Last updated on January 14th, 2024 at 03:12 am
How do you grab the attention of teens and tweens for longer than 5 minutes at a party? That’s what we are going to talk about today with this list of Ultimate Birthday Party Themes for Teens and Tweens.
There is a lot of overlap in the teen and tween ages so we have lumped them together for some great ideas. By the way, tweens are between 8 and 12 years old just before their teenage years.
Do Teens Have Birthday Parties?
To have a party or to not have a party, it may be controversial in each household. Ultimately, as parents we want to do what makes our teen happy.
It seems like when gets get to be a certain age, they may tend to want to steer away from having parties. However, they are only teens and tweens once, and enjoying their party with friends is the perfect way to spend their teenage years.
So make sure to keep enjoying and celebrating your teens and tweens birthdays. Encourage teens to celebrate these teenage years. Teen birthday parties can be fun but also be a theme party cool enough for any teen and their best friends.
Teen Party Theme Options
There are so many options these days of things to do with teens for their birthday. My kids have started enjoying inviting friends to have hibachi together. That is a really fun time to be entertained at a hibachi table.
Eating at restaurants and enjoying a meal together is a great time along with a little birthday cake and ice cream.
Aside from restaurants, we have curated a list of ideas below that will inspire you for several different types of parties. The following are types of parties that are fun to create for teens:
Teenage Party Themes at Home
One of the best ways to celebrate your teen or tween is with a party at home. This is where your creative side can really shine. If you are looking for party theme ideas for teens, you have come to the perfect space.
These themes are house party themes meaning that you don’t have to rent a building, you can have a nice group at home. However, depending on the size of your space will be dependent on the number of teen guests.
Additionally, with all of these parties, parental supervision is always advised.
However, even if you don’t have a creative side, don’t worry, These are great ideas for teenage girls, teen boys, and tweens alike. Teens can start making a list of their closest friends to gather to celebrate teenage birthday parties or any special occasion.
Celebrity Party
Ready or not it’s time to have a celebrity party. We are rolling out the red carpet to celebrate. This celebrity party includes the best photo booth stations for all of the poparazzi photos and head shots. The pictures are great party favors for guests to bring home from your epic party.
Pool Party
Everyone loves a good pool party. Break out the beach balls and have a “ball.” Additionally, have lots of pool games and great music. A pool party can be a great party theme for teenagers, and it is ideal for a day time party to enjoy some fun in the sun.
Backyard Outdoor Camping Party
Outdoor camping parties are perfect for a teenage boy. Everything from setting up a tent to creating an outdoor campfire for roasting s’mores and hot dogs will make this one of the most fun birthday party ideas.
Outdoor Movie Night
One of the most popular teenage birthday party ideas is to have an outdoor movie party. There is something about an outdoor movie that creates a unique experience.
Cooking Party
Combine skill with a unique experience and you get a cooking party! Cooking together can be a great learning and group experience which makes it a great idea. Moreover, there are so many options of items to cook together. Here are a few great ideas:
Chopped Competition Party
There is nothing better than a little friendly competition. Get the competition started with a basket of creative ingredients. Party guests will be divided into teams to have creative ideas for fun dishes.
Sports Themed Party
This is the perfect party for any sports fan birthday teen.
Football Draft Party
For the football fans, a fantasy football draft party is a great way to have some friendly competition. The football draft party is also a great way to stay in touch over the course of several weeks of the football season.
Afternoon English Tea Party
Every teen or tween girl dreams about a fancy tea party! When you see an afternoon English tea party on television, you may think of the royal family. They wear the most elegant hats and outfits which is the perfect idea for your tea party.
Creating the fancy dress code is all part of the fun. Alternatively, you can have a hat designing craft during the party where guests can make their own hats.
Grab this Free Tea Party Checklist.
Creative Adventure Party Themes for Teens
Looking for more teen party theme ideas? How about some adventurous teen birthday themes! Great party themes for teenagers involve solving puzzles. However, not just regular puzzles, think about mysteries and scavenger hunts.
Murder Mystery Party
Who did it? Solve the mystery of the party. Have a fun dinner where party guests are able to test their detective skills. The murder mystery theme is one of the most epic high school party themes. It will be one that they will be talking about for weeks and have bragging rights on who solved the mystery!
Karaoke Party
Get the karaoke machine ready for an epic singing party! This theme is great for a teenage theme party. Make a play list of their favorite songs and get ready to have some fun.
Movie Night
There are so many themes that you can do for movie night. Moreover, one thing you can do is the theme of the movie, of course. In addition, your party guests can also have a celebrity themed party where they dress like a movie star or their favorite celebrity. Set up a movie snack station like you would find at a movie theatre.
Scavenger Hunt
When planning a scavenger hunt for teens or tweens, you can get very creative. Since many of them have cell phones now, you can make a it a scavenger hunt where you drive them around to various spots to take a photo.
You can give them clue at each location, and they have to figure out where the next destination will be before leaving that spot. Be sure to check out all of these Backyard Adventure Parties.
Treasure Hunt
Ye ole treasure map! Draw a map that leads to a variety of places where a treasure can be found at each location. This is likely best for the younger crowd; however, it is one of the best party games.
Dance Party
Take out the disco ball and the lights, and let the fun begin! Host a dance contest or a dance-off competition for fun. Winner gets bragging rights or a trophy.
Video Games
This video game party is perfect for a small group of teenage boys. Bring your gaming consoles and set them up in the family room or living room. Let the fun begin. Be sure to have plenty of snacks for the special day. These Minecraft snack ideas are perfect for a video game party.
Harry Potter
Calling all Harry Potter fans, gather together for this fun teen party theme. Harry Potter appeals to all ages which is what makes it a great theme for fans and one of the easiest party ideas.
Game Night
It’s game time meaning let’s get your favorite games and have a game night. Game nights can include everything from card games, board games, and even a game-show tv show.
Costume Party
Grab a mask or cape because it’s time to escape! It’s costume party time. Costume parties are one of the best teen party ideas. It doesn’t have to be Halloween to wear a costume.
Plan a theme for the costume. Here are some ideas: decade costume, favorite singer or rock star, or movie character. This is a fun party theme that teens will be talking about for weeks. These Masquerade Party Foods and themes are perfect for costume party ideas.
Easy Themed Birthday Party Themes for Teens
Hosting a teen birthday party does not have to be complicated. Keep it simple with parties like a decades party or movie night party and more. You can have an amazing birthday party for your teen without over spending and breaking the budget.
Decades Party
Similar to the costume party idea, have a decades party. A decades party is a great way to learn about the decades. Learning about the decades can be finding out about the music from that decade along with the fashion and hair styles.
Teen and Tween Christmas Party
The holidays are always a reason for a party. Celebrate the holidays together with your closest friends.
Luau Party Ideas
Get the Hawaiian leis and the ukulele ready for the Luau party. The luau theme is perfect for lots of fun and it’s easy to find decorations. For the party food, grab lots of fresh fruit sliced for a great sweet treat.
Homemade Pizza Party
One of the best parts about making homemade pizza is making the dough from scratch. Birthday party guests can literally make their own pizza from scratch and also get to see science at work.
Discovering the chemical reactive properties of yeast is a fun way to get teens and tweens involved in cooking.
Be sure to check out these science experiments for parties.
Aside from a pizza party, taco dinner party ideas are a unique spin for a teen party menu.
Halloween Party
A teen Halloween party is always a great alternative to trick or treating. Often times teens are in the middle of wanting to do something for Halloween, but they don’t want to trick or treat.
Having a Halloween party at home is perfect for your teen to invite their best friends for some fun and games. Plan some great activities for them to do like watching a Halloween movie, bobbing for apples, or roasting marshmallows.
Here is a complete list of Halloween Party Names and Clever Themes.
Moreover, you can also plan a Halloween Tea Party.
Haunted Mansion Party
Similar to the Halloween party, you can add an element of spooky fun to the party. The haunted mansion party is perfect for a dramatic dinner party option.
Taylor Swift Themed Party
Come one, come all Swiftie fans to party like rock stars together at a Taylor Swift themed party. Play all of the Taylors biggest hits and walk the red carpet for fun.
Be sure to set up an epic photo booth featuring microphones, red carpet, and lots of celebrity style lighting.
Galaxy Party with Black Lights
Your party will be the center of your teen’s universe for a galaxy style party. There are so many themes that you can use for the galaxy. These include: stars, planets, aliens, and even Star Wars.
Grab the black lights to create a glow effect that will be out of this world!
Tik Tok Party
Wondering how to create a tik tok party? This party style is best for a very small group of best friends. Teens like to do group dances that they learn on tik tok.
Therefore, a fun idea is to find a dance and song ahead of time. Once guests arrive and get comfortable, one teen can lead the choreography for the group. This is going to be a blast and lots of laughs learning the dance.
This is one of the most unique teen party themes that all of the teens will want to have at their home as well. The best part about it is there are endless options of dances and songs.
Party Themes for Teenage Girl
Getting the girls together for some fun is a great way to have a celebration for your teens birthday. Before you know it the kids will be graduating from high school, so it is really important to keep having these celebrations and gatherings while they are all together.
DIY Bath Bombs
Making homemade bath bombs is a great way to get all of your party guests involved in making something that they can bring home with them.
Party guests can also learn about the ingredients that are in a bath bomb and how the citric acid makes it fizzy in the water. Additionally, they can hide a small prize in the bath bomb for fun.
Spa Party
Whether the focus is hair, nails, or skin care, a spa party is such a fun way to relax and enjoy time together with friends. Pair the party with tea sandwiches, light refreshments, and sparkling grape juice for fun.
Homemade Bath Salts
Similar to bath bombs, making bath salts is a fun activity for teenage girls. They can color their bath salts with bright colors and aromatic scents for fun.
Additionally, teens can also decorate the container for the bath salts. The container should have a good seal on it. Have lots of items like washi tape and paint pens to use to decorate.
Paris Themed Party
You will have a blast decorating for this Parisian theme! There are so many fun aspects of the Paris themed party. Think about the Eiffel tower, the flowers, and the wonderful food!!!
Teen Parties at a Local Venue
If you don’t like the hassle of cleaning up and want to make it super simple and easy, have the teen party at another location such as an escape room or amusement park.
Escape Room Party
I know you have probably heard of Escape rooms. However, in case you haven’t, let me take a moment to explain. Escape rooms are like a live puzzle where you are giving clues that lead to other clues. Once you have solved all of the clues, you are able to “escape.”
Amusement Park
If you have an amusement park in close proximity of where you live, this can be a simple option. The only downfall of the amusement park is that larger groups will likely split off into smaller groups and go in different directions. Keep this in mind when planning.
Movie Theaters
One of the easiest parties is to have a group of teens head out to the movies. Be sure to plan ahead so that all of the guests are able to sit together at the movies.
Art Party
Having an art party can be a great bonding experience for teens. It can be a great party theme, however, an art party can be a variety of types of art. An art party can be making a craft or even wood work.
One of the best parts about an art party for a teen party theme is that they can keep the art work for years to come and always remember that time when they made it.
How Do We Decide Which Party Theme for Teen is Best?
That is a great question! It can be a difficult decision because there are so many options.
Here are a few tips to help decide which party theme for teens is best:
- Use the list presented in this article to present to your teen. Scroll through and make a list of the ideas that resonate with your teen.
- Once you have made a list, narrow it down to 2 or 3 best picks.
- The best way to make a final decision is to think about the group size and what suits the group size best.
These tips should help you narrow it down. However, if you are still having trouble choosing which party theme for teens is best for your teen, click into the links to read more about the ideas.
Additionally, in each of the idea links, there are food ideas that go along with the theme. These additional details may help you to make a decision in which you and your teen are happiest.
What is the Best Time to Start Planning a Teenage Party Theme?
It is best to start planning early! Moreover, you will have less stress to worry over last minute theme decisions. In addition, you can make wiser choices on decorations and the food menu.
If you plan early, you can do research on the items that you would like to have on hand for the party. You can also have more time to make items that might be more crafty for the party such as a balloon display. or a banner.
Get creative with the menu and the theme. For example, with the murder mystery theme, you can choose a more specific theme for the mystery and the items served can correlate with the theme. See the full article link for specific theme ideas.
Moreover, for the tea party, you will want to have some great items like macaroons that will be served with the tea.
Lastly, invitations will be made to go along with the teenage theme party. The invitation can be paper or digital to send to all of your teen’s besties.
What to Do After You Select Your Party for Your Teen
After you select your party theme, it’s time to get excited and begin the planning process. Keep your teen involved in the planning or make it all a surprise.
Most of all, remember to have fun and enjoy the process!
