My daughter just had her 10th birthday party and I was unlucky enough that it fell on the day after I had the stomach flu. While I was up and on my feet, I was still in recovery mode, but needed to pull off some rock star moves to make sure this party happened. By creating a do-it-herself party, I came up with some easy birthday ideas for tweens that I am excited to share.
To ensure that I stayed alive throughout this 3 hour window, and that the girls didn’t notice this feverish mommy, I created a party that delivered all the goods, without me having to do any work (other than supervise with a hot cup of lemon tea).
So, for all the moms who are dealing with work deadlines, colds and flu, lack of sleep or just plain “un craftiness” here are some tips for pulling off an easy birthday party without having to do the work!
Easy Birthday Ideas for Tweens
The #1 rule is to NOT do things that the kids could do themselves. (This should be a general rule for parenting really.) When you think of all the “parts” of a party, try and figure out where you aren’t actually needed. Do the prep, and then stand back and let them do it!
Food
We did make your own pizza. I tossed some pizza dough makings into the bread machine and diced up some toppings into bowls. The kids were given a ball of dough, a greased baking sheet and left to themselves to make it happen. Less than 5 minutes of prep on my end, and then tossing the pizza creations in a hot oven, and pulling them out when they were done!
We did the same (almost) with the cupcakes! Easy homemade cupcakes made and waiting, with a variety of icing colours, and treats for toppings. The best part is, making their “custom cupcakes” was probably as much fun as eating them… and it kept me and my aching body OUT of their hair!
Activities
My daughter wanted a “Spa” party, and luckily we had a few items on hand to help! We set up their “craft” area before they arrived, with all the ingredients ready. The kids mixed their scents and made bath bombs, lip balm and body sugar scrub with very little grown up help! It was nice to have an activity that engaged them for a long period of time, AND acted as their goody bags when they went home.
Outside
Of course, living on a hobby farm there is NO shortage of entertainment. The kids did a turn to play with the goats, chickens and rabbits (which allowed me to give the tables a wipe down in their absence!) Having unstructured play at a party often creates the best moments, and lets the kids just have FUN, vs “doing activities”.
In the end the party was a success and no one really noticed I was “less than involved”. My daughter thought it was the BEST ever, and everyone took an extra cupcake home along with their home made spa treatments. After years of putting hours of effort into kids parties it was nice to see that the fun and happiness is still there, even when you try and stay hands off! What do you think of these easy Birthday ideas for tweens?