Picking a birthday party theme is easy when your kids are small. All you need to do is flip on Nick Jr. or PBS Kids and pick a character. You can easily find any party related item from napkins to candy to games featuring that character. Tweens? Not so much. In fact, pick the wrong theme and you are the worst parent ever, trying to ostracize your child and condemn them to a life relentless and perpetual dork-dom… or so they will treat you. So how can you pick a cool theme and actually have your tween enjoy themselves?

Do your research. Do not assume that you are tuned in to what is cool. Try scoping out your tween’s collection of magazines, or magazines targeted to their age group. (A magazine about kids will not be as helpful as a magazine or show for kids.) Now that you know what they might like or be interested in, talk to them. No one knows your tween better than your tween. If their ideas are not feasible because of budgetary constraints, try one the following ideas:

Tween Themes to Get You Started:
• All-night movie marathon: Allow your child and his/her friends to stay up all night watching movies*. Be sure to stock all of the movie theater amenities – popcorn, soda, nachos, etc. Surely, most kids won’t make it all night, but they’ll have fun trying, and you’ll be cool for letting them try.
◦ Theme Within A Theme: High School Musical, Twilight, Harry Potter, Disney Movies

• Fashion & Make-over Party: Invite your daughter’s friends to bring over clothes they no longer fit into/want and let them exchange them amongst themselves. You can bring the leftovers to Goodwill as a charitable donation. Provide make-up for them to experiment with. You could even call a local hairdressing school and ask if you can hire a student or two to come over and do some styling.

• Charity Field Trip: If there is a cause your child is passionate about find out if there is a way to contribute to that cause. Do they love animals? Try walking dogs at the local animal shelter. Do they feel bad for kids with no books? Try Trick-or-Treating for children’s books and donate them to a literacy group or Boys & Girls Club. (Let neighbors know a few days in advance you will be doing this.) You can do cake and ice cream when you return home.

• Hotel Night: This one’s easy. Rent a room at a hotel with a pool. The kids can swim. You can order in pizza delivery for dinner and let them have a slumber party. Bonus points if the hotel has its own water park.

• Rock n Roll: For the music lover, throw a party with a little attitude. With pink skull decorations, some sparkling bling and a radio, you have a dance party ready to happen. Make a craft table with glitter glue, rhinestones and some headbands and let the kiddos make their own rock-wear.

• Vegas Night*: Have kids dress their best and teach them some games like roulette, Texas hold-em and Blackjack. Use Monopoly money for kids to exchange for prizes like stickers, journals, candy and card decks.

• Top Chef: Gather some recipes and let the kids take over the kitchen. They can even make the birthday cake! They will have a delicious time and have some some yummy favors to take home.

• Sports Party: Decorating is easy for this one. Pick your child’s favorite sport and with a few themed decorations, some of their gear and a great menu, you have a party everyone is going to be excited about..

*Make sure that any movies or games you plan on having are okay with the parents of your child’s guests. The last thing you want is to get a child, or yourself, in trouble for compromising other families’ values or rules.

Run your theme ideas by your tween and get them involved in the party planning from the invitations to the location and decor. The more involved they are in the process, the more likely they are to enjoy the party. Remember, your tween is growing up and letting them make the decisions will help them feel that way, which may be the most important gift you can give your tween.

Posted by Jillian, a Dot-arilla Blogger