Birthday Party Themes for Tweens
Magical Forest Take tweens on a trip to an enchanted forest for their birthday. You can set up a long wooden table anywhere from the actual forest to your backyard. Cover the table with woodland theme decorations if you’re short on greenery, including toadstools, fairy lights, and mushroom or butterfly-shaped cupcakes. In addition to food, you can supply the party with colorful beverages to be served in glass bottles in an array of shades. For a fun activity, pair the magical forest theme with a short walk in nature or ask guests to dress up like their favorite woodland characters.
Glow-in-the-Dark Throwing a glow-in-the-dark or neon party is like creating an adult rave made for tweens and teens. The idea is to use black lights to light the party, so all that is visible is anything that is neon or glowing. This means everything—neon party decorations, clothing, props—a glow-in-the-dark birthday cake is even a possibility. Wow guests with fluorescent glow sticks they can move around with and dance to. LED balloons are an added touch that can light up the party space for the ultimate tween birthday bash.
Dance Off Turn a bunch of tweens dancing into a serious competition by holding a dance-off-themed party. Decide on an era of music the guests will dance to, have them dress accordingly, and assign everyone a number. Then, turn the music up and let them dance their hearts out. Set a reasonable time limit to see who’s left standing by the end. Decorations should match the dance-off theme with fun lighting, colorful backdrops, or a disco ball.
Fashion Show Throwing a fashion show is one of the most memorable tween girl birthday party ideas because it’s not just a party—it’s an experience. Use a striking color palette like pink and black to impress your teen fashionistas. Pink flower backdrops and black-and-white runners will create a proper runway for guests to strut their stuff. They can show up in their best outfits or mix and match with items and props they can play around with. After they hit the catwalk, treat them to a dress form cookies and a fashion-forward birthday cake.
DIY Ice Cream Bar The only thing better than ice cream at a birthday party is a DIY ice cream bar for tweens. Whether you have an outdoor ice cream bar in the summertime or set one up indoors, it’s an entertaining way for tweens to get creative about their ice cream sundae. Set up the bar with a supply of unique ice cream flavors, cups, cones, and plenty of toppings. Think sprinkles, whipped cream, and hot fudge sauce, but also Oreo bits, gummy candy, and cookie dough.
Arty Party Help your favorite tweens get in touch with their inner artist by planning an art-themed birthday party. Start with a tablecloth they can color into for younger tweens. Older ones will appreciate different activities like bracelet making, painting, or crafting. Invite an expert to easily transform your tween arty party into a bonafide art & crafts class. Keep the creative juices flowing by providing a birthday cake made from individual cupcakes. Guests can decorate their cupcakes any way they like so the art never stops.
Murder Mystery Get tweens on the path to becoming brilliant detectives by planning a themed birthday party centered on a murder mystery. The murder they have to solve can be as simple or complex as you’d like. Choose a murder victim, create a backstory (or look one up on the internet), and give guests clues on how to solve the mystery. They can work in pairs or teams to solve the mystery faster as long as you provide enough interesting items to help bring the story to life. Get creative yourself by offering up a murder mystery birthday cake that features elements like red dripping blood, a murder weapon, or a skull.
Hawaiian Luau Tweens don’t need a summer birthday to enjoy the beautiful tunes and delicious food at a Hawaiian luau party. Celebrate outside if the weather is right or set up a luau indoors to brighten up a winter birthday. Give guests grass skirts and lais, and put some Hawaiian ukulele music on repeat. Make sure to include a game of limbo to see who can go the lowest.
High Tea Birthday party ideas for teens and tween girls come to life with the elegance and tasty treats of an afternoon tea party. Invite guests to dress up in their finest threads and act as sophisticated as they can. Set up a tea party with floral decorations, mismatched vintage china, and traditional high tea traditions. These include arranging finger sandwiches, cookies, and miniature cakes onto tiered trays, in addition to serving pots of tea using whichever varieties the birthday celebrant craves most.
Harry Potter Take a group of very lucky tweens and invite them into the world of Hogwarts and Harry Potter. You can transform nearly any space into Hogwarts with the help of floating candles and strong wizard-friendly colors like blue, green, gold, silver, and bronze. Activities can include hat swapping, wand making, or quidditch. If you prefer a low-key version of Harry Potter, just hang out eating chocolate frogs, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, and watching Harry Potter movies on a loop.
Taylor Swift Party Treat your favorite tween Swiftie to a Talor Swift birthday party to end all parties. Start with a photo backdrop to mirror 1989’s Polaroid album cover. Guests will love snapping pics with their pals so much that they might think they’re actually at a Taylor Swift concert. Create a dance floor so everyone can party to their favorite Taylor tunes and include glamorous, colorful desserts that stand out, like a mirror glaze cake that says celebration.
Birthday Brunch Throw an early birthday party for tweens by creating a first-class brunch they can dig into. This is one of the easiest birthday ideas for tweens that works indoors or outdoors. You can pick the theme and match it to your favorite decor or mood (garden party, boho chic, retro diner) and serve up lots of breakfast comfort foods. Include sweet and savory favorites like pancakes, french toast, omelets, and breakfast sandwiches. Stick some candles into a giant donut cake in place of a traditional birthday cake for a unique birthday celebration. It’s possible to focus your brunch birthday party on a specific food item by creating a DIY bar for omelets, sandwiches, or pancake/waffle topping stations.
Retro 1980s Party Go back in time for a fun-loving 1980s party the tweens in your life will love. Get a musical playlist going of all the #1 hits from the 80s and invite guests to dress in their parachute pants, rubber bracelets, and big hairdos. You can find 1980s party packs that include a bunch of fun, vibrant decorations inspired by the 80s. Some include sunglasses, boombox decor, and lots of clashing patterns to play with.
Video Game Tournament Gather the tweens you know and love so they can battle it out to see who’s the best video game champion among them. Set up as many gaming stations as you’ve got consoles so guests can compete against each other. They can dress up like their favorite video game characters and hang out in a space full of video game decor that highlights themes like “Level Up” or “Game On.” Offer fun prizes to the winners and include video game party favors for everyone.
Supernatural Party Embrace the dark side by throwing your tween a birthday party that celebrates all things supernatural. Go crazy with spooky decorations, including blood handprint balloons, blood bag drinks, and a gothic skull cake topper. Invite guests to come as their favorite scary character and offer cool activities like tarot card readings, age-appropriate scary movie and TV series viewings, and a scavenger hunt using spooky items.
Tween Birthday Party Outing Ideas
Scavenger Hunt Holding a birthday scavenger hunt gives tweens the freedom they crave to go out into the world and discover something new. You can choose any kind of theme for your scavenger hunt, as well as any kind of location. It can take place at home, in the backyard, in a local park, or at the mall. Put together a set of clear, concise instructions so the teams can reach their goal. A fun twist is letting the teams take photos on a phone to complete each task. For example, one task can include a photo of a team member “lying on a bench,” “wearing sunglasses,” or “asking someone for the time.” The team that has the most photos completed on time, wins.
Paintball If tweens are in the mood for an outing, paintball is a great place to start. Many paintball centers take care of all the details for birthday parties, right down to the last set of goggles. There are both indoor and outdoor paintball options you can arrange according to the time of year and the number of participants. To add some flair when it’s time to blow out the candles, you can easily make a paintball birthday cake with dark chocolate frosting. Simply mix different colors of additional icing and squeeze them out haphazardly over the top of the cake so they drip down the sides. Guests will love this messy, colorful end to a day of paintball play.
Picnic in the Park A tween birthday picnic in the park can be as extravagant or simple as you like. Set up a table and chairs, along with decorations, for a basic day out with friends. Turn the birthday bash into a bohemian-friendly fest by sitting on a blanket with comfy patterned pillows and lanterns nearby. Organize some field day games so guests have plenty to do in between hanging out under the sun.
Skating Rink Take a group of fun-loving tweens to a skating rink for a raucous birthday celebration. Choose the kind of skating rink they prefer, depending on the time of year. Roller rinks and roller derbies are incredibly fun in summer and fall, but ice skating rinks are a winter treat (and are open all year long if they’re indoors). There’s plenty of opportunity to skate at a beginner's level and still have a great time. If you’re treating the birthday boy or girl to an ice skating winter wonderland, a hot chocolate station with different available toppings is a nice way to end the day at home afterward.
Outdoor Movie Night Transform your backyard into a drive-in movie with a movie viewing outdoors. Set up a concession stand full of traditional movie theater treats, including popcorn, hot dogs, candy, and chocolates. Ensure everyone agrees on the chosen film (including parents) so guests all have a great time. Get a projector to show the movie and use a white sheet to project the movie onto so everyone has a good seat for the show.
Water Park Head to the local water park for a fun-filled day of adventures outdoors. Arrange for group admission beforehand so everyone can head into the park together and get the good times started as soon as the party begins. A water park birthday party makes it easy to feed guests and end the day with no cleanup! Many water parks also offer party packages that include food, beverages, and a space to hold a birthday party in between water slides.
Miniature Golf Go miniature golfing to celebrate a birthday for a deserving tween and their pals. Mini golf sites include indoor and outdoor options and may allow you to reserve extra space for the party portion of the birthday. Playing up to 18 holes of mini golf in unique and challenging terrains won’t leave any idle time for guests to get bored. Include miniature golf party favors as a fun way to say thank you to guests for coming.
Escape Room Head to an actual escape room to host the mother of all tween birthday parties. Guests can use their know-how to solve puzzles and move through (typically) 4 stages to “escape” the room. Rent out the escape room beforehand so you are free to plan other parts of the party. It’s possible to also host an escape room party at home if you can create a story, and a set of clues and puzzles challenging enough for guests to work out.
Hotel Sleepover For the ultimate tween party getaway, take the birthday girl or boy and a few friends to a nice hotel for the best sleepover experience. Book adjoining rooms when possible so everyone can easily hang out together. There’s nothing better than room service, but you can also bring a bunch of snacks for them to munch on. If the hotel has a pool or activities, it’ll make for an even better time. The best part is, the next morning everyone gets a delicious breakfast and heads home without you having to clean anything up yourself. Even if you eat out at the hotel restaurant, you can bring the birthday cake to the room(s) for an after-dinner extravaganza.
Pool Party Summer birthdays are the best when there’s a pool in proximity to the party. Whether you hold a pool party for tweens in your backyard or at a public pool, guests will love diving into the water, playing games in the shallow end, and relaxing under the sun. You can decorate the area with a few poolside accessories and serve beverages with tiny umbrellas so they feel like they’re at a resort by the beach.
At-Home Birthday Party Ideas for Tweens
Slumber Party Having a birthday sleepover is a classic party idea because it’s simple and loads of fun. You can tailor your slumber party with whatever activities or games you prefer most (card games, board games, Truth or Dare, spa day, or DIY pizza bar). Younger tweens may like to set up small tents for an indoor adventure that feels like a camping trip.
DIY Spa Day Tween-girl birthday party ideas always include a DIY spa day. Set up different beauty stations that include manicures/pedicures, facials, makeup, and hair. Everyone should be able to enjoy a few spa services and help deliver them to others. For a really good time, get matching bathrobes for the guests so they feel transported to an actual spa. Play relaxing music, light candles, and offer them healthy spa water with mint, lemon, and cucumber in between sessions. Include mini spa party favors so guests can leave with something special they’ll love using at home.
Board Game Party Let the birthday party games begin with an all-out board game bash at home. Set up areas where guests can play classic board games like Clue, Monopoly, and Sorry!, along with new games, including Hues and Cues, Exploding Kittens, and Cards Against Humanity. Add some other fun party games in the mix, like Pictionary, Charades, or Would You Rather?
Cooking/Baking Competition Encourage tweens to channel their inner culinary champion by holding a cooking or baking competition at a home birthday party. Decide on the dish (pizza, cupcakes, pasta, or cookies), set up stations, gather your ingredients (along with a recipe), and watch them go. The best part is, no matter whose is the best, they get to eat all the food they prepare after it’s judged. If you want to make the competition more challenging, give the participants 3 simple recipes to compete with. For example, include 1 appetizer, 1 main, and 1 dessert.
Tie Dye Party Get everyone involved in making tie dye for an activity-based party at home. Mess-proof a space in the house, go outside, or use the garage so guests can have fun without worry. Rent some tie-dye-making kits so everyone can get as creative as they like and end up with a piece of tie-dye clothing to go home with. Get inspired yourself to make a tie-dye birthday cake full of bold colors that tweens will love digging into after they’re finished.
Talent Show Discover how talented your favorite tween’s friends are by putting together a talent show birthday party. Mention the talent show in the invitations so everyone who wants to participate can plan their act accordingly. Give each guest 5-10 minutes to sing, dance, or play their heart out. By the time you serve the birthday cake, they’ll be congratulating whoever has what it takes the most.
Dinner Party When all else fails, a delicious dinner party is an easy way to say happy birthday for tweens. Choose a cuisine everyone’s into (Chinese, Mexican, Pizza, Barbecue) and allow guests to try as many dishes as possible. You can save on planning a birthday party by calling the dinner party a potluck so everyone brings 1 dish to add to the mix. “Bring your favorite dish” is also an option for a smorgasbord they won’t forget anytime soon.
Magic Show Party Bring the magic by throwing a magic show party right in your own house. You can hire a professional magician to entertain the guests or allow them to learn about different magic tricks themselves. Provide plenty of fun props, like magic wands and top hats, so the show feels authentic to all involved.
Activities for Tween Birthday Party Ideas
Spin the Nail Polish Bottle What do you get when you combine “Spin the Bottle” with a spa day? You get “Spin the Nail Polish bottle” as a fun tween birthday activity for girls. You can create your own spinner or just have players spin a bottle of nail polish on a flat surface. It’ll end up facing one of 8 different colors of nail polish. Whichever color the center bottle lands on is the color the player gets her nails painted.
Truth or Dare Few tween party games are as beloved as Truth or Dare, especially for a sleepover. Guests can simply ask each other truth questions and formulate dares as they come, or pre-arrange to have two jars, one full of truths to ask and the other dares to fulfill. That way, you’ll never run out of ideas as the game progresses.
Dens Younger tweens will love setting up dens out of throws and blankets, so they create cool rooms to crawl through. All they have to do is prop up the blankets so they create a small space. They can tell stories in one den, play games in another, and then knock it all down to start over again. Both boys and girls can enjoy this simple, inexpensive birthday activity that helps entertainingly fill the time.
Cake Decorating Gather the guests and hand out one cupcake to each of them. Provide different options for decorating cupcakes, including frosting, icing, sprinkles, or candy. Allow them to decorate their cupcake any way they’d like. Whatever they end up with, they get to eat!
Photo Booth Adding a photo booth to a tween birthday party can create hours of fun for everyone there. It’s easy enough to rent a photo booth, but you can create one using a smartphone with a timed delay. Add in a bunch of backdrops and photo booth props guests can use to make sure their photo shoot is the most interesting one yet.
Limbo For outdoor parties, a game of limbo is a must. You don’t need any special equipment or even an official “limbo stick.” Use anything from a long broomstick to a thin piece of finished wood securely perched on two other objects. Be sure you can adjust the stick as it gets lower and lower. Play some cool music for guests to dance to while trying to get past the limbo stick to the other side.
Flashlight Tag This is a unique way to play an old favorite (tag) with party guests. Whoever is “it” gets the flashlight and has to search out everyone else. If they shine their light onto a person and guess their name, that person is now “it,” and so on. The game rotates until everyone has been “it” or the batteries run out.
Tween Birthday Party Ideas FAQs
What is a pre-teen birthday? A child who is a tween or pre-teen is usually between 9 and 12 years of age. Some consider 13-year-olds to be tweens, while others think of 13 as the first official year of teenagehood. At this point, kids who become tweens are looking to celebrate their birthday with friends and lots of fun activities that differ from the ones they enjoyed as kids.
How do you keep a tween birthday party fun and not boring? As long as the tween party guests have plenty to do game or activity-wise, they’ll be entertained. This may mean planning different outdoor activities at home, arranging a movie viewing to pass the time, or taking them on a pre-planned outing. If you’re into less stress at home, reserving a space at a waterpark or paintball center may be the best choice.
How many kids should you invite to a tween’s birthday party? A good rule of thumb when thinking about how many party guests to invite is using the birthday boy or girl’s age plus one. For example, if they’re celebrating their 12th birthday, invite 13 people. If they’re turning 9, invite 10 people. You can adjust this rule as you see fit, but it’s a good place to start.
How long should a tween birthday party last? Unlike birthday parties for little kids, tweens can stay focused for several hours or more. They’re craving independence at this age and look forward to hours spent with friends. It depends on the type of party you’re throwing and what they’ll be doing throughout. A sleepover lasts overnight, but it shouldn’t start before early evening and doesn’t need to continue after breakfast the next day. A day at an amusement park is tons of fun, but it should wrap up by late afternoon so guests can get home.
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