Throw A Party For Your Tween
Top Party Ideas and Places
Friends, and looking cool in front of those friends, are of the utmost importance to tweens. Planning a party for this age group can seem like a daunting task. Try asking your child what kind of party he or she would like to have, but if that doesn't work, try these can't-miss ideas:
Girl Parties
Pop Star Party - For girls, nothing beats a good, old-fashioned slumber party, but bring it up to date by making it all about glitz and glam. Help the girls get dolled up in glamorous hair-dos and makeup...then sing karaoke to their favorite pop idol songs. Tell them they'll be recording their own "music video" at the end of the evening and let them spend some time picking out their costumes and music and choreographing their dance moves. Then record their "show" with your camcorder. Later you can download the clips and send each girl a DVD to remember the evening.
Night on the Red Carpet -- Invite the birthday girl's friends to a premiere event and make sure they arrive to a red carpet on the front walk and some paparazzi (you and some other chaperones) snapping their pictures and shouting "interview" questions to them as they arrive. On the invitation, tell them to dress up in their fanciest movie star outfit and let them know you plan to screen your daughter's favorite movie. Give the girls the complete "red carpet" treatment once inside with sparkling cider in champagne glasses and chocolate-covered strawberries. Hand out awards (goodie bags) for "Best-dressed," "Best Hair," etc. Make up enough categories so that everyone wins something.
"I Love the 80s" (or the 70s, or the 60s) -- This theme party swirls around whatever decade sounds like a lot of retro fun for your child. Maybe she loves Madonna? Then throw an 80s party complete with big hair and music from Michael Jackson, U2 and, of course, Madonna. Or you could go back to the 70s with disco lights, the Bee Gees and lava lamps. If your daughter is more of a flower child, decorate with some peace signs, play the Beatles and get everyone decked out in beads and bell-bottoms. There are plenty of ways to tie in the icons of different ages to party themes, going all the way back to the fabulous 50s sock hops and 40s Swing era.
Boy Parties
Fear Factor -- Just how fearless is your tween boy and his group of friends? Find out with this party theme based on the hit TV show. Start with invitations "warning" each guest to come only if "fear is not a factor." Meet everyone at the door with team t-shirts (which also help keep their clothes clean). At the party, guests earn points by completing a number of challenges designed with a certain "gross out" level in mind. Get creative with your own challenges or try one of these. "Dirty Worm" uses packages of gummy worms and rolls them in crushed Oreos so they look like earthworms covered in dirt. Each participant pulls a number from a hat and must eat that many worms. Or you're your guests perform a "Cricket Relay." Purchase a box of crickets from a local pet supply company. Place a set of keys to a lock in the bottom of the box of crickets. Have each guest race to the box and reach in to find the set of keys. Whoever can race back and unlock the box fastest wins.
Survivor! -- This is another great tween theme based on a popular TV show and is the perfect boys' version of a slumber party. It's all about atmosphere, so light up your yard with tiki torches and break the party into tribes by giving them red or blue bandanas to wear just like the island Survivors. Tell them they have to build their own "shelter" with various objects placed outside ahead of time (blanket, tarp, clothes pins, and rope). Then try some games such as Spears (a stick thrown at a cardboard target), Stumps (tug-of-war standing on a crooked platform), and Worms (wearing large rubber gloves to fish out one spaghetti noodle from a bucket, run to the bottle to deposit the "worm" and return to hand off the gloves to next in line). Each successful challenge earns points, which can be traded in for sodas and snacks throughout the night.
Sports Nite -- If your son is a sports nut, it's easy to structure a party around his favorite team. For instance, if he loves a professional basketball team, you can send out official looking invitations using the team logo or make the invitation look like the ticket to a game. At the party, paint the boys' faces with team colors, favorite player's jersey numbers or nicknames. Then for activities, play basketball shooting games and trivia games about the birthday boy's favorite team. Prizes could include team souvenirs such as hats, t-shirts or balls. Food for a party of this type is as easy as Gatorade (just like the players drink) and goodies from the "concession stand." Decorations? Team colors, of course! This type of party can be adapted to fit any team in any sport.
Boy/Girl Parties
Mall Scavenger Party -- Just about every tween lives for the mall which makes this party theme perfect for boys and girls. If each guest has access to a video camera, try to make it a video scavenger hunt, which eliminates the burden of carrying items back and makes some of the challenges more creative. Split the kids into teams of twos or threes and give them a list of challenges and transportation to the mall. Here are some ideas: Film every letter of the team members' first names using the letters in the store signs. Get the mall security guard to say hello to the birthday boy/girl on camera. Have a member of your team sing "I'm a Little Teacup", complete with hand motions, in the middle of the food court. Have a boy team member try on a woman's hat, sunglasses and scarf and sing "I Feel Pretty." Have a girl team member try to tie a necktie in the men's department. Then have them meet the party chaperones at the food court for snacks (if it's a small group) or head home for a hilarious playback party and simple refreshments.
Murder Mystery Party - A mystery party is a unique twist on theme parties that provides enough of a challenge to keep older kids amused, yet is a simple option for parents. Many companies offer kits for sale for less than $50, some instantly downloadable from the Internet, to help you plan the entire party. With a mystery party, the children will play act from a script or character clues, gather other clues, and attempt to solve a mystery. Some of these games involve murders for older teens to solve. Others are toned down for younger players and just have a non-deadly mystery to solve. You can keep it as simple as you like, or go full-speed with costumes, props and even food that contributes to the theme of the mystery. Most kits come with suggestions for all aspects of the staging and many of the storylines are from a time in the past, like Victorian England or the Wild West, so you can really ham it up with costumes and such.
