12Th Birthday Party for Girl

K.,

Some of the best parties are the good old fashioned ones at home. I do independent consulting for Arbonne International, a swiss formulated skin care company and have done parties for people. We do a skin care demo for the girls to teach them how to care for their skin and then a very simple make-over. We have also incorporated hair care and nail care. Letting them get involved is key. The host (or parent or you, in this case) can spend as much or as little as wanted. If interested, let me know!! Good luck! ____@____.com B. :)

How about a High School Musical theme? My stepdaughter is 12 and she LOVE HSM- they have all kind of "movie" party supplies-there is HSM CD's, watch the movie, maybe a karaoke session?

Good Luck!

We did a tie-dye birthday party for my daughter at about the same age. The kits aren't too expensive and we had everyone bring a t-shirt (we bought a few extra in case someone forgot).

They have the kits at craft stores or they have instructions online. The girls had a blast. We found tye-dye plates and gift bags to go with the theme. My daughter loved it and everyone went home with their own custom t-shirt.

I know it's quite a drive from Lee's Summit but it's worth it! There is a great little place at 154th and Metcalf called La Di Da! It's like a little girls dream! They get to dress up in fancy clothes and make-up and walk the runway and "record" a music video. They also get a craft in the mix. It's not too expensive like $20 per girl for a party. You bring the cake (they do have a place they can get them from if you want but I'd think that you can do it cheaper if money is an issue.) Anyway, when my daughter is a bit older we will have a party here!

www.studioladida.com

Good luck!

K.,
I have a 13 year old daughter. When she turned 12, I took her and her friends to a put-put golf course. It was indoor and in florescent colors. Then back to the house for cake and ice cream. They had a good time. My daughter also went to a Grammy Themed Party where they did Karioke and Guitar Hero. Everyone voted for their favorite singer. She had a blast. Hope this helps.

S.

I just recently hosted a scavenger hunt birthday party for adults and had a blast but I think my daughter, who will turn 12 in a few months also, would love it too. Make up a list of items they need to find, try on, taste, etc at a mall. Split them up into teams ( with an adult to supervise) and have them take a digital camera with them to capture each task on film. They get points for each task they complete within a certain time limit and the team with the most points wins! There is a ton of stuff you can do with this! best of all- there is not much cost with this one!

Have you thought about a spa party? You can get the stuff at the store and do sort of what they do at adult spa parties (like Beauty Control, ask around if you don't know). I've done it for my cheer squads and the girls love it. Not really expensive either.

How about a Mad Scientist Party? They will come to your house and do really cool science experiments. They use science to make things like cotton candy and hover boards. It's fun for all ages.

Try a sleepover!!!!!!It's a great,and not real expensive!!!!Mamas dont bother them let her pick some snackes and invite a few friends.Let them do their own thing and let them hangout in the neighborhood with friends.

Skating party at Coachlite. For a fee it includes food and skates. Lots of fun for her age,,, or ice skating at the Mills mall in the zone. If all else fails a cool sleep over. With makeovers and teen magazines and pizza and stories. All have to have a scary storie to tell and they take turns with only flash lights or night light on. Be ready for a screaming night. Have a great time.

She could have a "spa" party where you and a friend are in charge. The girls could have mini pedi. and mani. You could have a couple types of nail polish and nail stickers for them to choose. Also, you could do goofy hair styles. Curling ribbon makes great decoration for the hair. Also, you could do favors that go along with the theme.

How about a scavenger hunt with digital camaras? We did one with a friends daughter, and they had 3 teams with mom or dad drivers. The kids had to go to different places, do some goofy things and get their pictures taken while doing them. They had a blast and it cost very little.

Why don't you try a girl's tea party. My friend did this with her daughter's b-day party and they had a great time. The girls came dressed in their Sunday best, if they wanted to, and made tea time hats. My friend went to the dollar store and bought hats for the girls and bought fake flowers, ect. for them to decorate their own tea time hat. After decorating the hats they all sat down together and drank tea like "sophisticated" young ladies and watched movies and talked. This party was a hit w/ my friend's daughter adn all of her friends, they are even asking to do it again this year for her b-day.

What about taking them for a manicures or makeovers. I think if they went to the cosmetology school, it wouldn't be to expensive. They usually charge considerably less because they are students.

Theme parties are always the route to go! That way you can make sure everything matches and goes together. One of the best, especially here at Oscar time is to have a "movie star/rock star" party. People can come dresssed as their fave movie chaaraters/rock stars or you can set out a bunch of costumey props for when they arrive. If they are all girls, I suggest rock stars. Then that opens up doing hair and make-up. And lip-sinc contests. The one things you need to get are a few items (boas and sunglasses, etc.) from the children's dress up ____@____.com your own invitations on the computer ~ again, going along with your theme. I would print them on very bold, colorful paper so you will have many options for partyware matching. Consider making/buying small trophies for your rock contest. The only large ticket item you need for this party is a camcorder and even if you don't have one, I bet you know someone who does. That is also a fab way for the birthday girl to always remember this special party.
Hope you all have a fabulous time!!

Indoor pool party maybe? Thats always fun!
--S.

Well, I am 12 and I like the idea of going to the mall and doing a scavengar hunt. Like have a list that says a leather jacker or something like that and then take a picture....the first one back with all of their pictures wins!

We just had my 6 year old's birthday at "It's Party Time" on Watson Rd. in Webster Groves. This place looks like a castle on the outside, and on the inside there are several party rooms, an indoor playground, game room, and a giant inflatable dragon. They offer several party packages, but you can bring the kids and order food from outside restaurants that deliver. The kids can play for free in the indoor playground, but it costs $3.50 for unlimited bouncing, sliding on the dragon. Check out their website: www.itspartytimestl.com My 12 year old had a blast at his sister's birthday party!!

If your cousin likes Hannah Montana. She could do a sleep over and have that theme. They could do a fashion show, a Montana Karaoke,and do little spas station.Hre is a recipe for there face called Berry Blitz 1/2 cup of fresh strawberries, 1/4 cup of cornstarch mash them together to make a paste apply to face for 30 min. rinse with cool water.My daughter got this book for her birthday and were going to try it next year. Hannahs hang out guide. It has a bunch of other fun ideas in it.Hope she has a good birthday.

My daughter had a Scavenger Hunt for my 14 year old grandaughter and they absolutely had a fantastic time! She had 8 guests...divided in two teams...her older brothers drove and acted as escorts. They went to homes of relatives and to area businesses (they will usually cooperate)and my daughter gave prises to the team who returned first with all their items. I'm not positive what the items were; I'm sure you can figure that out. They had pizza afterwards.

I've been having a lot of fun doing F.Y.I. parties with our new line for teens. The birthday girl is very involved and I will work with your budget. It involves games, spa treatment and fun with friends. To view the teen line go to www.fyiarbonne.com. To view my site go to www.R..myarbonne.com and for more information on the FYI parties e-mail me at ____@____.com

Matt Ross Community Center has an awesome indoor pool. You can pay a set fee for a birthday party of 20 people. Check out their website for info!

does your cousin enjoy High School Musical & other dance fun? The pre-teens in our family have enjoyed "dance" parties, "sing star" parties, magic parties (where each guest learns a variety of simply tricks), an adventure party (where the guests pick up the BD girl, blindfold her, & have her guess where they're going....someplace as simple as the bowling alley!) There's lots of fun ideas. Good luck!

I am a 50 yr. old mother of 5, ages 25 to 11. Of all the parties we have had, the most fun for all was a mixed up menu theme. You list every item for the eating part of the party by unrecognizable names (a spoon could be a silver dipper; a plate could be a catch-all; etc.). Then, the guests must order off the menu, one item (or, course) at a time. They don't know what they ordered really until it is served to them -- someone got cake with no silverware, someone got a drink, someone got a fork, etc.
The menu is served course by course until everyone has everything, but only served one course at a time by the parents or whoever is serving up the fun. We dressed up as fancy resteraunt butlers to serve ours, and everyone had a blast!!

My daughter just turned 12 and had a high school musical party. It was a sleepover and alot of fun. She had the soundtracks playing in the background, they did karaoke, we made individual cakes using heart shaped small pans and everyone got to decorate their own cake. She had the dance edition of HS musical and they all attempted to learn the Wildcats dance and then when it was time to settle in, they watched HS musical 1 and 2. Some of the game she played was hot basketball. Kind of like hot potato. She also asked them to dress like their favorite charecter and did a "costume" contest. Sharpay is betrayed outrageously!!! She gave HS musical posters as prizes. Anyway have fun with it. You could also do a Hannah Montana party. That was her second choice!

Hello, Well what I do for my son is I go online and look up free party ideas and they show you themes and all sorts and then you can decide what you want to do. I hope this helps some! My son is 9 and I just got some ideas for his birthday that we just had two weeks ago and it turned out great. Good Luck

It is difficult to know what all the other girls will think is cool, but here's an idea off the cuff. Have the girls gather for a typical party with snacks and maybe a movie, but have them work on something charitable. They can work on making those fleece blankets with the tied edges and donate them to the children's home in Murphysboro or the Women's Center or Good Samaritan House. Maybe your cousin will ask for no gifts and have the girls bring the fabric. Just a thought.

for my daughters slumber party we rented a limo...it's $80 an hr w/ yates service and he was really nice. to help w/ expenses i had each girl bring a few dollars which they were only to willing since they would be in a limo!! was the talk of school the next week!

well have a sleepover with some cool tuches like a food fight with home made cake and pie or pashals . this idea would be very good if you use my idea contact me at ____@____.com hope she has a great party

K., Do you have friends that are hairdressers that could give you a discount to have the girls' hair done, make-up, and their fingernails done? A make-over party????
take before and after pictures... Just a suggestion. Have fun.

At 12 I thought the coolest thing was to have my mom let me have a sleepover. How about a movie/spa night? Litterally, teach her to have "girls night out." Tell all the girls to bring their cosmetics (if they have any) and fav nail polishes. Hang a giant curtain like a movie theater in the doorway of the living room (or wherever you have your TV) (you can use a King size sheet and a shower curtain rod to do this and just run through the top seam). Throw pillows and bean bags on the floor for them to all flop on (encourage the girls to bring their favs too including their stuffed animals). I would recommend all kinds of finger foods popcorn, cookies, snack cakes, pizza rolls or pizza, veggie tray, etc. Take a poll among her friends as to all time fav chic flick movies and pick up 4-5 of them (because you know they will stay up ALL night!!!)

I would imagine you could also get an Avon/Mary Kay (I personally LOVE the Mary Kay satin hands and that would do great for manicures) rep or someone to come in and give the girls facials and teach them how to take care of their skin (that's always fun). Or you and mom can just sit down and crank out painted nails. The girls will feel so pampered! If you have a dollar store around you, you can find all those toe separaters and manicure stuff really cheap and give them to the girls as the party favors if you want. Most of the $ stores also have really inexpensive party decorations that would help set the tone.

It's a fun party, it teachs the girls the importance of taking time for themselves and also with eachother and just plain fun. It also give you the opportunity to move in and out of the party and be the "fun & cool" cousin. Let us know what you did and how it turned out...some of us will be there sooner than we think! LOL

Pizza making party!
buy already made dough or Boboli bread, Ragu, some mozarella, pre-cooked meats (if wanted), sliced veggies, and let them have a blast making their own pizzas!

Maybe you can make her a cookie birthday pizza pie instead of a cake! That's the fun with pizzas, anything goes!

Just remember to have fun - this is her last "non-teen" birthday - you'll want to remember it!

If it is cold out, what about turning up the heat and having a Hawaiian luau? Party supply stores have leis and hula skirts... Could be fun to have a piniata too.

Have you thought of maybe a Mary Kay/Avon party? Most girls I know this age are really into makeup and hair but still need a little coaching. If you can find someone that knows how to do the color charts, this can be very educational for the girls as well as fun.

K.,
Planning can be such fun! REMEMBER don't let the planning ruin the fun for you too. Kids will remember your involvement more than how much you spent and they will have no idea just how crazy it made you to plan it.

I love the Luau idea. Put out towels, and have them bring their suits or shorts. Eat on the floor and definitely take a picture in front of a window if there is snow outside!! I am wanting to do something like that for my boy who's birthday is in Jan.

A play on the scavenger hunt idea and costs nothing is a BIGGER / BETTER party.

THE GAME: Divide into teams,
Have an adult with each team. Decide beforehand if you will be walking or driving.
Give each team the same thing. Like a pencil or a dime, or an old shoe, anything.
Set an appointed time to return.
They decide which direction to set off in. And off they go! Go to someone's house and when they come to the door say "We have a pencil. Do you have anything bigger or better than this?" If the person will play with you then they go get whatever they have that they are willing to GIVE away. The catch, they HAVE to keep what you are giving..i.e. the pencil. You visit as many places as you can or until everyone has had a turn asking and beat it back to see who has the best or biggest prize! We brought back an armchair/recliner once. (when we have played each team member had to take turns so that everyone participated and it wasn't the same person always asking )
Remember, it doesn't have to be bigger if it is better, and it doesn't have to be better if it is bigger. It has been a lot of fun everytime we have played. You might want to have an impartial judge at the finish.

have lots of fun whatever you do!

Neighborhood scavenger hunts are fun at this age. Break into a couple of groups and have them search for odd items. They have to go to the neighbors houses and get the items on the list. First group to come back with all the items on the list is the winner.

Both of my girls are older now, but when they were at that age, it can be tricky, almost being a teenager, but not quite.Some of the things that we did and it was'nt real expensive, they would invite friends over to the house, and we would make the girls up with make-up, have them bring a few changes of clothing,and set up like a photo studio in the garage or outside,and we called it a "GLAMOUR PARTY" if you have a digital camera,it would not be expensive you could download the pictures on your computer, and if the parents would like to have a copy of any of the pictures you can just e-mil the pictures to the parents and they can print them off,so the only expense is the make-up, hair ribbons,things like that, or you could talk to the moms and they might love to help out.Alot of little girls this age would love to have a fancy picture like having them done at Glamour Shots, but will never get the chance.The food at the party was finger sandwiches , fruit , light things, things you would find at a grown up party.It makes the girls feel they are special.( one thing though make sure all the little girls parents know what you are doing, so they know about the make-up.) Some of the mothers might help , and that would be great, another tip, have each child bring their own hairbrush, so each will be using their own.and taking the pictures outside by a tree, hang a mural or sheet for a back drop,laying on their tummies let them pose like they were a model, all girls at this age love the attention.and love to feel pretty.
#2. Another thing we did was took our garage and decorated it with decorations and had one of my older kids be a D.J. and had a dance,set up chairs around the perimeters, snack tables, at this age they are just learning about boys so if you are comfortable with this, have the birthday party co-ed. But have some parents help, and have them supervised all the time.The boys go home at a certain time and the girls have a sleep-over.

#3.have a outdoor party, with volleyball, softball, different games like this , the drinks put in a blow-up swimming pool, with ice, servehamb. and hotdogs or just chips fruit.

This age can be tough because girls at this age, wants a party, but don't want it babyish. Also you might ask her.Scavenger hunts at this age are fun as well..

Hope this helps!!