Seeking Ideas for a Teenagers Birthday Party - He Will Be 14

Do you know his friends? Do they play cards, are they football fans, do they like word games?
My son played all kinds of games with his friends. Table top football with a folded triangular foot ball. Water balloons were fun - he has a summer b'day. Dodge ball, croquet, frisbee, ultimate frisbee, - that got the whole family involved too. These are all things he has played with his friends while in H.S. Oh, yes hacky sack was a good game all the boys enjoyed as well. You probably know lots of food is good. Surprisingly, they liked good food better than lots of sweets - burgers, and pizza, not much chips, bars over candy. Talk to them they will be happy to help with suggestions Good for you I'm sure your daughter will appreciate it!
Nelda C.

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Try a scavenger hunt! My teen grandaughter thoroughly enjoyed the one her Mom gave her and it included all her friends (or as many as you want to include.)

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How about Dave and Busters?

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Does he like paintball fights? My son loves to get into these "wars".

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I have NO clue where you are located at. I apologize if my response includes places that are not near you. But, they might have similar facilities in the area you live. Anyway, my child is fourteen also but she is a girl. However she has a ton of guy pals and so I have planned many parties! It depends on your budget. And I am not sure how many you are talking either. I will throw some ideas out and you can see what fits what you all trying to spend.

One really fun idea is to go play Laser Tag. There is a place called Jaggers (I am not sure if I spelled it right) anyway, do a search for laser tag kansas city on google. My daughter just went to a friend's party there and they had a blast! Even the adults!
Another idea is take them or meet up at Power Play. It is in Kansas but worth the drive. It has a ton of arcade style games, whirly ball, bowling, go carts too I think. It is a big place and I think they have food there too. I know they also have party rooms. A lot of the rec centers have pools so you could do a pool party. There is one in the Northland and they have slides and even big kids love that stuff!
There is also bowling. Most of my daughter's friends love to bowl. I took them to do the cosmic bowl last weekend (glow in the dark bowling with music) and they had a lot of fun with that. The last thing I have for you is just find a place that rents party/meeting rooms cheap or free (think outside the norm too like churches and banks sometimes have rooms that are free or cheap) and buy some pop and cheap snacks, have some cupcakes (kids this age still like those and they are easier than cake) and just let them hang out. They are all about hanging out with music and balloons or beach balls and food! I have done this several times and my daughter is always asking to do it again. I also did a bonfire weenie roast and the kids like that too. Don't spend a ton on food because I did that and the main thing they ate was candy, cookies/cupcakes and drank a lot of pop and the rest was a waste!

Anyway, hope that helps! GOOD LUCK and happy birthday to your grandson. He is blessed to have a grandma like you who is so willing to help! :)

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Rollerskating or ice skating parties (Belleville and Fairview), across the river is the The Mills Mall and they have a big arcade with bumper cars, go carts, a climbing wall, and there's an ice skating rink as well. Belleville has The Edge which has the laser tag and arcade and mini golf. Also across the river is America's Incredible Pizza which has an arcade, bumper cars and mini golf. Local YMCAs have pool splash parties.

If he's a homebody he can stay at home and make homemade pizzas with english muffins or pizza dough, watch movies and play games with friends. Then choose a few friends to stay the night.

Have you guys asked him what he wants to do?

rumbamel

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lazer tag...an arcade...something sports related.

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J., i have a 14 yr old....and have several suggenstions, depending on where u live and the time of yr, etc. for a small group - summer we have rented a cabin and let them stay (4 boys total) in the loft w/ us (parents)in the bottom bedroom - had a bonfire w/ roasting hot dogs. marshmallows, etc. they told ghost stories around the fire later ! lol - there was also a pool and the river for entertainment...

another suggestion if it's cold out still. we have a center near that has huge trampolines and we took 4 boys to that... %10 / hr / child to play..and they LOVED it.. it also had a gym w/ basketball, handball, badmitten, etc. and then we hit pizza and a movie before we went home.

hope this helps !

good luck

K. (mother of 4 kids - 15, 14, 10 , and 9)
MO mom

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I think all of the suggestions below are good ones, but I thought I'd give you a couple of ideas that aren't already listed. My son is also 14 and we have done some of the following. Of course some of it depends on when the birthday falls.

1. Worlds of Fun - We took my son and 3 friends to WoF for his 13th birthday. We limited it 3 that way there would be even numbers and everyone would have a partner to ride with. My husband and I went on several of the rides with them, but we also let them go on their own and either hung at the exit of the ride or gave them a time and place to meet us. We took them on a Friday evening (the price is lower after 6:00pm) and we fed them homemade pizza before we left.

2. Royals game - Again we let my son take a limited amount of friends. We tailgated with burgers and dogs before the game. The boys played catch in the parking lot while we were cooking. *Depending on what sports your family likes you could also do this with the Wizards, the Brigade, or the T-Bones*

3. This one we haven't done yet, but we will be doing this to celebrate the end of 8th grade. Food fight - I plan on making lots of pasta noodles, pudding, jello, mashed potatoes, whipped cream pies and having it in the backyard. We will grill out and have a giant food fight. After the food fight is over, we'll just hose off the kids and let them change into clean dry clothes.

Whatever you do make sure to include the birthday boy in the planning. It's his birthday afterall!

Have fun!!

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after my son turned 13 we started having barbq birthdays, all his friends and family came over the kids hung out outside or in the house playing video games, we all ate and the kids seem to have a good time. i would ask the 14 year old what ideas he may have thats how we came up with the bbq also my sons bday is in june so if it is warm enough we swim too. the holiday inn has a pool and will ley u rent it a minimal cost also. good luck let me know what u come up with new ideas are always fun.

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I don't know a lot about teenage birthday parties since my kids are 3 and 5, but I have heard of a place in downtown springfield called 1984 (I think!). It is full of old video games the kids can play. It sounds like a great place for teenage boys. I am not sure what the cost is.
Good Luck!

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Dear J.,
For my sons birthday we had an "Obstacle Course" competition, followed by "Air Hockey" and then a "Nascar" race... the boys loved it! If this is something you are interested in please let me know and I will send more details!

Good Luck!!!

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Not sure where you live but in Blue Springs there's that indoor rockwall climbing place...for some reason I can't rememeber the name right now. There's also Dave and Busters, I'd suggest maybe eating before if you are going to have a lot of kids dinner there would be pricy...but the games are fun then they can earn tokens and they can get fun stuff.

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How about an indoor pool party if it will be cold outside still. Does he like paint ball games, they have indoor play areas, also.

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Hi J.! My nephews like paintball or even just hanging out with the guys at home playing football, basketball, etc. I don't think boys are to difficult and need that many frills. Good luck to you!

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Laser Tag is fun! I dont know if we have one here in Columbia though.

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Assuming you are trying to keep a small budget for this- have you considered a ball field or park where they can play some ball games just for fun or maybe some prizes-this age loves music,sports stuff and even some movie tickets. Don't forget the cake that is and always will be a big hit for any age-just leave off the candles and add something he likes on the top-if it is right for a 14 year old.They do know what girls are all about so maybe some girls can come to the party be sure to have plenty of"chaperone" parents to help with cake and your team activities. Boys also love water things-just let them wash the dogs, cars or whatever is around then go for a picnic-they don't care if they are wet and messy it is more fun. Good luck grams!

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How about a scuba party? Scuba Adventures north of the river will put together a scuba party complete with the equipment and show the kids how much fun it is. They have it at the Y so it is safe. Monte or Melissa are the people to call.

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J.
My son enjoyed all of these parties.
Paintball
Rock wall Climbing - you can do this at several of the community centers and there are specialty places that just offer climbing
Bowling
Demolition Ball - this is a cross between bumper cars and basketball
He would even have video game parties where you can hook together several different TVs and the boys can all play each other
Hope you have fun

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Hi J., I have a friend that is great when it comes to birthday parties. Her daughter is younger than your grandson, but, I thought the parties were a hit with the kids. One year she had a karate theme and went to the local karate gym and they taught the kids a few moves and then when done they had cake and drinks there. The gym offered all of the kids a free pass to try a few classes. It was fun and my kids enjoyed it. Then she had a Roller Skating party and rented out the roller rink. At this place they offered unlimited number of attendance and was one flat rate for a two hour time frame.
I am also a big fan of the web site familyfun.com there are cost effecient ideas for different age group that you can do yourself. Hope this helps...14 is a tough age to please when it comes to parties.

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How about a Guitar Hero or Rock Band tournament? You could have prizes for 1st, 2nd and third place. Feed them pizza and soda and let them rock!

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J.:

Does your grandson have any music groups that he likes? You could do something around that, or you could do scavenger hunt around a theme, such as the band/music group he likes.

I know I have a girl who will be turning 14 this summer, and we are doing a sleep over, it is in the summer, so doing a bonfire, roasting marshmellows, hotdogs, etc.

So not sure when he will turn 14, but maybe you could do something like that as well, if you can, and then have his favorite music/group/band playing!

Just a thought!

C. Freeman/
Tupperware Executive Director

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I have never had a son, but have noticed that friends who do often have Paintball parties for their kids. If you have that in your area, the boys LOVE it! We also have an indoor Go-Kart track that is very popular with that age.

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We took our son and 5 other friends bowling for his 14th birthday, it was so much better than a sleepover and they had a blast.

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Hi, D. from Topeka,Ks. I was wondering if he has a favorite book or Movie that you could take a theme from? Or does he have a favorite Nascar Team or other favorite sport? If so, you could easily set a great birthday party with any of that. Also, a favorite board game? Favorite type of food that you could put a theme around?

Cupcakes seem to be the "hot" birthday cake, you can fill them will all kinds of goodies, i.e. candies, puddings, whipped cream, etc. Pile them high with frostings. I don't know too many boys who don't like frosting!

Hope this helped a little. I have a 10 year old girl party to plan in September for my Granddaughter.

Good Luck. D.

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Our soon to be 14 son wants to do Paintball or Lazer Tag. Just check your local phone book to find them-they are fun, all the adults even like to play. Good luck, have fun and Happy Birthday!!!

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Hi Jouce,

My daughter started Karate in a great place, and you can celebrate a Birthday party there with as many kids as you like for just $80, I thought it was awesome!!! And teenagers will love that!!! You can give them a call, the place is in 9637 W 87th St. beside the big library and behind Mc Donnalds.
It is called AKKA Karate USA.
Here is the phone in case you are interested: ###-###-####
Good Luck!
M. Abadie
www.MaiaCreations.ecrater.com
Unique Jewelry Designs at affordable prices!

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There's always the bowling alley. They can bowl, play pool, or video games.

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SkyZone in the Chesterfield Valley. The kids jump for one hour and they are great.
Have fun and take your earplugs.

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I have a son who will be 14 this year as well. For his 13th birthday we rented a DVD movie projector and screen, and played a movie in the backyard, with blankets, lawn chairs, popcorn, nachos and candy. The kids had a blast (except it was a little chilly and it was a boy-girl party. We had to keep an eye out for too much "blaket sharing" between boys and girls :-)
Good Luck!

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why don't you ask him what kind of party he would like

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Hi, J.,

When my sons got too old for the "traditional" kids birthday parties, we had several different parties for them, depending on what their interests were. Here are some examples and I hope they help you:
1. Take his friends our for pizza (or have it delivered). Then drop them all off at the local video gaming place. Buy a bunch of tokens and divide them up among all the friends. Tell them what time you will pick them up and let them have fun. Then take them home for cake and ice cream. What's great about this is that you can usually get coupons for the pizza and the video game tokens if you watch for them and save a little money.
2. Feed the guys at home then take them all to the movies. We always went to matinees or the dollar shows. If you have a multiplex theater, then the adults could go to a different movie showing at the same time if you don't like the birthday boy's choice.
3. Host a campout, even if it just your backyard. Set up a couple of tents, have guests bring a sleeping bags. Roast hot dogs & marshmallows over a fire pit (or you can use your BBQ grill). Have plenty of snacks and sodas on hand. Get everyone to tell a scary story around the fire and then leave them to their own devices.

Hope these ideas help.

C.

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We recently took a group of 12-15 year olds to play laser tag and we loved it! Lots of fun.

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You could try Laser Tag, sleep over at a hotel (to swim & play board games), a week-end road trip or shating party. I hope this helps. Good luck & God Bless!