How to Throw a Birthday Party for Your Teen When You’ve Just Moved

Birthdays are a big deal to teens. It’s a chance to celebrate life and to have a special day all to yourself. With all the stress teens experience regularly, a special birthday party can be a welcome relief, especially if you have just gone through a big new move. So how do you go about throwing a great birthday party for your teen that they’re sure to appreciate?

Create a Budget

One of the first things you should do to throw a successful party for your teen is to create a party budget. There are so many different elements of a party that you can spend money on. It’s easy to rack up a huge bill if you aren’t careful. Start by deciding the total amount you’re willing to spend, and then divide that money up to go towards things like food, cake, presents, decorations, and more. It may be helpful if you do some research to see what things cost so you can get a feel for where you should allot different amounts of cash.

Plan the Menu Items

All great parties have food. Even if you have an amazing cake for the party, it’s still a good idea to have other menu items. You can go as fancy or as simple as you want, depending on the style of the party. Start by deciding if you want to offer a full meal or an array of appetizers and snacks. You’ll also need to decide how the food will be provided. You could have the food catered, buy it yourself from the store, or choose to go the DIY route and make it yourself. The size of your party and how adept you are in the kitchen are both factors you’ll need to consider. If you opt to make the food, there are a lot of fun party appetizer ideas to choose from.

Make a Good Presentation

When the day of the party arrives, it’s important to make sure things are presented properly. That means the decorations, tables, and any specific areas you have set aside for things like games and presents are put together nicely. It’s especially important for the food to be displayed nicely. Humans are very visual eaters. When something looks nice, we tend to think it tastes better too. Bamboo toothpicks can help present your appetizers in an eye-catching way. Fun arrangements and groupings of foods can be a good way to go as well.

Plan Some Games

Parties are supposed to be fun. Awesome party games can be a great addition to any party. Of course, what games you should have available for playing will depend on the party, its theme, and what the people who will be there (including your teen) like. If your teen and their friends are all avid gamers, having some video games to play could be a fun option for them. That can be a little tricky if you have a ton of guests, though, so clearly, the number of people attending is important to take into account as well. If you have room in your party budget for some prizes, don’t be afraid to offer some. Prizes can be a great participation motivator, even if it’s something small.

Pick a Theme

Themes can make parties extra fun. They give you a direction to go in that’s more specific than just planning a generic birthday party. There are a lot of different birthday party themes you can use, with your creativity being your biggest limit. If there’s something extra special about that year, such as a sweet sixteen or golden birthday, those can be fun to work with. It’s usually a safe bet to go with something your teen is interested in as well. Costume parties, fashion themes, sports themes, or movie themes can all be a lot of fun and don’t have to be hard to pull off. Let the theme guide your decisions about decorations, food, the cake, and any other aspects of the party you can for a cohesive experience.

Sending Out Invites

What’s a birthday party without guests? Make sure your teen has people to celebrate with by making sure that invitations are sent out. This can be especially difficult if you have just moved and your teen is still trying to find friends or feel settled. You should make sure to talk to your teen about what they most prefer. Having more of a family party, choosing a few new friends to invite, or doing a virtual party with their friends who don’t live close by are all good options. 

Party Favors

Party favors aren’t just for little kid parties. They can be a fantastic finishing touch on the party and help it be truly memorable. Small goodie bags with candies can be fun and are easy to put together. You can also take inspiration from the theme you based your party on. For example, a fashion-themed party for a teen girl might offer a small lip gloss and nail polish to guests on their way out. Each time your party guests use that gloss or polish, they’ll be reminded of your teen’s birthday party and the fun time they had. If you want to go the extra mile with your party favors, you can always personalize them by using a ribbon to tie a card with the guest’s name printed on it.

Get Input from Your Teen

Of course, the whole point of this birthday party is to celebrate your teen. No one knows what they want their party to be like the way they do, so ask them. They can give you insights on what themes they like best, what foods they’d like to have, who they’d like to see at their party (and who they don’t want there), and more. Make it a fun brainstorming session between the two of you.

Birthdays only come around once a year. Your teen’s special day is one that they’re going to remember all year long, for good or for bad. Make sure they remember it as an awesome day by throwing them a birthday party they’ll love. Even if they don’t say it in so many words, it will mean a lot to them.

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