Category Archives: Kids Birthday Party Ideas

Birthday Celebration Ideas for the 11 Year Old Girl

My little girl is turning 11 on Thursday, and that is what prompted this post. I have four children total, and every time a birthday rolls around for each one of them, I get all emotional and start reflecting on just how quickly it’s going – or maybe I’m just realizing my own mortality and the quick rate of aging I am unable to stop. The reality is – it will never stop. Our children will continue to grow at an alarmingly fast rate, and we are left in their dust only to look back and think “wow, where did it all go?”

Celebrating birthdays has always been a big part of my family’s life. Somewhere along the line it became an unspoken rule that a birthday – not a birthday party, just a birthday – meant cake and ice cream. Yep, the kids think that just because the cat turns one, there will be cake. Not really sure how that happened…

Turning 11 is a big deal to a little girl. Of course, every age is a big deal, but turning 11 has it’s thing. I was told “it’s the first double digit age”, as she held up both of her index fingers to make an 11. You know, zero doesn’t count as a real digit, so a one and one together is the first double digit age. Courtesy of my beautiful and creative almost double digit daughter.

If you have a daughter or a special little girl in your life that is about to turn 11, maybe the ideas below will give you something to think about when it comes to celebrating.

Ideas for Celebrating the Girl Turning Double Digits

If you are lucky, she’s not yet at that point where she’s too cool for you. I’m lucky. She still wants to be around me and be seen with me, and it makes her whole day if I show her special attention, no matter where we’re at. We could be in the front of her school where the kids line up to go inside and she will kiss me goodbye.

Pick her up from school at her lunch time and take her on a special lunch date. Even McDonald’s will be special. Keep it a surprise though! The look on her face will be priceless when she finds out that you are at her school to pick her up for a while. Also, remember those days, when you wished and prayed that the intercom from the office was to call you to the office?
Decorate the house with streamers and balloons while she’s at school (if school is not in, then try to get her out of the house so that it will be a surprise for her when she returns). Use two different colors, and make sure they are her favorites! 11 year old girls may try to pretend that stuff doesn’t interest them, but I guarantee you she will love it. You can get streamers and balloons at a dollar store.
Take her out to a movie that she has wanted to see, but hasn’t been able to because the rest of her siblings are either too young or too old. She will feel like the bees knees for getting to pick the movie, and it will be even more special if she’s the only one who gets to go.
When it comes to presents, it has been my experience that girls this age are in an “in between” phase. They may feel like they are too old to still play with toys, even though they still love toys, but they may also feel like they are still too young for all the “tween girl” stuff. You know, make-up, new clothes, shoes. It’s tough to shop for a girl this age. The best advice I can give is to try to balance it by including both. Give her some fun things that she can still enjoy and play with, but also give her some more mature gifts, such as hair accessories or jewelry. I have found that bath bubbles and great smelling lotions are great presents for girls this age. (Side note : I got my 11 year old daughter a very cheap tablet. In my opinion, it’s a “cool” gift. Something that caters to the kid in her, but also to the little woman that she is turning into.)
Ask her what she wants to do – and then do it. Let her plan her day (with boundaries of course!) Ask her to pick a few things she would like to do, and then make a day of it.

No matter how you choose to celebrate your double digit princess, just remember this one important fact – she will love being the center of your attention. Showing her just how important and special she is will have a life long effect on her. She will forever remember how she felt the day she began the second half of her childhood.

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Happy Birthday Party planning!

Ideas to Celebrate the Birthday Girl Turning 12

October 26 11:49 pm ⋅ Jennifer K

Image Credit : Zazzle

Wow, your daughter is about to turn twelve. First of all, let me be the first to tell you how terribly sorry I am for you, and I wish you much luck in the upcoming years. I am allowed to say this because I myself just went through it. My oldest daughter turned 12. (I think it effected me more than it did her.)

When your daughter turns 12, it’s an awkward age for us parents. It’s awkward for, well…a lot of things. They are much too old for the things they used to have interests in (barbies, baby dolls, etc) and they’re starting to be interested in boys, makeup, hair and fashion (heaven help us!) As parents we don’t want to let our little girls grow up, either at all, or just too fast. We are torn between “letting” our princess mature, and just the plain ol’ fact that it’s going to happen regardless if we give it our blessing or not. Cold hard truth I had a very hard time accepting.

Below are some ideas for a birthday party for a not so little girl turning 12. With any luck, you can pull it off without crying!

Birthday Ideas for 12 Year Old Girls

She’s over the Disney Princess theme, so why not do a Make-Over Theme?

I had the hardest time thinking of ideas for presents for her, just out of the sheer fact she wasn’t into toys anymore. When I stood back and watched her for a few days, the idea hit me. She’s been spending hours in front of the mirror trying out different hairstyles. She had also been begging me to put highlights in her hair (gasp!) and I just wasn’t ready to damage her perfectly beautiful and healthy locks. I finally gave in. I bought her a box of do-it-yourself highlights for her birthday from the grocery store. This way I could put them in her hair and control the amount of “grown-up” dose she would receive. I also bought her a 3 pack of different sized curling irons, a blow dryer, about a thousand different hair pieces, hair spray and mousse. Guess what? She loved it. And I didn’t even have to cave on getting her make-up. Bite sized introduction to adult hood, if you will.

Organized “childish” parties will get her eyes rolling, so why not take her out on a special date night?

This is a great idea for a 12 year old girl. Make a special day/night of it. Take her out shopping, let her pick out a fancy dress, and a new pair of shoes. If she’s anything like my daughter, the prospect of a new pair of shoes will light up her day. She may even ask you for a pair of heels…(in my experience, the very low to the ground platform heels are a great starter pair of heels for girls. They dress up her look and she’ll feel a little older, but she doesn’t sport the 12 going on 25 hooker look.) After you take her shopping, take her on a date. A fancy dinner (think Olive Garden or something similar) and possibly a movie. She’ll love spending time with you, and it’s not the typical childish birthday party. This idea works great whether you’re a mom or a dad…or a grandma or grandpa. 😉

She’s a social butterfly, so let her be social…

Yep. Throw her a birthday party. Let her invite some friends over from school. Do a sleep over. I know, it sounds like one of the worst things you could possibly do to yourself. If you’re like me, you’ve done maybe 1 sleepover. I have four children, and the thought of having any more children to deal with at night is not gonna happen. My answer is always no to the dreaded question. Allowing a sleepover may just be the special thing you could do for her. Having things like make-overs, movies, and other girly activities will keep them all happy. Plus, by allowing friends to come over, you’ve bought yourself less presents required, and the painful task of trying to figure out what to buy for her is all of the sudden minimized! 12 year old girls know what 12 year old girls want for their birthday. (Here are two previous posts you can read for more birthday party ideas or birthday party games.)

No matter how you decide to celebrate your 12 year old daughters birthday, she’s going to love it. Take a step back and just watch her for a while. Nobody knows your daughter better than you, and you’ll know what she’s into and what would make her happy. As long as you plan something to make her happy, you can’t fail!

Posted in: Kids Birthday Party Ideas ⋅ Tagged: birthday ideas for a 12 year old girl

Birthday Party Ideas for Kids

August 16 3:11 pm ⋅ Jennifer K

Throwing a birthday party for children is nothing short of work. A LOT of work. The idea seems innocent enough, but when you factor in all the extra stuff you have to make sure you take care of (goodie bags, food, decorations, etc) it just takes it’s toll on us.

Below are some birthday party ideas for kids that will hopefully give you a little bit of relief from the overwhelming panic feeling that will surely creep it’s way into your day at least once. 😉

Birthday Party Ideas for Kids

Clearly there’s the obvious choices, like bowling, or Chuckie Cheese (and other places that offer kids birthday parties). I love these options because it really does simplify our life. You call and schedule the party, and they take care of the rest. Of course the easier it is on us, the more expensive it’s going to be. Most places have different party options, like do you want to include the invitations and food in the party, and some even include goodie bags for the guests (of course for a larger fee.) Depending on how many kids you are inviting to the party will greatly depend on what party package you choose. But…duh. That’s common knowledge.

Other birthday party ideas you could do is let your child invite a few friends over from school and have the party at home. If you don’t feel like dealing with an entire class this may be the option for you. You can find arts and crafts, or even do a theme party for your child. You don’t even have to go overboard with it. For a kid, if there’s cake, ice cream and presents…it’s a party.

Playing games at a birthday party is something that can be done easily, and the kids always end up having a blast no matter what games you play. You can get some great and easy game ideas here : Kids Birthday Party Games

Giving out gift bags (or goodie bags) isn’t necessarily necessary…but it is something that every kid looks forward to when attending a birthday party. The dollar store and even Target or Walmart have their dollar section…you can get some very cheap and inexpensive goodies to put in the bags for the kids.

Tip : If you have a younger audience (kids between the ages of 1-3), I always like to give out the goodie bags when my child is opening presents. It seems to have keep the kids occupied and eliminates the need for other kids to want to open the presents. It really made it easier for present opening.

Don’t beat yourself up over ideas. You don’t need to overdo it. The party will turn out great and the kids will have a good time no matter what you do. I promise.