Tween Birthday Party Ideas
My twins turned 9 over a week ago. Their birthday was on a Saturday, but we had family in town and lots of activities going on that weekend so we couldn’t plan a party. We did go out to dinner with family though. And dad took them bowling while I took our teens to see a play our community theater was putting on. I was hoping that would be enough.
Of course it wasn’t.
I’ve been battling a sinus infection and had a midterm last week (and if you give me a few minutes I can probably come up with a couple more reasons why I procrastinated) so I really put off the birthday planning. You know what happens when you put off birthday planning. TWO sleepovers. With lots of LOUD kids. That’s what happens.
We have boy/girl twins so, of course, they don’t have the same friends. That meant we had a boy party on Friday night and a girl party of Saturday night. And, yes, it was just as traumatic as it sounds. For me at least.
So I’ve decided we need to start brainstorming ways to celebrate birthdays that don’t involve sleepovers.
First I dug in to the Weary Parent archives for inspiration where I found 13 ideas for a fabulous tween birthday party. These great ideas include:
- Bowling
- A movie
- Swimming (either indoor or outdoor)
- Snow tubing
- Mini-golf
- Rockwall climbing
- A sporting event (college, semi-pro or pro)
- Community theater
- Ice skating or roller skating
- Cooking at a make & take dinner establishment
- A cookout or picnic at a local park
- A trip to a local museum
- Volunteering at an animal shelter
Some other great Weary Parent ideas that can be done at a rented community center or a local park are a make-your-own-pizza party or a French dinner party. Or if you must have it at your house, have a a camping party (where the kids stay outside).
If that’s not enough some additional ideas for a tween party are:
- Have a scavenger hunt at the mall (or a park).
- Play laser tag.
- Play paint ball.
- Take a trip to a local amusement park.
- Go to a fun center (a grown up Chuck E. Cheese, such as Enchanted Castle in Illinois) where they have video games, bumper cars, go-karts and the like.
- Go to the zoo.
- Get facials at a local salon.
- Or manicures and pedicures.
- Go hiking at a local park.
- Play a game of football or soccer or go golfing.
- Take a self defense class.
- Have a Hawaiian themed party at the beach.
- Go sledding in the winter.
- Make pottery at a pottery store.
- Make jewelry at a bead store.
- This time of year go to a pumpkin patch.
- Take a trip to an apple orchard.
- Visit a farm. It’s a great place for hayrack or tractor rides. Some local dairy farms even let kids milk cows.
- Rent a room at a restaurant and have your own Tween Idol. Bring a karaoke machine and Mom and Dad can be Paula and a much nicer version of Simon.
What other ideas do you have? What not-at-home parties have your tweens had?
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I’ll have to store this for a later time, my son is only 2
Have a make-your-own pizza party. You can use canned biscuits for the crusts so that you will have small individual pizzas. You just pat them down and around to flatten them out to a pizza size.
Love all these ideas, I have three kids so I can use all the help I can!
Bowling. May not be very cost effective if trying to save a buck.
lots to look forward to
Great ideas! I’ll have to keep these handy for when my kids get a bit older.
Get a lot of face paints, wacky nail polish, and hair wraps, and let the kids do each other. Then take lots of Polaroids and make a photo gallery!
My tweens are usually home partiers. They play guitar hero and I let them get loud-its only one night. I take my computer and hide in the garage. I gave the boys whoopee cushions from the dollar store and they played for hours with those gross things. One time they went & did laser tag, the dad took them and it sure was nice…nice & quiet.
enter me
thank you! excellent ideas that i will definitely keep on hand when my girls turn that age. thank you
tatertot374@sbcglobal.net
my grandson has his birthday during the summer months-he told everyone to bring their swimsuits. They furnished the squirt guns, water balloons and the slip and slide
Craft parties are fun. One year, we did tie dyeing at my son’s party. His friends want to dye tie every year.
Mine loved it when we took her and a couple of friends on a mini shopping spree. We hit a couple of thrift stores and the $ Tree.
We did laser tag and the kids (and their parents) loved it! And I love surprises – count me in!
My son has gone to Dave & Busters to play video games. Thanks!
Thanks for the contest
I’ll keep these ideas in mind since I have two tween girls! Thanks also for the giveaway!
I’d love to win this
Excellent birthday party ideas, thank-you.
tamben7996(at)aol(dot)com
I love the parent ideas!!
Great ideas. A “volunteer” party is always a good idea. You can volunteer to clean up a local park and have a picnic afterward or see what kind of help your local animal shelter could use (especially since tweens tend to looooove animals!)
My daughter’s 14th birthday is this December and we are having it at a bowling alley.
I wonder what the surprise is!
Both of my children are winter babies, January and December so planning parties is always hard for me as I am a summer baby and I always had outdoor sleepovers.
We have went to an indoor hot springs for swimming, bowling, movies, fast-food playground areas. Our most special was a day of sledding during one good snow season.
enter me!
Thanks for all the great ideas! I don’t really have any of my own.
With a tween birthday party coming up here next month, I’ll have to try some of those ideas! Thanks!
Great ideas! There were some I hadn’t thought of before.
Thanks!
Lots of good ideas here.
Thanks for including me.
no tweens here yet, but what great ideas
My tween grandaughter usually does the pizza thing.
For my son’s 14th bday this summer, I took him & 4 friends to the Drive-In. They had a blast running around, eating pizza & watching The Dark Knight.
All good ideas!! Why not make a list of the “do-able” ones and let the child decide? Gets them involved in their own party!
So many ideas – thanks!
Thanks for the ideas! My DD just turned 11 and I was looking for some good ideas as a sleepover was NOT an option!
pool party at a hotel
please enter me thanks
I have 3 young children so I am always looking for some great party ideas. Thank you for sharing some with us all. What a fun giveaway – I love surprises and now we can all enjoy letting our imaginations run wild with anticipation!
I am all for the parties that are NOT at my house!
Everything costs so much when you don’t have it at home. However…ideas include movie theater birthday party and of course places like Incredible Pizza.
Sounds like great ideas.
Cooking parties are fun. Our local grocery store has a kitchen and you can have birthday parties. It’s great for little and big kids.
I dont have tweens yet,but when they are these are some great ideas that I have to write down
Edge Brownie Pan
We have done the same things… movie, skating, bowling, swim party, build-a-bear… who knows about next week! Some things are out because she is a July baby and it gets too hot for outside stuff!
Great ideas! although it’ll be awhile before I have a tween in the house! My little guy is only going to be 3!!
I was going to suggest paint ball because a lot of children are into it.
laser tag is sooo much fun! most of the places have a party room
Thank you for all the information and ideas. Please enter me, ty