Birthday Ideas & Games for an 11th Birthday Party
- Planning a party for a tween crowd can be tough because kids this age may be more opinionated about what they want, what they like and what's cool. According to articles from Chicago Business and the New York Times, today's tweens already are sophisticated shoppers with strong preferences. Before you go out and buy supplies for party activities, talk to your 11-year old and ask for his input. Remember that this age group enjoys spending time with friends, so opt for activities that keep kids moving while allowing them to be social.
- Divide kids up into equally-sized teams and give them a list of items to find around the neighborhood. Make sure you set boundaries for the hunt: They can't take items from the house, and have to get them from homes on your block by knocking on doors. Send an adult with each team. If you have trouble coming up with a list, birthdaypartyideas4kids.com has two general scavenger hunt lists that you can print off and distribute to teams. Set a time limit. Give teams points for each item found, and subtract points for returning late.
A variation on this activity is the mall scavenger hunt. Set teams loose in your local shopping center and have kids search for items on a list. You can give each team a small amount of money (around $10) to purchase what they find, or you can have a free scavenger hunt, where kids hunt for items for which they don't need to pay. Examples include food court napkins, employment applications and perfume samples. - Get vibrant yarn in three or four different colors. Beginning with one of the colored balls, attach a prize to one end of the yarn, such as a bag of candy. Take the other end of the yarn and wind it all over your house or outdoors, underneath and over furniture, and up and down the stairs. Set up the other yarn colors the same way.
When party guests arrive, divide them into teams and assign each team a color. Each group follows its yarn's color all over the house until they arrive at the prize. The first team to unwind itself and find the surprise at the end of the yarn wins. Award another prize, such as a bag of treats or gum, for the winning team to share. - Fill three or four garbage bags, each with a different assortment of five random items (a book, sock, old sunglasses etc.). Divide the party into teams and give each team a bag; give them 15 minutes to come up with a skit that uses all the items. You can turn this activity into a contest to make the best mini-play, or the partygoers can just watch and enjoy the performances.
- Many kids this age like to decorate and personalize items, so introduce a craft that allows your tween to express her personality. If it's summer, consider tie dyeing T-shirts in the backyard. During colder weather months, provide a spread of fabric markers and paints that kids can use to decorate shirts or pillowcases.
Both boys and girls may enjoy making their own "Do Not Disturb" signs for their rooms. Use the template from Kiwi Families, printed out on stiff card stock, and supply kids with plenty of glitter, beads, markers, construction paper, glue and scissors. Many tween girls enjoy making jewelry, but the activity works for boys, too, if finished bracelets or necklaces have a strong or earthy look. Offer kids shells, feathers, earth-tone beads and synthetic flowers. Purchase thin leather strips for stringing these natural charms.