A girl’s 11th birthday is cause for celebration. However, you need to put away those Cookie Monster decorations, unless your tween appreciates irony. Make the event memorable with a tween-friendly theme that shows your little girl is not such a little girl anymore. Remember that 11-year-old girls still love all the birthday party trappings, from decorations and snacks, to party games and cake.
Types
All types of birthday parties entertain tweens. Make a splash with a barbecue cookout in the park or a poolside luau. A backyard party may feature a campout or movies projected on a giant screen. Off-site celebrations may take place at an amusement park, a roller rink, a water park, a movie theater, a pizza place or a mall.
Features
An 11-year-old girl’s birthday party may have glamorous or wacky themes. Outfit a fashion party with a catwalk, mirrors and makeup. Host a wacky party with costumes, silly photo backdrops and practical jokes. For a rock ‘n’ roll party, bring out the Guitar Hero games or the karaoke machine and rent a disco ball. A crafty party may have tables of activities such as pressing flowers, making treasure boxes and beading jewelry.
Function
An 11th birthday should make the guest of honor feel special. Have guests fill an autograph book with pictures, doodles and signatures as a memento. Take photographs and movies so that you can create a digital scrapbook to email to guests’ families.
Considerations
Tweens appreciate creative party games. Host a scavenger hunt in the mall or a neighborhood-wide treasure hunt featuring clues and a map. Stage a murder mystery in which guests play different characters. Go Hollywood with movies, popcorn and a mock Oscars ceremony. Transform your home into a spa, and have the girls make concoctions for facials. At a slumber party, a game of tag or hide-and-seek in the dark provides a thrill. A summertime party might end with a water balloon fight.
Time Frame
The two-hour time limit for children’s birthday parties does not apply to tweens. Most 11-year-old girls have the maturity for a sleepover party and have the attention span to stick with a party game or activity for an hour or more.
