We try to make birthdays special. We figure another trip around the sun deserves a celebration. What better way to celebrate a 12 year old birthday than with all the things they love! So that sent us looking for 12 year old birthday party ideas and boy did we find some good ones! From tie dying clothes, to the best party games, we found 12 activities that were fun for everyone, both boys, girls and parents!
To start with, we had to do an invitation and a party activity check list. We first starting this tradition of doing a ‘passport to party’ with my daughters ninth birthday party and she has insisted on it every year since. It’s basically a list of all the activities that will happen during the party. We always try to make it activities that the kid loves and is fun. This is the easiest part. You can create a word doc, print it off and put it on nice paper – for my kid who loves neon it was an easy choice.
Cookie Face
Junk in the Trunk
Also know as ’tissue box twerk’, this is one of our family favorites! Easy to play for anyone of all skill levels, check out the instructions here.
Suck It
Start with a plate full of skittles, a straw (paper of course to save the turtles), and a second plate. Set the timer for one minute and see who can suck air through the straw and transfer the skittles from one plate to another. At the end of the minute, whoever has the most skittles on one plate is the winner!
Separation Anxiety
This is a fun minute-to-win-it game! Take the skittles from the Suck it game and dump them onto one plate. Give then enough cups and one for each color. Set the timer for one minute and see who can separate the colors into their separate cups.
The end result is a candy feast for any OCD.
Donut Chew
Are you noticing the ‘sweet’ theme in this party? This one is easy, get some sugared donuts and a string. Place the donuts on the string and set the time for a minute. See which girls can eat the donut off the rope or twine without it falling on the ground.
If your need to find a variation, we’ve played it with fewer people and they have to eat 3 or 5 donuts and the first one who completes it is the winner… this is especially fun if they are powdered and really dry donuts!
Please know, no children were harmed in the playing of these party games!
Tie Dye Shirt
I believe pre-teen timeframe is when tie dye becomes an obsession. Or perhaps it’s only in my house! My daughter loves tie dye anything and these shirts are a great way that kids can keep the memory of the party forever.
One thing you have to take into consideration is protection… clothes protection. Tie dye will color your shirts, but it will also color the clothes you are wearing. A handy trick is tp use gloves and garbage bag shirts. And of course if your living during COVID times, a mask too. Take each shirt and place in a ziploc bag for the girls to take home and write the instructions on the bag (let it sit for 24-48 hours, rinse and wash separately with vinegar in the water and let hang to dry). For us, I kept the girls shirts and washed them all in one load and then my daughter gave them out the following days at school.
Orbeez Stress Ball
This one has been around for awhile – you might remember it from my daughters 9th birthday party ideas. My daughter LOVES orbeez and stress balls/fidget toys. This is the best of both worlds. It’s also a great stress toy for any kids with ADHD.
One of the tricks we learned is to use a water bottle to help pour the orbeez into the balloon. Simply cut the bottle to make a funnel and pour into the balloon. It’s a great idea to double up the balloons to make sure in case it doesn’t break.
Swim
Swimming is always more fun with a unicorn!
Cake & Candy
You can never have enough candy at a birthday party! Especially for my daughter. Other than candy that was around from when others first arrived, we had a mini-candy bar on hand that kids could create their own candy pop-up to take home.
Pinata
Peachy Cheek has a great post about how to make a pinata and Paper glitter Glue has a great tutorial on how to make mini llama pinatas.
Do you have any ideas for a 12-year-old birthday party ideas? Let us know below.
