My daughter is turning 16 in January and I need some ideas of what to do. Her birthday is the 29th. She doesn't know what she wants to do. She has two GREAT friends and I wanted to do something for all. A limo downtown and dinner isn't really her favorite idea. She wants to DO something. The mani/pedi idea sounds great. I'll have to go over these ideas with her. All of the responses have been great so far. Thanks. BTW she will not get her driver's license until April. Our budget is sorta tight too.
Thanks.
When my daughter turned 16 I had a sheetcake with a VW, her sitting in it and the # 16 on the hood. We hired a accordeon player and had a little garden party for her friends and the neighbors.
She hated the accordeon player, however, after many years she is appreciating it as a wonderful memory.
Hi. My daughter is turning 16 in January also, on the 16th. We are having her party at a teen club that's close to home. They have a party room and while we are providing cake and pizza, the best part is that there is already a DJ (we don't have to hire) that knows the right kind of music to play (no need to mess with a sound system and iPods and CD's). Her friend had her party at a restuarant that charges $100.00 per hour for the banquet room, plus they hired a DJ, plus had it catered. It probably cost around $800.00. We're getting all of ours for just under $300.00, as we are also paying the club admission (discounted) for her guests. If we insisted they stay in the room and not go on the dance floor, I don't think they would have a very good time.
Since she is turning 16 perhaps you should ask HER what she wants to do...
She is getting closer to being an adult and perhaps she would love to take charge of this.
Last year when my son turned 16 ( I know boys are different) we did Dave and Busters. We had a family dinner 11 of us first then moved to the game area where his friends then came (10 kids) and joined us We had cake and ice cream and did gifts as well. So just an option. All togther with food , drinks, game cards, we spent just under $500.
B.
take a couple of close friends to dinner at a nice restaurant and go to a movie. They like being treated like grownups!
go to a show that fits your daughter's interests - theater, or ice skating or whatever she likes best.
take a couple of friends to a cooking class, or some other kind of class your daughter is interested in.
She could have a slumber party w/ a few close friends that are also 16 or close to it and only do "girly" things like manicures, pedicures, make-up, hair, clothes, jewelry etc.; they could play cosmetologist for a night on each other and whoever looks the "best" would win a prize. It might even be fun to take them to the mall and they could get their make-up done by the make-up artists at Estee Lauder, Clinique, MAC for example. Then go to a movie. If you decide to stay at home, they could watch movies like 16 candles Grease, Mama Mia or some of the newer Chic Flick movies appropriate for her age group. Of course, you have to have foods like pizza, popcorn (even caramel, kettle and cheese variety), candy etc. To be more cost effective, in lieugh of presents -request their presence and that each girl bring $15-$20 cash for a fun time at a Sweet 16 Party. I'm sure most parents would be understanding of this.
We had bday parties every other year & my 16th bday party was one of them. I don't remember right now what we did, but for my 12th bday my mom worked at the Y & got insane discounts on stuff. She bought a bunch of stuff to make sub sandwiches, got a pool party package (not the pool, we just got to swim in the pool for a couple of hours) & rented a room there for the food & gifts portion. My 18th bday my parents got a party package from our minor league ball team (May baby) which got us 8 tickets, dogs & a soda for everyone, a visit from the mascot, an autographed pennant & card from some of the players & my name on the scoreboard. Is she into basketball or hockey? We had a blast!
If that's not in your budget, how about buying a bunch of fun colors of nail polish, or have each guest bring some (label them & save everyone the headache of sorting later), borrow foot spa tubs from friends or get some rubbermaid tubs that'll hold teenage girl feet (great for storage later), foot scrubs & lotions (Bath & Body Works is having their clearance sale right now & have some great deals!)... for gift bags check the dollar store-I got a mini pedi set from Santa in my stocking. For $1 I got nail clippers (they shouldn't share unless you wipe them down w/alcohol between girls), toe separators, cuticle pusher stick, a foot file (not sure what it's really called) & an emery board. Have her invite a few girls over & if it's a small number, do the pedis yourself. If there are more girls, ask girlfriends if they want to come over to help you & hang out in your own area afterward, or have them do each other's feet. The mani/pedi stickers are great fun & relatively cheap too, for the finishing touch.
Happy birthday to your daughter!
Talk to her best friends and have them plan a surprise party for her with your help; you provide the house, food, games, movie, etc. They provide the friends!
My parents did this for me when I turned 16, and it is a great memory. We all ended up going to a dance afterwards so we really didn't stay at out house that long, but it was fun!!
www.birthdaypartyideas.com is an excellent resource with some great ideas for kids, teens and adults!
Beauty schools will also do the girls hair and make up for a reasonable price. You can look for some in the local area.
Then after that visit, you can take them to dinner or a movie. I agree, being treated like grown ups is "fun" at 16.
Be sure to take plenty of pictures/video. You can even compile the pictures into a book at snapfish.com or shutterfly.com for a nice memory book after the party.
