Pre-Teen Birthday Ideas for February
- Every pre-teen loves having his best friends spend the night. For his birthday this year, plan a sleepover. Rent movies and make the birthday boy's favorite dinner. Clear out a space in the den or living room for sleeping bags and pillows. After cake and presents, pop popcorn for a movie marathon.
Once the movie (or movies) finish, throw in a surprise and turn your den into a game show. Use the couch as the "hot seat," and ask trivia questions about the movie that just finished. If someone gets a question wrong, he gives up his seat to the next contestant. The last person sitting on the couch wins. If at any point in the game, someone disagrees with the answer, go back to the film to test his memory. Award the winner with a coveted spot on the couch to sleep and a homemade T-shirt that says "Movie Trivia Champ" or a gift card to a movie rental place. - Take the birthday clan out for a fun afternoon at a roller skating ink or a basketball gymnasium. It may be cold outside, but they will love rolling across the rink or shooting hoops. Allow them to work up an appetite for a few hours, before treating them to pizza and present opening at a restaurant.
- Set out white T-shirts, various-sized rubber bands and colored dye on a table (place a large, plastic sheet underneath to catch anything that spills). Show the kids how to tie rubber bands around portions of the shirt to get different patterns, before dipping each shirt into a color. Follow the instructions on the dye to determine how long to color the shirts and how to rinse and dry each one. Add colorful food to the mix, with red velvet mini-cakes, blue corn chips with green dip, and hot chocolate with silly straws and flavored marshmallows.
- Instead of purchasing a generic box of Valentine's, if your pre-teen's birthday falls in the beginning of the month, have a crafty Valentine party. Set out various types of colored paper, markers, glitter, stickers and scissors that cut patterned lines. Allow the party members to let their imaginations run wild, creating Valentines for friends and family members.
Have a "Best Valentine" contest, with the birthday girl selecting the winner. Plan the food to fit in with the Valentine theme with heart-shaped pastries, cookies decorated like conversation hearts and heart-shaped sandwiches. For beverages, use grenadine to make clear sodas into shades of red and pink. - Instead of making the party foods ahead of time, get everyone involved by creating the meal as a group. Give everyone a wide option of tasks, such as smashing nuts out of their shells, pounding steaks to tenderize them, frosting the cake or putting sprinkles on cupcakes. At the end of the party, give everyone an apron with her name on it, under the word "Chef."
