Teenagers are a finicky breed. One day they love you. The next day they ignore you. They're all in all a basic tangle of hormones and head strong will--and they tend to complicate matters by not knowing which role to assume. One day they're kids. The next day they're young adults. So what's a parent of a teenager to do when planning a birthday party?

When planning a teen's birthday party, it's important to consider the guest list and create a fun and inclusive environment. Setting ground rules and ensuring that everyone feels welcome and included can contribute to a positive experience for all attendees. Awarding prizes to the winning team in games and providing treats like ice cream can add an extra touch of excitement.

Certainly the old cake and ice cream bashes of childhood are out. Just how un-cool would that be? Yet parents aren't comfortable sending their kids out to unsupervised, wild parties--with absolutely no adult supervision. There needs to be a happy medium--one that pleases both teens and their parents.

Expenses Add Up Quickly For Teen Birthday Parties

To entertain this peculiar pack of pals, one definitely needs more than a "pin the tail on the donkey" game or a balloon toss. There must be some form of entertainment, food, and parental supervision. If expense is a big concern, consider having your teen invite just two or three very close friends and let the fun begin. If a larger group is on the invitation list, call in the troops. You'll need help for preparation, supervision, and clean-up.

For small groups--a very "grown up" type of dinner party will be a hit. This can be carried out on a variety of budgets. Mom can whip up a gourmet meal at home--saving loads of money--and serve the guests and party host at a quaint outdoor "bistro" type setting. Is it a little too cold for dining al fresco? Then grab the good china, linen table cloth and napkins and deck the dining room in exquisite style. Many parents opt for alcohol free champagne and decorate the table with fine crystal as well.

If the budget allows, a dining out party for a small group is sure to be a popular option. After all, everyone loves to go out to eat. Make a reservation in advance and be sure to inform the restaurant that you're celebrating a special occasion. Many restaurants offer free dessert to the birthday guy or girl, and sometimes the staff will even sing a round of Happy Birthday! Most restaurants are happy to have customers stay and open presents if the plan is made ahead of time. This plan eliminates all at-home clean up and preparation--allowing the parents an easy alternative to hosting a party in their home.

A Pool Party

A pool party is a great idea to celebrate and create lasting memories with friends. Setting up party games by the pool can keep the party guests entertained throughout the day. From classic pool games to creative twists, there are plenty of fun options to choose from.

If you own a swimming pool or have a neighbor who generously loans the use of theirs--host a pool party for your teen's birthday. The theme can be "tropical" or retro--with ample decorations available at party stores for very reasonable prices. Fire up the grill and serve typical cookout fair. Light decorative candles around the pool and patio area to create a more grown up ambience.

Movie nights

Don't rule out ideas like pizza parties or movie night themes. Sometimes teens just enjoy the idea of hanging out in a relaxed atmosphere where food and drinks are provided. Set up large party buckets of ice and be well stocked in your supply of soft drinks. In addition to pizza, serve some classy appetizers and finger foods. For movie night, rent a few of the most popular recent releases and stage a movie marathon. Allow kids to stay until all the movies are finished. Order late night takeout after an appetizer of soda and popcorn.

Supervision is a concern, as teens--even very good teens--are known to experiment with cigarettes, alcohol and drugs. Make the rules clear in your home and stick around. Be an obvious presence at your teen's birthday party and there should be relatively few problems with enforcing your house rules. The combination of safety, fun, good food and safe supervision will ensure your teenager a birthday party to remember.

Amusement parks 

If the birthday celebrant prefers an adventurous and thrill-seeking experience, organizing a trip to an amusement park or hosting a beach party with exciting scavenger hunts can be a good idea. Including little kids in the festivities can be done by planning age-appropriate games and activities, such as water balloon toss or mini relay races.

Create your own games

Cars, video cameras, and being wacky are all essential ingredients for a Video Scavenger Hunt Birthday Party. This gets the guests out of the house, is inexpensive, and leaves a hilarious video tape to bring back the fun memories any time. This is also a great party when both boys and girls are going to be guests.

Each car load of kids, with an adult driver, will try to tape as many items on their scavenging list as possible in an allotted time. When time is up, everyone meets back at party central and plays their tapes. The team which scores the most points wins!

Preparation:

You’ll need a video camera, a driver, and a vehicle for each set of kids, so talk to some of the other parents and enlist their help.

Now, what are they scavenging for? Things within driving distance of the party location, but with a twist. According to their difficulty or embarrassment factor, different point amounts are awarded. Something easy, like driving through a fast food drive and asking only for straws – is worth five points. While singing “Jingle Bells” in the lingerie department of a fancy department store is worth 20 points.

Here are some other ideas:

- Someone fishing in an aquarium

- Pulling into a fast food drive through and asking for directions to a competing fast food restaurant.

- A sun bather wearing a hat and coat

- Your team playing on a merry-go-round

- An out of state license plate (you can pick a state or award points for certain states)

- A political bumper sticker

- Road kill

- Taping one of the other teams without them seeing you

- One of the team checking out a library book

- Someone in a swimming suit

- A lifeguard

- A nurse

- A white cat

- Someone with their belly button pierced

- The team singing a song in Spanish in front of a Mexican restaurant

- A birthday cake with the candles lit

- The bedrooms of two team members

- A dog being walked

As you can see, the list is only limited by your imagination. Put the items on the list in order according to their point values. A team might want to skip some of the more mundane items and go right for a big point value item with high embarrassment value.

Teams:

Splitting up teams can be tricky with teenagers. The best way is to decide how many teams you’ll have. If it’s four, then have everyone count off by fours: 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2... Then the 1’s are a team, the 2’s are a team, and so on.

Present each team with the list of items to find and start the hunt!

Creativity will help the teams find ways to tape the items on their lists and how well they are at navigating will determine how many items they find before their time is up. You might want to include some spots that require a more thorough knowledge of the area, for example: Videotape where the old Dairy Ice Cream stand was or a street named after president or a famous figure.

Once the time is up and the teams are all back at the party location, get ready for the viewing. Show the tapes in order of arrival and you’ll need someone to score each tape.

Set out soda and chips for everyone to snack on as they wait for all the teams and as they watch the videos. There’s no prize for winning, just the honor of being the winners.

Once the videos have been watched you can serve the cake and ice cream and if you want to keep with the theme, bake a 9x13 cake. Mix green food color into a can of white frosting and frost the cake. Then with sprinkles, or chocolate jimmies, make a couple roads crossing the cake. Along the road place several Matchbox cars to commemorate the Great Video Scavenger Hunt and for ice cream serve Rocky Road.

You already have the video cameras, so if after the gifts are open and the cake eaten you have more time, do another scavenger hunt. Have the list ready before the party. This time make it in the neighborhood and the kids can do it on foot. They can look for such things as:

- painted bird house

- chalk writings or drawing on a sidewalk

- broken lawn chair

- fire hydrant

- blooming tree

- bird’s nest

- garbage can

- jogger

Give them a very small amount of time to search and see just how fast they can find their items and tape them.

Don’t be surprised if this party is such a hit, your kids want to do it again next year. And just think of the fun finding all new places to tape! 

Other Fun Ideas:

Pampering and shopping

For teenage girls who enjoy a relaxing and pampering experience, incorporating face masks and spa activities into the party can be a great way to indulge and unwind. Adding a DIY spa station or setting up a mini escape room with spa-themed puzzles can make the party even more memorable.

Escape rooms

An escape room party can be a great idea, they have become very popular recently and for good reasons. They’re a unique and engaging experience. It’s likely that some of your guests will not have taken part in one before. They are an immersive experience that is both entertaining and challenging. All this adds an element of excitement and adventure to the party, making it a memorable event for the participants.

They also require people to work together as a team to solve puzzles and complete challenges. This fosters teamwork and communication among the party attendees, making it a great opportunity for banter and lots of laughter. 

Online games

Video games and social media-themed activities can be a hit among tech-savvy teens. Setting up gaming stations or hosting a gaming tournament can create a fun and competitive atmosphere. Incorporating social media challenges or creating personalized party favors with hashtags can also engage the guests and add an interactive element to the celebration.

This year we hired a company to come to our house and set up a huge tent in the garden! (Though they can also do this in your house on a rainy day). Within this he set up lots of gaming monitors, xboxes, playstations and various other gaming devices. We could have up to 15 teens in the tent and they all could play games at the same time. So no one was waiting for a turn. He also brought virtual reality headsets and loads of extras like the big chairs you sit in to play racing games. I’m not a huge fan of video games but I also have to concede that it was brilliant! They all had a great time, the company set up everything for us and were there throughout to help the teenagers on to each game or deal with any issues. So this is one we’ve tried and would do again. 

Traditional board games

Board games and fun party games are always a great option to bring friends together. Creating a cozy outdoor setup with a variety of board games can foster a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. A dance party with a carefully curated playlist can also get everyone up and moving.

Mystery parties

For teens who love mystery and intrigue, organizing an outdoor murder mystery party can be a thrilling experience. Guests can dress up as characters, solve clues, and unravel the mystery throughout the event. This interactive and engaging theme is sure to keep everyone entertained.

Cinema night 

A trip to the movie theater or creating a DIY outdoor movie night with a projector and a favorite movie can be a lot of fun. Adding a photo booth with props can capture special moments and serve as a fun activity for guests. 

Dinner party 

Hosting a dinner party with room service-inspired dishes or a themed food truck can also add an element of excitement and variety to the celebration. 

This can be a great birthday party idea for this age group as a dinner party provides an opportunity for teenagers to socialize, connect, and strengthen friendships. It allows them to spend quality time together, engage in conversations, and create lasting memories.

Guests can explore their culinary skills and try out new recipes or be cooked for. If they love cooking, doing this together and preparing their own dishes can be fun. 

Hosting a dinner party as well gives teenagers a chance to take on responsibilities and demonstrate independence. Your teen may want to be involved from planning the menu to setting the table and organizing the event, this will develop valuable life skills which they won’t notice and gain a sense of accomplishment which they will notice! 

Their friends can also help out if they wish by thinking up dinner party games, having a themed photo booth, creating a playlist or organizing a DIY dessert bar. Altogether there will be a lively and enjoyable atmosphere.

Ice skating

One for all ages, this always goes well even if you are hopeless at skating. The reasons we love this type of party are: 

• It’s not in your own house so not clearing up! 

• Your teens burn off energy and do something active

• It works for any age and any level

• Lots of bonding as they skate together and fall over together!

• It’s a lovely winter party idea but also fun in summer

• You can serve them hot chocolate with marshmallows afterwards 

No matter how cool they think they are, this party is always popular. 

Parties for small numbers

What if your teen doesn’t want a big deal and lots of attention. I remember clearly finding all the eyes on you at birthdays a little too much! 

Luckily if your teen just wants to hangout with a small group of friends or 1 or 2 best friends you can still make it a great day for them. 

They could have a friend over for a sleepover. Watch movies and get a pizza. Maybe you could buy tickets for a sports match they really want to see. I’ve heard sometimes girls want a little pocket money and to head to the shops with their friends and then all go for lunch together. 

Although we always want to make our child’s birthday the most wonderful day ever, actually sometimes they want something simple. 

Think about your child’s character and really listen to them for what they suggest or how they react to suggestions. 

From a dark party with neon decorations to a themed party based on a favorite cartoon character, there are endless options to explore when it comes to teen birthday party ideas. 

Incorporating activities like fashion shows, DIY crafts, or organizing a fun outdoor movie night can make the celebration memorable and enjoyable for everyone involved.

No matter the chosen theme or activities, the most important aspect of a teen's birthday party is celebrating with the closest friends and creating memories that will last a lifetime. With creativity, a cool parent, and the right planning, a teen's birthday party can be a blast and the perfect way to celebrate their special day.