Tween Party

How to Throw a Successful Tween Party

Let’s face it; it isn’t easy being a tween. Life at that age is all about fitting in with your friends. A tween party can make or break their street cred. The first thing you should do when planning a tween party is to discuss a theme with your tween. Don’t try to pick a design without her input if you can help it. Bringing in a clown troupe to entertain at a tween party could ruin your relationship with your child for at least the next ten years!

Planning the Tween Party

Sit down with your tween and set a manageable budget. You may want your young one to be the most popular kid in school but that does not mean you need to spend a fortune to make it happen. Set a budget you can live with and stick to it.

Plan a reasonable guest list. Consider how many guests you can reasonably accommodate and feed, and then consider how many chaperones you’ll need for them. Once you and your tween settle on a number of guests, stick to it.

Decide on a theme. A theme can really help you in putting together a great tween party. This plan can cover decorations, refreshments, time of day, activities and everything else about your party. Talk to your tween about a theme for his party. If he doesn't offer any immediate ideas, be sure to have a list of suggestions ready. Consult a party planning checklist if you need help with details.

Here are a few suggestions that may get some ideas flowing for you and your tween:

• Pop Star – with karaoke as the main activity
• Red Carpet Premiere – entertain with a movie
• Retro – pick from the 90’s, 80’s, 70’s, 60’s or 50’s to set as the main theme. Dressing the part, music and dancing would make the retro party.
• Fear Factor – blindfolds and bugs would play a large part in this idea. This is not for the squeamish!
• Survivor – with outdoor activities as the main attraction
• Sports Theme – with your tween’s favorite sport and team at the center of this theme

Once you’ve chosen a theme, deciding on your invitations and refreshments will be a piece of cake.

Make sure your invitations are in keeping with the theme of the party. A pop star party invitation would have lots of bling. A premiere party invitation should have some connection to the movie you plan to show. A retro party invitation should be just that – retro. A Fear Factor party invitation should contain a warning. A Survivor party invitation should tell guests to come prepared. A sports-themed party invitation could use your tween’s favorite team’s colors. The rule with invitations is to use your imagination to ensure that your guests can come prepared.

Planning your refreshments is also easy once you’ve chosen a theme. Tweens aren’t known for experimenting with foods so keep it simple. Choose foods and beverages that everyone will like and that hopefully have something to do with your theme. For instance a movie premiere party should have plenty of popcorn and movie theater style candy available. A sports-themed party should include whatever you’d find at a stadium for that particular sport. Enlisting your tween’s help, and maybe the help of her friends, is an excellent plan when deciding on a menu. This is not the time to experiment with your new cookbook.

During the Party

Tweens are at a point in their lives where they are trying to assert their independence. The party should have a basic structure but not be too structured. If you are herding the guests to one activity after another, the party is sure to be a bust. Coordinate with your tween on the basic structure of the party prior and then back off. Remember that it is his party, not yours.

Set some basic ground rules for your tween’s party, including start and end times. Kids that age have lots of energy and things could drag on for days if you let them. Indicate on your invitations when guests should arrive and when they should leave.

Who stays and goes is also important. If this is a girls or boys only party, make sure that it is clear to your tween that party crashers of the opposite sex will not be allowed to stay. Set your location parameters. This is extremely important! If you are hosting a boy/girl party, you’ll want to set some ground rules as to where guests may or may not go. Allowing un-chaperoned tweens in your child’s bedroom can be a recipe for disaster.

Have music and entertainment planned in advance. Create a mix CD or program an Mp3 or iPod. This will give you one less thing to worry about. If you are planning to show movies, buy them or have rentals reserved well in advance. Hosting a premiere party could be an unprecedented flop if you didn’t have a copy of the movie on hand.

After the Party

Parties are a big deal for tweens. The social impact on them and their friends can be quite a big deal. Be prepared to see an upswing in your tween’s telephone time as they do the standard after party analysis and gossip. This is a big deal so be cool and understand.