Creative Ideas For Teen Birthday Parties

Teen birthday parties have evolved over the years with the advent of new technology and an ever increasing desire to become "the" birthday party to attend. Let's face it, who, as a parent doesn't want to see their child's day jamb packed with exciting activities, impeccable decorations and lots and lots of friends to enjoy the festivities? As a "baby-boomer," parent, I have given my share of extra-ordinary parties ranging from the "101 Dalmatians" Themed party complete with festival tents, a clown and ponies to an extreme rock-climbing gala at Atlanta Rocks.

The key to a successful teen birthday party is pre-planning and organization, and I can not stress that enough. You know when your child was born and you have a full year to think about on what weekend you will plan the big event. If your child was born in late March or April, you will want to consider the spring-break factor, because if you make the mistake as I did once to plan it when no one is in town, your guest count may be nil. Once you have the date and general time set, engage the birthday boy or girl in deciding on the theme. Theme parties are the best, because everything you do and need for the party should tie into the theme....there are, of course some obvious and easy themes. For example, if you were lucky enough to have a child born in October, the obvious theme is Halloween and who doesn't like a Halloween party? The reason it is so important to nail down the date is because, different seasons will determine different themes. It's hard to have a snow-boarding party in the summer without snow. And keeping your child engaged in the planning is key to making sure they love their party and really talk it up to the friends that they invite. So, let's get specific on how to plan the perfect teen birthday party.

Picking a Theme for the party. Here are some things to think about when deciding on the theme for the party. What are your child's interests? A party can be planned around almost any type of hobby or sport. Some ideas include bowling, rock-climbing, swimming, baseball batting cage, arcade, crafts, painting, pottery, movie and theater. Or you can pick your theme from a popular trend or movie, such as the hippie era of the 60's or the Star Wars movies. Themes can also be seasonal. Halloween, Christmas and Spring Fling parties are always popular and easy to decorate. Summer parties can include 4th of July, beach and island themes.

Invitations, Decorations and Party Favors. Once you have the theme, the invitations, decorations and party favors must all coordinate. Finding a good party store such as Party City or ordering the decorations on line can make this chore very easy. It is best to one-stop shop and get everything you will need for the party at just one place. Items you will need to coordinate include the invitations, decorations, paper plates, cups, table decorations, plastic-ware, costumes (if needed,) and favors.

Birthday Cake.
Actually, not all kids want an official birthday cake, so just about anything you can stick a candle in, will do. I've seen giant cookies, pizza, pie, meat-loaf, cup-cakes and ice-cream cakes used. Whatever the choice, make sure it fits your theme.

Teen Birthday Party Ideas.

Rock Climbing - You will either need to transport the kids to the rock-climbing wall or bring the rock-climbing wall out to your back yard. For this event, it will be important to have a number of adults as helpers and spotters. The invitation should be specific about the main activity so other parents know what their child will be doing, but more importantly, the child will know how to appropriately dress for the occasion. The table can be set with a center-piece using rocks and flags on skewers with the name of the guest of honor. Place smaller rocks painted with each child's name on the table at each place-setting. Use rock-candy either on the cake or as a party favor.

Pirates of the Caribbean - Thank you Johnny Depp for making pirates one of the most popular party themes in the last few years! This is a theme that both boys and girls love and can easily be used for a co-ed party. Invitations can look like a pirate ship, old scroll of paper or pirate chest. Invite the kids to "dress-up," and have a "best-dressed," contest. The table decorations can include a center-piece pirate chest with gold coins and jewels found at any party store. Have a scavenger hunt as one of your big activities. In warm weather, the party can be held out of doors and have plenty of tiki torches lit for a great effect. Party favors can include a pirate themed scarf and gold foiled chocolate coins.

Sweet Sixteen - This is usually a girl's party. Everything should be done in the color that your "little girl," desires. It is usually pink, but any pastel color will do. I would have a cake done similar to a traditional wedding cake with at least three tiered layers, lots of frosting and the main color. In other words the cake should just be elegant and beautiful. As for the invitations, again elegance is in order and it would not be too pretentious to have them formally engraved....why not, this is a big event. Events could include a trip to the local spa for pedicures, a girl's tea-party or renting a movie theater for a special viewing of the guest of honor's favorite movie.....it will probably star Johnny Depp. Give each girl a party favor of a small elegant purse filled with nail polish and make-up, purchased at a local dollar-store.

Photography. These are just a few ideas to get you started, the last thing I want to mention is the photography. Just like planning a wedding, the photography in both still and motion forms will be most important in capturing and preserving those precious memories. It is really no fun for the parents of the birthday child to be the person responsible for this task, as, first they will not really enjoy the party because of the stress of taking the perfect picture. But more importantly, they will be obviously absent from most of the pictures and movies taken that day. Professional videographers and photographers are fairly expensive and there is really no need to engage the service of one of these professionals if budget is a concern. The kids today, have been raised with the type of technology needed to capture these moments for you. Call your child's high school and ask to speak to the yearbook adviser and find out if one of the kids on the yearbook staff is interested in making a little extra money for the weekend. Offer $50.00 to $100.00 to the kid or neighbor to come and take pictures and video of the birthday party. Don't be afraid to give him/her direction through the day of what special pictures you may want.

This article should get you started on planning that special event for your teens birthday party. Don't forget to have fun and as I always say, "they will only be this age once," so go for it, the sky's the limit on your imagination and what that special day will look and feel like.