How to Plan a 13th Birthday Party
Turning 13 is a milestone for children, even if they scoff and say they do not want a party. For them, 13 may be a confusing age as they are not young children anymore and not quite full-fledged teenagers either. As a parent, you want to throw the type of party your new teen will remember -- while relishing in some newfound independence -- but provide enough supervision for it to be safe and harmonious. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Consider your budget. Think about food, decorations and entertainment. Discuss with your teen the option of having the party at home or at another venue.
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Discuss with your teen whether the party will be both boy and girls or not, as this will play into the theme and how many chaperones the party needs.
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Choose a theme and location. For an at-home party, consider having a bonfire in your backyard, where the guests can roast hot dogs, sandwiches or s'mores over the fire, while singing camp songs or sharing ghost stories; set up a portable media player in the garage for dancing later in the party. Transform your backyard into a Fear Factor obstacle course, with disgusting food challenges like eating slices of head cheese or spoonfuls of baby food.
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Ask some parents to help chaperone if the party is off-site. Treat your teen's closest friends to their favorite concert and sit a few rows back from them, just to be sure everyone is behaving themselves. For an adventurous group, take them on a day trip and go rock climbing. Supply knapsacks they can carry their own lunch in so when they rest from the adventure, they can have a bite to eat.
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Plan the party menu, if the party is at home. Stick to teen favorites like pizza and chips, or burgers and fries, with frozen cokes as a special birthday drink.
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Pick some great party games. If you have a theme, you may not need many games. Set up a scavenger hunt in the backyard to keep the teens occupied. Some teens often play the classic party games, "Truth or Dare" and "Two Truths and a Lie." Set limits on the dares so no one gets hurt or terribly embarrassed.
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References
- Photo Credit laughing teens image by Andrey Kiselev from Fotolia.com
