Birthday parties for kids can be very difficult just on their own, but when you add in the drama and eccentricity of teenagers, you can have a very difficult situation on your hands. You probably don’t want to have them just play video games for a few hours and then have cake and ice cream, but you also don’t want to try and force them to play pin the tail on the donkey either.
Making a birthday party fun for teens can be a challenge and having them get involved can be a great way to make it fun. Ask your teenager what games they would play at their party if they had to play games and what they would really like the most to have at their party. If you open the channels of communication, you might be surprised what you can find out and the things they really want to do or would enjoy may surprise you.
Outdoor games can be a lot of fun for teenagers especially during the summer when it’s warm outside and when the kids can have fun being rowdy outside. Water balloon volleyball can be a very fun game for the teens outside during the summer. You’ll need a volleyball net or something that will work as a good double and a cooler full of filled water balloons. You’ll also need small hand towels or large sheets, depending on the number of children you’ll have participating. Split everyone up into two teams and make them hold onto the towels or sheets. Then the balloons are tossed across the net by flicking them over with the sheet. The receiving team has to catch it and then launch it again within a certain amount of time and the other team scores a point if the balloon breaks. The game will probably get rowdy and may even escalate into a water balloon fight, but go with the flow if this happens and everyone wants to participate.
Another great game for teens is similar to the classic carry an egg on a spoon game, but can be challenging in a different way. It will require several rolls of lifesavers and toothpicks for each participant. The players put a toothpick in their mouth and then have to pass a lifesaver from their toothpick to that of another person without dropping it. This game can be awkward for some people, especially if they don’t know each other, so gauge the comfort level of the game for the kids. A variation on this game can use straws instead of toothpicks or another kind of candy with a larger hole in the center.
Telephone is also a great game that can be played with teenagers. The participants all sit in a circle or semi circle and the first person designated or person on the end whispers a phrase into the person sitting next to them so that no one else in the circle can hear or read their lips. The second person then has to pass the same phrase onto the next person until everyone has had the phrase told to them. The last person to receive the sentence says it out lout to the group and everyone can laugh at the differences from the original sentence when the first person reveals what they really said to begin with.
Be flexible and let the teens take over some of the responsibility for the games and everything else that happens at the party. You may be surprised how willing they are to participate and encourage others and make the experience something fun for everyone. Give them a chance to make their own decisions about what happens at the party and keep your distance until or unless you really do need to step in to take control of the situation.
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