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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Plus you can still leave a comment on Friday’s Making Healthy Food Choices post to win that surprise gift.

Post from: Blisstree

Tween Birthday Party Ideas

Before the Party

I made 2 batches of pizza dough and assembled the toppings for the pizzas. I set up an extra table outside for the girls to use as a work surface. We also made a list of games that the girls might want to play. Instead of goody bags, each girl got to decorate and take an apron, take home a rolling pin (found them at Target in the $1 area), and a small bag of candy from the Pass the Present game.

Arrive & Decorate Aprons

I purchased some inexpensive plain aprons and Crayola Fabric Markers. When the girls first arrived they picked out an apron and decorated it with fabric markers. They played in the yard until everyone had arrived and finished with their aprons.

Make Your Own Pizza

The girls all put on their aprons and gathered around the work table. I had them sprinkle flour all over the work surface – which they thought was fun.

Next I gave each girl a piece of pizza dough to work with.

The girls rolled out their pizzas, then brought them to another table to top them with their choice of sauces (marinara or alfredo) and toppings (pepperoni, ham, pineapple, black olives).

While the pizzas were baking, the girls played tag, had handstand and hula contests, and played on the swing set. I was able to quickly clean up the work area with the hose and dry it off. The pizzas were a hit!

Pass the Present

We also played Pass the Present. This is a simple game that involves some preparation. Wrap an item or items in multiple layers of wrapping paper. When you play the game, have the kids sit in a circle. Play some music and the kids pass the present from person to person. When the music stops, have the child holding the present unwrap one layer. Start the music again and repeat until the final package is opened. I always put lots of little items in the last package so everyone can get a prize. There is another way to play the game where you wrap a small item in each layer so that every time a layer comes off, that individual gets a prize.

Make Your Own Sundaes

My daughter isn’t one for cake so we set out plenty of toppings and let the girls top their own ice cream. It was definitely easier than cake and there was no waste!

Overall, it had to be one of the easiest birthday parties I have ever hosted – considering I had 15 tween girls at my house at one time!

Post from: Blisstree

Make Your Own Pizza Party Activity

The invitations were cute – they were simple postcards made on the computer with the Paris skyline and all the party details. The invitations requested that the girls dress up and bring a something “French” for a game. We hunted high and low, but ended up finding a really cute tin lunchbox/purse at 5 Below that was light brown with travel designs on it and it said “Bon Voyage”. According to my daughter, this was the hot item in their White Elephant game.

When we got to the party Annie’s Mom had set up two round tables with chairs and decorated the room to look like a French restaurant. Each girl had a name plate at her seat and they each got mini salt and pepper shakers to take home.

Annie’s Dad was dressed up as a Chef and he did all the cooking, too. The girls dined on French Onion soup, salad, Ham and Cheese Crossaints, Au Gratin Potatoes, and finished up with mini Cheesecakes, Fruit Tarts, and Creme Brulees for dessert.

They played the White Elephant gift exchange and did a decoupage craft. Annie gave them each a cute pink poodle for coming. Overall, the party was a success.

Post from: Blisstree

French Dinner Party Birthday