Ask any parent what the trickiest age for kids is and they’ll often reply ‘teenager’. Not quite grown-up, not quite children, throwing a party for your early teens or tweenagers, (as 10-12 year olds are sometimes known), can be tricky.
The important thing is to get the balance right between a children’s party and something a little more grown-up. Here are our tips to help you get it right.
Themes
Rock Star Party
A rock star themed party is a great way to bridge the gap between child and teenager. Ask the kids to come dressed as their favourite diva or guitar hero, or alternatively, a glam rock theme can be a big hit.
Essential Activities
Air guitar competitions and karaoke, of course.
Party Bags
Any self-respecting rock star has an impressive array of tattoos.
Spa Party
For many (not all) girls, it’s their tweenage or early teenage years when they first develop an interest in fashion and beauty. If this is something your child is interested in, a spa party could be the ideal theme.
Create a calm, clean and relaxing environment, with plenty of towels, seating, easy access to a bathroom and different ‘stations’ for activities. You could also play relaxing music and provide healthy snacks, such as fruit smoothies.
Essential Activities
Facemasks with cucumber slices for the eyes, foot spas, manicures and makeovers.
Party Bags
Fill your spa party pack with lots of girly pampering products, face masks, lip balm or bath bombes.
Cinema Party
What could be better than a party including all of your favourite films? Get all of the children invited to suggest an age-appropriate film, and then vote on the ones they want to watch. All you need to do is provide a comfy seating area and plenty of cinema-themed snacks, such as popcorn, hot dogs, nachos and mixed sweets.
Activities
Film watching! You could also play a movie trivia quiz and movie-themed Pictionary.
Pizza Party
The great thing about teenagers and tweens is that they’ve reached an age where they can do more complex activities – still under supervision, of course. Throwing a pizza party is great fun and it results in lots of yummy home-made snacks.
Get the guests to form teams and design their fantasy pizza, using any toppings they like. Once all the pizzas are cooked, get everyone to try each other’s – whichever team’s pizza is voted the most delicious, wins.
Activities
A pizza making competition! You could also put together a quiz on Italy – the homeland of the pizza, or try blindfold pizza tasting to see who can guess the toppings.
General Tips
– Give them some space – early teens and tweens are at an age where they’re going to want some privacy when they spend time with their friends. Make sure you’re nearby and available if there’s a problem, and pop in every now and again to make sure things are OK.
– Don’t treat them like children – OK, so they’re not grown-ups and still require a certain level of supervision, but suggesting children’s games such as musical statues probably isn’t going to go down well.
– Get an extra pair of eyes – monitoring a teen/tween party without making them feel babied is a balancing act. Make sure you have someone to help you – if you know a trustworthy older teen, they could be a great asset.
With the right theme and some tactful supervision, you can get the balance right at your teen/tween party.
