The 11- to 14-year-old set can be hard to please. But when it comes to their birthdays, go all out to impress them with cool age-appropriate themes that won’t embarrass them. The days of pinatas and musical chairs may be over, but you don’t have to sacrifice the fun. Get creative and try a few birthday party themes for tweens.
Spa Day
Everyone likes to be pampered, so why not incorporate a spa day into the birthday theme? If a trip to an expensive salon is out of your budget, you can set up all the comforts of a spa in your home. Have your child invite a few friends over for the night, and get working on the relaxation and rejuvenation. Have the girls wear their robes and slippers and put on some soft music. Place sliced cucumbers on the eyes and slather on a nice, thick facial mask. Give manicures and pedicures, and do some fancy hair styling. For a natural moisturizing touch, rub lemons on knees and elbows to make silky-smooth skin, suggests Martha Stewart.
Monster High
Treat your girl and her friends to a funky Monster High party. Encourage your daughter’s friends to come dressed as their favorite Monster High character. Then creep out the walkway with cobwebs, spiders, and leaves, hand out lipstick-shaped sugar cookies, and make party favors out of little coffins stuffed with silver chocolate coins and miniature skull candies.
Rock Star For A Day
What tween doesn’t wish at one time or another he was a rock star? Make his wish come true, at least for a day, with a party tricked out in true rock star fashion. Create VIP badges for the guests to wear around their necks when they arrive. Roll out the red carpet as they arrive, have karaoke set up for your tween and his guests to belt out songs. You could even hang a guitar- or drum-shaped pinata, hand out and apply temporary tattoos, set up props such as inflatable guitars and microphones, and send them all home with a goodie bag stocked with funky shades, glow necklaces, bling rings, guitar picks, bead necklaces, and fingerless gloves.
Night At The Movies
No matter what your tween’s favorite movie, you can create a whole night around it. Purchase or rent his favorite movie and go all out with the decorations. Invite kids to the party using a movie ticket template, and decorate the room with film strips, bottle wrappers, popcorn tubs, movie theater candy, and foods that complement the movie’s theme. For example, for Harry Potter, serve owl-shaped cookies, mandrake cakes, licorice wands and chocolate-covered upside down ice cream cones on top of cupcakes to resemble witches’ hats.
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
What tween girl doesn’t like taking and displaying photos of her and her friends goofing around? Take that theme and go with it, inspiring a photo collage party. Print out different-sized photos of your child and her friends — black and white adds a nice extra touch — and arrange them on the floor in the shape of her birthday age, suggests Martha Stewart. Tape them together and then tape the finished product on the wall. Attach photos to craft sticks and insert into individual cupcakes to make custom cupcake toppers. Make a lasting impression with a photo finish!
This article is written by mommy blogger Ashlyn Cooper. She knows that impressing your tween can be a challenge, but says you can’t go wrong with a monsters high party.