Preteen Parties

Birthday Party Ideas for the
Older Child

By Gwen Morrison

As your child moves toward his teenage years, it can become more and more difficult to find just the right way to celebrate his birthday. With the days of pin the tail on the donkey, musical chairs and Barbie cakes well behind them, parents are faced with trying to find clever, fun and age-appropriate birthday party ideas to entertain a bunch of preteens! It isn't always an easy task.

Here are some tips from experts on ways to make the day memorable for your child and his friends.

Linda Salazar of Palos Verdes, Calif., remembers all the fun ideas she and other moms came up with when their children were between 10 and 12. "Some parties were geared mostly toward boys, but others would work for girls as well," she says.

Salazar shares her comprehensive list of fun things to do to celebrate your preteen's birthday:

• Spend the day at an amusement park with one or two friends.
• Go bowling Most alleys offer organized parties.
• Take your child to a professional sporting event with a friend or two.
• Check out the local ice rinks. You might be able to rent the rink for a private party.
• Take in a "cool flick" and bring the gang back to the house for cake.
• Go to an arcade. They may have batting cages, go carts, miniature golf, video games, pinball machines and more.
• If it's summer, visit the local water park.
• For the really adventurous, try a campout with your child and a bunch of friends. It can be as simple as camping out in the backyard. They can make s'mores on the barbecue, listen to music in their tent, play a board game or just swap ghost stories all night long.
• Make a splash with a pool party. Or if you're lucky enough to be close by, take the gang to the beach. Bring a picnic lunch, some cupcakes with candles and boogie boards.
• Have a sleepover. With a wide variety of videos to watch and lots of junk food, they're always a hit for both boys and girls. If need be, borrow a Playstation or Nintendo and let them play till the wee hours.

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