly.
2. Be Strict:  When I arrive at a birthday party with older children, I don't smile for the first 20 minutes.  I'm not a mean person, I swear.  But this is the age where you really have to earn the kids respect.  My sense of humor is very dry, so even when I make jokes, I don't smile.  I do this to gain the attention and respect of the children.  Once we're all working together as a team, then we can really have some fun!
3. Repetition: When instructing the children, repeat what you need done, 5, 6 or even 7 times.  Its a bit of a pain, but these guys at this age have a "pack" mentality, and you need to be able to overcome it.  Don't lose your cool.  Remain calm and keep refocusing the group.

8 year olds can be a tough bunch, but you can manage them.  Just remember who's boss and the end goal: that everyone has fun!