+ Fun Birthday Party Activities For Teens
Your kid wants to be cool and lets be honest, you want to be the cool parent. Planning birthday party activities for teens can be challenging because the themed ideas of their youth are too babyish and there is a fine line between whats cool and whats not. While teen parties can be a lot of fun, get it wrong and everyones cool status drops way down. Teen parties take a fair amount of planning and you need a great list of activities planned and ready to go.
A house full of teens can turn unruly if there arent enough activities to keep them occupied and happy. Ive gathered up a list of cool birthday party activities and fun games, all of which received two thumbs up from my own teen, to help you plan the best bash that will elevate you to cool parent status. If you want to plan all of these activities around a theme be sure to check out these 11 Fun Party Theme Ideas for Teens.
The best part is that these birthday party activities for teens are sure to keep everyone busy and having a blast. At the end of the night, youll be able to sit back and pat yourself on the back for a job well done. And if youre really lucky, your teen might even say thanks.
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Virtual Birthday Party Games For Kids
Spooky Goosebumps-Themed Games
Where to find the game:Scholastics official Goosebumps website
Tip: Make sure all parents know your activities might be scary for some kids.
Why we love these games: Light-hearted scares help kids bond, even virtually!
Lego® Kids Experience
Choose from online games, videos, and instructions that will entertain guests for hours. You can also take a break from the action by experiencing The Batcave:
- Plenty of LEGOs®
Tip: Interested kids can build anything they want using their own sets and collections to show off during the party. Bonus points for anyone who can build an epic LEGO® birthday cake.
Why we love these games: Imaginative and tactile, building games keep kids entertained, but not too entertained to not socialize with their friends.
This online teamwork game will appeal to young children.
Where to find game: PBS Kids
Tip: Help guests get to know Oscar the Grouch a little better by watching his best moments as a group.
Why we love this game: Oscar the Grouch. Kids will be more likely to pay attention to and follow instructions from this famous Sesame Street resident.
Rock, Paper, Scissors
This easy, equipment-themed guide requires no fancy equipment and very little instruction, especially if kids have played before. Raise the stakes by playing in rounds and having the champions of each round face off for a prize of your choice.
Tip: Share a virtual countdown timer to make sure kids freeze in their final pose at the same time.
Rent A Hotel Room For The Night
A great way to host a fun birthday party and keep the mess out of your house is to rent a hotel room for the night. Depending on the number of kids in attendance, you can even book adjoining rooms so they can all be together and have fun until the wee hours of the morning . A few ideas:
- Since hotel rooms are typically fairly small, you can make a BIG impression with even a few decorations including number balloons, helium balloons, streamers, etc.
- Make the evening special: Whether the kids venture out for a night on the town or head to the hotel pool and jacuzzi for an evening of fun and laughs, be sure to plan something to keep the kids occupied.
- Chaperone: Depending on the age of the kids, theres a good chance youll need to book a hotel room across the hall just to keep your eye on things and make sure theyre safe. Older teenagers are likely fine on their own and can be dropped off and picked up the next morning.
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Birthday Party Games For Tweens
39. Balloon Dare: Pre-prepare a collection of inflated balloons, each with a small piece of paper with a dare written on it. Players take turns to choose a balloon, pop it and complete the dare. Some dare suggestions: Sing Im a Little Teapot with all the actions, bite into a lemon slice, peel a banana with your feet, do a crab walk across the room, cartwheel 3 times, try not to laugh for one whole minute , sing Humpty Dumpty with a mouth full of marshmallows, act out a scene from your favourite movie.
40. In or Out?: Divide party guests into teams of four or five. Each team will need a large hula hoop. All team members stand inside the hoop, holding the hoop at waist level without using their hands. On Go the teams must work out how to all team members outside of the hoop without it touching the ground, and without using their hands. Should the hoop touch the ground, the team must start again from the starting position. First team to successfully complete the challenge are the winners.
42. Bubblegum Bubble Blowing Competition: Give each participant a piece of your favourite bubblegum and award prizes for the biggest bubbles blown within a given time limit.
Online Birthday Party Countdown
You can build anticipation for your online birthday party by posting a countdown. You can use a site like time and date to create a countdown clock with fun graphics. Then, embed the clock on a celebration web page, or send it to friends and family. You could also publish countdown posts on a social media page or group.
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Go On A Shopping Spree
This is perfect for a last minute celebration and can be done alone or with friends and family. Perhaps youve had your eye on something for a while and havent got around to buying it yet, or maybe youre looking for something new to wear to a birthday party later on.
Either way, an impromptu shopping spree gets you out of the house on your birthday and lets you receive a present from yourself.
Bonus points if your shopping spree makes a checkmark on our Fashion Bucket List: 36 Must-Do Goals for Every Lover of Style.
Feel Fancy With Wine Tasting
Get dressed to the nines and celebrate your birthday with a day of wine tasting. In Napa Valley, you can hop on a wine train to check out a few different wineries. In other wine-growing regions including the Finger Lakes region of New York and the Columbia Valley in Washington State you can ride bikes to different wineries or choose just one and hang out on their patio for the afternoon sipping bubbly and sweet grapes.
Dont live near a winery? Buy a few different bottles of wine and host a tasting in your backyard instead. If wine isnt your thing, do a tasting of tequila, whiskey, or beer.
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Flying Spaceships Party Favor
What you need:
Let the little rocket scientists create their own intergalactic transports. Suggest using a disposable plate as a base to fuel a spinning spaceship with flying power, or using string to pull a vertical rocket – mechanically minded kids might even show you how to set up a string pulley system.
- 30-inch Styrofoam wreath form
- 2 or 3 rolls of orange crepe-paper fringe
- 1 roll yellow crepe-paper fringe
- Face Template
- Kraft paper
- Pencil
- Yellow, orange, and white felt
- Box cutter
- Heavy-duty staple gun and staples
- Hammer
- Disposable foam or paper plates, cups, bowls
- Plastic drinking straws
- Stickers: circles, stars, and patriotic themes
- Colored PVC tape
See Live Theater Show
Live theater is one of the most breath-taking activities you can participate in, so getting tickets to see a show on your birthday will be a night you wont forget.
You could splurge on tickets to see a Broadway or West End show, depending on where you live and if youre in the mood for a more expensive treat. You have the option to see something new or to celebrate with one of your favorites.
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You May Also Be Interested In
If you prefer something a little more grounded, why not check out BATL Axe Grounds to host your bad-ass birthday bash? Whether you choose to fulfill your fantasy as viking, lumberjack, or serial killer, theres nothing quite as satisfying as burying a blade deep inside a good ol plank of wood. With three locations in Toronto and many more across Canada, BATL is open 7 days a week for private axe throwing events. Event packages include 1 to 3 hours of throwing, music, food, and private space to fit your partys needs.
What About Sleepover Parties
Right around when the kids start turning 8, the subject of sleepover parties starts to come up. And there are LOTS of things to consider when it comes both to hosting a sleepover party, as well as sending your child to one.
A few things to think about when it comes to hosting a sleepover party:
- Not everyone will want to sleepover . So have a plan to include kids for the evening activities, who won’t be staying over, and set a pickup time for after your games are done.
- Kids don’t get a lot of sleep at slumber parties. Which means as a host, you won’t either!
- You’ll have to decide where the kids will set up their sleeping bags
I cover tips and advice for sleepover parties in greater depth in my ebook How to Throw an Awesome Kids Birthday Party at Home for Less Than $100This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you.!
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Fear Factor Games Course
Yes, its been a while since Fear Factor was on our television screens, but your kids dont need to have watched the show to enjoy this terrifyingly fun course. Set up a line of games that each kid has to complete in order to win. These games can range from Egg Roulette where players are given an egg and must crack it against their heads in three seconds to a Blood Chugging Contest where they are asked to drink cups filled with blood . In most of these games, its the idea of what they think theyre doing, not the reality of it, that makes it such a good time. Here is a lengthy list of Fear Factor game ideas for kids and the top 10 Fear Factor games for birthday parties.
Host A Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are a great way to keep the kids busy and let them run around! You can host a scavenger hunt indoors or outside . Theres nothing more exciting to kids than running around for the next clue in a birthday scavenger hunt! See more of this idea and TONS of birthday scavenger hunt tips at House of Mahalo!
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Things To Do On Your Birthday To Let Your Creative Side Work
via: Pexels / Inga Seliverstova
Going big might not be your thing, so we’ve got the best and most creative things to do that will make this day a celebration of your artistic and imaginative personality. Commemorate this yearâs big number in a special way and be innovative. Be inspired, be productive, and let your creative side work!
Here are 8 creative birthday celebration ideas:
9. Bake your own birthday cake.
You could say the best thing about the day is that you get to think about all the things you learned over the year and how much you’ve grown. But really, if we’re honest, our favorite thing is the cake. And creating your own adds an extra flair of being exactly what you want. Even if baking isn’t exactly your hobby, there is still a great sense of accomplishment in baking your own celebratory cake, and it’s like a gift to yourself.
10. Design your own birthday freebies.
Remember attending a child’s birthday and being given a goodies bag to take home at the end of the day? Well, break out your thinking hat and design your own freebies because it doesn’t have to be a bag of lollies. If you had a themed get-together, you could create something that fits the theme for your guests to take home as memorabilia, or you can get the oven cranking and bake some delicious cookies. Everyone likes getting freebies.
via: Pexels / Any Lane
11. Create your own birthday card invitation.
12. Wear a new out-of-this-world outfit.
via: Pexels / Greta Hoffman
14. Celebrate with nature.
Carrying Marbles With A Spoon
This version of the lemon and the spoon game can be so much more fun, and the kids can get competitive as well.
How to Play the Game
Place two tables some distance apart and keep several bowls with marbles on a table. The other table should have empty bowls. The kids must transfer the marbles to the empty bowl on the other end. To do this, have to hold spoons in their mouth and balance the marbles on the spoon, from one table to the other. The kid who transfers the most number of marbles, wins the game.
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Games & Game Coordinator
Kids love games! Treasure Hunts, Musical Chairs, Tambola / Bingo, Three-Legged Race and more. Divide them into teams or let them play solo. Add some surprise prizes for the winners and see them participate in hordes. Anyone with a little bit of experience of handling kids can easily host games and coordinate on their own but if you feel you would miss the party we can always hire a professional Game Coordinator to handle this for us!
Price Range: 5500 to 7000
Explore Here:English Game Coordinator for Kids Birthday Party
Ignore The Pressures Of Age
via: Pexels / Nataliya Vaitkevich
Sadly it’s unavoidable, but as we grow up, questions are thrown at us that are hard to answer. They may come from parents, friends, or even ourselves about our accomplishments so far. There is pressure to meet certain milestones. You need to learn to ignore these and remember that everyone has their own timetable. You don’t need to do anything by a certain age.
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But Err On The Side Of Inclusion
If your child is in grade school, and your guest list includes all but 1-2 of the boys in his class, I suggest you invite them as well.
If your child has classmates with special needs- please dont exclude them from your guest list because you are worried that you wont know how to handle this child as a guest, or you just assume that a child on the autism spectrum or who is disabled wouldnt want to come to your party.
Err on the side of inclusion. You can always hop on a call with that childs Mom and have her help you understand whether or not the party you have planned will work for her child.
Y Games For Any Occasion And All Ages
1. Saran Wrap Game
This one requires a little prep: You’ll need a box of plastic wrap and a bag of candy, or an assortment of small, durable goodies. Pick one item to place at the center of your saran wrap ball. Wrap it thoroughly in plastic wrap, then add more items as your wrapped ball gets bigger, trapping them in layers of wrap. Once you’ve used a whole roll of wrap , you’re ready to play.
Gather in a circle or around a table. Give one person the wrapped bundle give the person next to them a pair of dice. The person with the saran wrap bundle must unravel as much of the ball as possible before the person with the dice rolls doubles. Once the person with the dice rolls doubles, they pass the dice down and receive the bundle. Repeat until the ball is completely unwound.
For alternative versions, have the person with the plastic wrap ball wear oven mitts, or set a timer for each turn instead of using dice.
2. Post It Note Game
You’ll need a stack of sticky notes and a pen. Write a name of a well-known public figure or character on each note, then pass them around until everyone has one. Without looking, each person should stick their note on their forehead or back. Have everyone mingle, or sit in a circle and take turns asking yes or no questions to discover your assigned identity. Play until everyone has correctly guessed their identity, or pass out prizes to those who guess correctly.
3. How’s Yours?
4. Most Likely To
5. Never Have I Ever
6. Would You Rather?
12. Spoons
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Have A Progressive Dinner At All Your Favorite Restaurants
Much like bar hopping, having a progressive dinner at all your favorite restaurants gives you the opportunity to celebrate your birthday all over the city and experience a variety of different options for every course.
You could choose restaurants that all specialize in different types of food to have the most diverse dinner possible and perhaps try a different wine in each as well.
Adventurous Things To Do With Your Friends And Relatives During Your Birthday
via: Pexels / Shelly Ohlsson
You’ve turned another page in life, and you want a new, exciting birthday idea. You’re itching for some adventurous things to do. There’s the bucket list, and it’s time to start ticking them off. You know it’s time for fun and adventure. Let us inspire you, birthday child!
Here are 6 adventurous birthday activities:
25. Attempt an escape room.
Escape rooms are all sorts of fun and if you’re looking for something adventurous and challenging, this is a brilliant option! You and your friends get locked in a themed area with commonly one hour to complete missions and puzzles to escape. Search online and you’ll find there are so many to choose from. Find one you’ll truly enjoy.
26. Go on a road trip.
Have an adventure of a lifetime driving along highways and byways. Choose a destination and plan out stops, or be courageous and daring and have no plan at all and just drive.
via: Pexels / cottonbro
27. Go zip lining.
If you’ve always wanted to experience flying, ziplines are probably the closest thing to it. Yes, you fly in a helicopter or plane, but you’re confined in metal. Ziplines let you experience rushing through the air with open views. Have a journey across landscapes that bring you over nature or urban areas.
28. Experience a hot air balloon ride.
via: Pexels / UÄUR KORKMAZ
29. Enjoy a whitewater rafting adventure.
30. Take a cruise.
via: Pexels / Rachel Claire
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