Hi Everyone! Both my sons are turning the corner of age in a few weeks (to 12 and 14) and we need some easy, inexpensive ideas to celebrate. They both have many friends and love to watch movies together with them, so our initial idea was to have a pizza and movie night. However, they do this almost weekly with their buddies, so we really wanted something a bit different than that. I have to keep the tab under $100/175 for both, and yes, they need separate experiences. Any great thoughts??
I know you want separate, but what about laser tag and do it all at once.. they can play one team of 12 yr olds against the team of 14 year olds...
J., the party my 11 yr old son liked the best was when he asked for a video game party. We moved every tv (3) and borrowed a friends' game system, so we had 3 tv/game systems going in one room. The guys seemed to love the novelty of it - and that they had permission for unlimited playing. Wii has a great music making game, where you can play several different instruments and never sound bad. If you don't have game system, you can rent or borrow them.
I did my usual Walmart/target/$5 Store shopping for cheap but universal toys as favors: small lego sets/tennis ball/yo-yo/nerf football (my sons like to keep a tennis or nerf football in their backpacks for recess or impromptu games)
That year my son wanted brownies & ice cream sandwiches - partying doesn't get any easier than that - and we had to drag the boys away from their games for the treats. They loved having the 3 tv's & games going at once. It was my cheapest, most successful party ever. They boys had a ball.
In our house, I find that the dress-up box with halloween costumes always gets dragged out by my pre-teen & teen kids friends. If your older son has a "rock band" theme party - there are great rock star accessories that are fun - at a halloween party store/online or party stores. fake Mustaches, mohawks, microphones, inflatable guitars, temporary tattoos, etc. Ask the guys to come as their favorite musician/band. Include a video camera, Wii eye camera or computer camera, a "stage" area and you have entertainers.
I also find for kids who like to cook - a "make your own" sundae or bagel/Boboili pizza or pancakes or taco bar becomes a fun activity. Enjoy! Let us know what you end up doing. http://www.facebook.com/KarenSmithD
I know my almost 14 y.o. would love the video game party. It's cheap: just food and maybe small favors, but not necessarily for teens. Also, very low maintenance, and easy to supervise. My son also loves stuff like having tournaments with the board game RISK. Also, some years, we have forgone the party experience and have had a "date" with our son instead, for some one on one, special time just for him. My son has requested this repeatedly. We'll go shopping, go to a movie, go get him a haircut -- whatever he wants. Have fun.
Hi J.,
My son just turned 14 and I treated him and a couple of his friends to a hibachi dinner at a Japanese restaurant, then a movie. I let them sit alone at the hibachi table while my husband and I had sushi in the other room. They went to the movies afterwards. I had a couple of coupons that brought the overall price down, and you can always watch a movie back at the house with a sleepover.
You could have a Wii party. If you don't have one you could rent one and some games. They can pair up into teams bowling, golf, etc. They could also get a tent and sleep outside. Roast smores, hotdogs, etc. Set the TV up outside and give the kids lots of blankets. It isn't too cold outside yet and if it does get too cold, have something set up inside. Kids pretty much entertain themselves but having some games set up and lots of food and munchies will keep them pretty busy. If you all like to cook, you could have all the kids make their own pizza. Just purchase small baking pans, the dough and the works and bake. That will eat up sometime and the kids will have fun making and decorating their own pizzas.
My friends son just turned 13, they hung a huge white tarp from the trees (you can hang it on the back of a house also) Movie projector and watched movies outside. We had a fire pit, roasted hod dogs on a stick. Boys had horse shoes games.....we all had the best time ever.
D.
laser bowling is fun & the boys can do it at the same time but still be separate with their friends or how about paintball or laser tag. Then do a sleepover after some fun.
what about a night hike, bonfire, cook hotdogs and smores, camp out.
Just a thought, but my 11 year old loves to make his own movies. What if you had a twist on their movie night. Let them pick out movies, and do the traditional thing but then let them make a movie, either a spoof of what they saw or their own comedy or genre of movie that they are watching. They can make the cast, write the script or improvise, even if you have old costumes from Halloween, pull them out and they can dress up. They can even make props. Or if you decide ahead of time the theme, they could bring things from home. Then if you have the tech capability (which I don't but my kids do) you could burn them each a copy to take home as "goody bag."
sleepover? camping, cookout, campfire, scavenger hunt?
