No party is easy to organize, but thinking of teen birthday party ideas can be even worse. The all-time favorite princess and pirate theme parties will not work anymore. If you want to be “cool parents,” you’ll have to come up with unique and fun ideas to make your child the happiest on their special day.
But don’t panic, I’m here to help! Even if you are already in a rush, I’m sure that you’ll get to pick one great and amazing birthday theme from this list of fun and exciting teen birthday party ideas.
This post contains links for items to purchase. I make a commission on any sales.
Affordable But Fun Teen Birthday Party Ideas
As a parent, I know how much you want to make your child happy, but this doesn’t automatically mean that you’ll have to spend a lot of money. There’s a lot of exciting teen birthday party ideas that are affordable and can be celebrated at home.
Teens love to have fun with friends and food, and as long as they have you, they will surely appreciate everything you have prepared. But of course, we still don’t want to disappoint them. Hence, I made sure that this list of teen birthday party ideas is not only budget-friendly for you (parents) but exciting and fun for teens as well.
Whether your teen is a social media butterfly, a sporty and adventurous one, or a bookworm, this list of teen birthday party ideas has something for you. Let’s get the party started!
Trendy and Flashy Teen Birthday Party Ideas
Teens love to post pictures on social media. If you think that your teen or tween will enjoy flexing his/her birthday online, you should be able to pick one from these eye-catching teen birthday party ideas.
Instagram Party Idea – Kara’s Party Ideas
Instagram is now a part of every teen’s life. Having an Instagram-themed birthday party will excite them to their social media loving core! To make this birthday idea 100% Instagrammable, you should prepare some giant selfie frames, birthday photo booth props, social media cupcake toppers, social media party supplies, social media party balloons, and social media party-themed dinner and dessert plates.
Candy Birthday Party – Queen of Theme Party Games
Teens love candies, who doesn’t? Your lovely teenager will have so much fun on his/her day with this birthday theme. But you have to remember that one thing that makes a candy birthday party successful is the visuals. You can do DIY decorations to create a candy-themed atmosphere, but if you don’t have the time, there are some ready-to-use decor items you can find online. Aside from the traditional Candyland party decorations, you might want to put some lollipop yard signs on your pathway, a gingerbread house door cover, and Candyland party directional signs on your front lawn.
Night Games Party- The Crafting Chicks
Having a Night Game Party offers another level of thrill and excitement. With this theme, you can decorate your house with LED Light Up Balloons and add a glow-in-the-dark neon backdrop in the living room. Plus, to make sure that your guests will enjoy the party, you can also give them fun glow-in-the-dark toys such as LED wristbands, LED Glow Stick Glasses, and fun ceiling balls.
Emoji Birthday Party – Smart Party Planning
Emojis are so popular nowadays. Teens love to use emojis when texting and posting on social media. Giving them the chance to party with these cute emojis can help you get the “cool parents” award of the year. To create an emoji-themed atmosphere, you can use some emoji party supplies, emoji plastic table cloth, emoji hanging swirls, and emoji birthday candles. You can also make your guests feel the emoji vibe even more with the help of some emoji-themed straws, emoji gift keychains, and sweet emoji lollipops.
Photo Booth Teen Party – A Thrifty Mom
Photo Booths have always been a fun way to celebrate all kinds of occasions. It even allows us to create and make memories that will last forever in photos. Plus, it’s pretty simple to organize. You will only need some fun photo booth props, silly costumes, funny hats, and of course photo frames.
Carnival Birthday Party – Kara’s Party Ideas
A carnival-themed birthday party will surely be a hit! You can convert your patio into a carnival food tent by using bright-colored tablecloths and adding some carnival-themed party decor. Make sure that the play booths are also designed the same, and you’re good to go!
Hawaiian Birthday Party – Country Living
This is another eye-catching birthday party theme. And of course, when we say Hawaiian, it is a must to have colorful flower necklaces, hula skirts, pineapple lanterns, surfboards, and ukuleles for an extratropical vibe.
Active and Challenging Teen Birthday Party Themes
Some teens like Instagrammable birthday parties, but others prefer to have active birthday parties that allow them to play a lot, be active, and do some exciting games. If your tween or teen is one of them, you’ll be able to pick a birthday party idea in this section.
Minute To Win It Themed Party – Lake State of Mind
Teenagers love challenges and games — you could never go wrong with a Minute-To-Win-It-themed party. Here are some of Minute To Win It games you can enjoy at your teen’s birthday party:
Post It – This game only needs post-it notes. The goal of this game is for the players to post or stick as many Post-it notes in their faces.
Cookie Face – This game will only require some cookies. The goal of this game is for the players to get the cookie to their mouths from their foreheads without using their hands.
Cup Pyramid – This game only needs cups. The goal of this game is to make a pyramid using 28 cups with a base of 7 cups within one minute.
Suck It Up – In this game, each player needs plastic beads, straws, and 2 bowls. The goal of this game is to transfer as many beads as possible from one bowl to another within one minute.
Beach Theme Pool Party Ideas for Teens and Tweens – Kids Creative Chaos
Kids, teens, adults — everyone loves the beach and the pool, especially during summer. If your youngster’s birthday is exactly on this season, there’s no better reason for you to celebrate his/her birthday with a Beach Theme Pool Party. Whether you have an actual pool or just an inflatable pool, or none at all, this birthday party theme can still be possible with the right set of food and decorations. Remember to prepare some beach balls, water guns, beach hanging swirl decorations, and a unicorn float.
Slip N Slide Party – Hope Studios
If your teen is sporty and adventurous, he/she will truly enjoy a Slip N Slide Party! Who would have thought that you can actually make this exciting summer water slide at home? As long as you have a pretty wide yard, this Slip N Slide party at home is totally possible! Plus, the only things you will need are durable plastic sheeting, garden anchor pins, a garden hose, a hammer, and some baby soap.
Paintball Party At Home – Paintball for Kids
Who says you cannot throw a paintball party at home? With enough safety precautions and equipment, you can absolutely do it up right. For a fun and safe paintball party at home, you will need: paintball goggles, paintball pistols, paintball ammo, and targets. You can also just order a paintball starter package to make sure you’ll have a complete paintball fun party.
Survive a Fear Factor Party – Parents.com
Kids will surely be screaming in delight and excitement with this kind of birthday party. You can set up challenges that you know will shake up their nerves. Some of these challenges can be:
Guess What’s Inside: Put a random object in a box and try to make your kids guess what it is by putting their hands inside. The more suspicious object to touch, the better. You can try putting in slime, sticky toys, cold spaghetti, mashed banana, and cotton wool balls.
Egg Challenge: This challenge will encourage bravery in children. Just prepare raw and hard boiled eggs in a bowl and challenge the kids to pick one and crack it on their heads.
Color Birthday Party – Your Best Birthday Party
Aside from beach pool-themed birthday parties, color-themed birthday parties are also perfect during summer. You won’t need many birthday party decorations for this kind of party, but you have to prepare some important things. These include disposable cutlery, plates, napkins, and table cloths, wet wipes, goggles or sunglasses, white shirts, and of course, Holi powder.
Dance Party – Party Love to Know
If you have enough space in your backyard, why not organize a dance party for your teens or tweens? If you know that your kid loves to dance, this is the perfect time to let him/her know that you support his/her hobby. To make a dance party at home, you have to prepare Bluetooth speakers, party lights, and some neon party decorations to make the night more lively.
Slime Party – This Delicious House
Slime always equals fun. And it’s on you if you will make slime on your own or just buy a ready-made one. If you still have several days before the party, here are some ingredients for a non-sticky fluffy slime: Elmer’s glue, food color, baking soda, shaving cream, contact solution and glitters (optional). The amount of these ingredients will vary based on the number of your guests.
Karaoke Party – Queen of Theme Party Games
Does your teen enjoy singing? He/she will surely love to have a fun Karaoke Birthday Party. This theme offers plenty of exciting games, but before anything else, you’ll need to have a karaoke machine. For special effects, you can also use a fog machine, a bubble machine, and some spotlights.
Relaxing and Peaceful Teen Birthday Party Ideas
Some teens prefer to relax and just have a peaceful birthday party with few good friends. And who says you can’t do much about it? Here are some quiet, peaceful, but fun teen birthday party ideas you can plan for your child.
Outdoor Movie Party – HWTM
Everybody loves watching movies, and your teen and his/her friends are not an exemption. An outdoor movie party is just perfect especially if your child and his/her friends are looking forward to watching an upcoming movie together. All you will need for an outdoor movie party is a mini projector with a projector screen, LED outdoor string lights or LED tea lights (for extra outdoor party feeling), and of course, some popcorn and a popcorn popper!
S’mores party – Old Salt Farm
No matter what age your kids may be, there’s no way that they won’t love you for preparing a S’mores party for them. This party is simple to organize but promises a lot of fun. A S’mores party will only require you to have some roasting sticks, marshmallows, and of course, graham crackers.
Cake Boss Party – Chica Circle
If your tween is into baking, you will never go wrong with a Cake Boss-themed party. All you need to do is to prepare some baking essentials for your daughter and her friends. Order some colorful aprons, chef hats, cake decorating tools, and gel food coloring set to make the party more exciting and lively.
Barbeque Birthday Party – A Pretty Life in the Suburbs
If you don’t have much time to organize and plan, a barbeque party is one of the easiest and simplest birthday party themes you can do. You only need to make sure that you have barbeque grill and accessories, an outdoor dining table, and the classic red and white table cloth.
Outdoor Pizza Party – Outdoor Families Online
Pizza + Teens + Friends = Fun. A pizza party is perfect for all ages. However, to make it more exciting for your youngster and his/her friends, you can make this an outdoor party. If you don’t have an outdoor wood-fired oven, you can order a portable outdoor pizza oven online. But if you don’t have the budget for that, as long as you have enough pizza for everyone, this will be a fun party for the teens.
Elegant Dinner Party – Parents.com
If you cannot dine outside, you can play chef and waitress for your children and let them experience an elegant dinner party. Give your child a stunning dress or suit to wear, and if you have guests, make sure that they also do the same. Serve apple juice in champagne flutes to make your menu fancier.
Classic Sleepover Party – Very Well Family
No matter what, nothing can still beat the classic sleepover party. A sleepover party offers lots of activities for the teens. They can bake, cook, watch movies, and create breakfast together in the morning. However, for your guest to enjoy their stay, make sure to prepare enough sleeping bags, air mattresses, towels, toothbrushes, etc.
Spa Party – Meaningful Mama
A spa party with friends will surely delight your dearest princess. To make this spa party at home possible, you will only need a few things: peel-off face masks, cucumber, spa headbands, standing mirrors, washcloths, hand lotion, foot cream, nail files, nail polishes, and basins for foot baths.
Highly Recommended Birthday Gift for Teens:
Aside from birthday party ideas, I know you’ve been trying to find awesome birthday gifts too! You might want to consider the following:
Found the Best Birthday Party Idea?
Share your thoughts in the comment section below and let us know what your favorite birthday party themes were growing up! Is there a theme for tweens we missed?! Let us know, we’d love to add it to the list!
