How To Choose A Party Idea For Teens

Parties for teens may be held for many occasions, including birthdays, holidays, sports victories, and life milestones. Some occasions create their own theme (such as a theatre cast party), but for others, a theme can add to the event. A theme helps with making decisions on party invitations, party supplies and decorations, activities, party games, and party favors.

The party theme ideas here are meant to be starting points for brainstorming a theme for an event that fits a particular group of teens. A nice theme for one group might feel sappy to another. The trick is to consider the group to be invited, the host or hostesses likes and dislikes, the ages of the teens or tweens, and whatever limits might exist. Limits might be budget, number of guests, place the party is held, and any special needs.

How to Begin Party Planning

Perhaps the best place to start is with the things that are already set. These will probably affect the theme. Will the party be held at a home, outdoors, at a special place with activities built in, a restaurant or school?

Limits need to be discussed with whoever is funding the party. Is there a budget? How many people will be invited? Will the party be co-ed, all girls, or all guys? Will parents be needed to help or chaperone? Are families invited?

Making lists is helpful, especially for a more complicated event.

Some Good Theme Ideas for Teen Parties

Keeping in mind the above, it is time to start looking for that perfect theme. The following ideas can be made to be suit different ages, sexes, guest numbers, and venues.

If the party is centered on a certain person (a birthday or graduation for instance), brainstorming that person’s likes is a great place to start. This could lead to a theme based on a favorite:

Song, singer, band, or musical instrument
Color, pattern (checks, polka dots?)
Food, food style, or restaurant (pizza, Asian, chocolate)
TV show or movie
Social media source (Facebook, twitter)
Animal (horses, dogs, cats)
Game (poker, Twister, a video game)
Sport (soccer, swimming, the Olympics)

Themes for Larger Teenage Events

A group event (like a teen dance, grad party, or a spring picnic) can have a wider theme, like:

A vintage or popular song (Rock Around the Clock, We are the World, Today Was a Fairytale, Fireflies)
A book or book series (Twilight, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Harry Potter)
A period in time (medieval times, the roaring twenties, 1960s)

Great sites for teen party ideas and party goods are Teen Birthday Party Ideas and Themes and Birthday Party Themes and Ideas, which are packed full of suggestions.

Party Planning and Party Themes

It’s easy to get obsessed with making every little detail fit the theme of a party. A party theme is only a guideline, so party planners can feel free to add other elements that compliment that idea.

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Whenever you go to the beach with kids, you’re sure to come home with some seashells and more than a little sand. Let’s use some of those treasures to make fun crafts.

This handprint craft is made with a sand-infused salt dough and some little shells from the beach. It’s a cute way to remember how little your kids were on that beach trip. Find the instructions at From Under a Palm Tree.

Here’s another take on sand dough that was used to make little ornaments and sculptures. Get the details from Pink Stripey Socks.

Moms and Crafters used air dry clay and seashells to make these cute necklaces. She used the storebought clay but you can also make your own air dry clay if you’d rather.

Crafts on Sea used a shell to make a whale, but I’m sure you could take this idea and make lots of different creatures. I love the idea of sea creatures made with shells like fish or a jellyfish or an octopus using the same method. They also have a seashell decoration made with salt dough that’s really cute and would be fun for kids to paint. Poke a hole before it dries for hanging if you want.

Or take a bunch of little shells and decorate a frame like these from Rhythms of Play. They used a handprint instead of a picture but you could also put in a picture from the beach trip.

This is probably one for the mamas to make because it uses epoxy, but I also wanted to share these cute and easy shell hair pins from Thrifty Mama Ramblings, which kids are sure to want for their mermaid pretend play.

Or how about some sensory play straight from the beach? Use store bought sand if you don’t have a beach nearby to make this beach sand slime from The Mama Notes. Thrown in some shells and kids will love playing with this one.

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