Themes for Fabulous Tween Parties

It's easy to plan parties for young children, right? Give them a cake and some gifts and they'll be delighted. Birthdays get more complicated as children get older and enter the 8-12 age group. Your kids may have a hard time setting a topic and an agenda. Consider these party ideas if you're stuck.

Spa Makeover Day

Create a spa atmosphere in your home. When guests arrive, take "before" photos, then ask everyone to change into pajamas or bathrobes and take turns in the stations you have set up for manicures, pedicures, massages, facials, and makeup.

Get the kids to dress up or hire some teens to do the work. Keep a small stack of style and celebrity magazines on hand each season, as well as pitchers of cucumber-infused water and trays of sliced fruit.

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Once everyone has been pampered, take "after" photos. While everyone is eating, opening presents, and singing "Happy Birthday," print the photos from your computer, frame them, and present the framed photos to each child as a favor at the end of the party.

Instead of, or in addition to, you can gift small gift bags with nail polish, a nail file, and lip gloss inside.

Go green

If the birthday person is a budding environmentalist, build the theme around going green. Activities can include old-fashioned games like kicking the tin or making a craft like wind chimes from nature supplies, antique silverware, and knickknacks found in thrift stores.

You can also take the kids on a service tour, like picking up trash in a wilderness area or planting trees.

Food should be natural and healthy, such as sliced fruits and vegetables, smoothies, and homemade family favorites. Even the cake can have an eco-friendly theme.

For favors, send each child home with something for the garden or a pot and a packet of seeds.

Adventure game show

Consider throwing a disgusting birthday party. Just be sure to inform parents about invitations that children should wear clothes that can get dirty.

Set up various stations, such as places where children will be blindfolded and taught to put their hands in bowls with worms (cold, oily, cooked spaghetti) and eyes (peeled grapes). Children get points for correctly identifying what they are playing at.

Another season could be to taste concoctions like "People Puppy Chow" served in doggie bowls and baked eyes. Host various contests, like filling a tub of water with rubber rats and seeing which kid can kill the most rats using just their teeth in 30 seconds.

Gifts should be bags full of jokes, such as gum worms, gum eyes, and gum pads. You can also make t-shirts for each child that say "I survived a totally disgusting birthday party!" Keep in mind; some kids can really get tired of the activities. Never pressure a child to participate in a challenge that makes him or her uncomfortable.

Shopping and a movie

You can organize your whole kid's party in a shopping mall. Give the kids 30 minutes to shop, then meet at the food court for snacks and cakes. After opening the goodies, give everyone the party favors - movie tickets. The party ends at the theater and you return home clean.

Be cunning

Throw an impromptu party, host three or more seasons of tweens craft activities. Choose crafts that are not time-consuming, smart, and appeal to this age group, such as:

Frames

Body glitter or henna art
bags do it yourself
To bring the handmade theme home, make party decorations with your child ahead of time, including serving bowls for pretzels or other dry foods and decorations made with rubber stamps, paper, and toothpicks.

Party for a cause

At this age, children know very well that the world is not a perfect place. If there is a specific cause that is important to your child, you may want the party to serve as a benefit. Invitations, decorations, gifts, and cakes can also be tied to charity themes.

Animal lovers, for example, can host a cat or dog themed party and ask guests to bring cat litter or dog food instead of gifts.

These items would then be donated to a local animal shelter. Similarly, a winter-themed party can be an opportunity to collect coats, hats, and gloves for children in need. During the summer, throw a themed party by the pool or on the beach.