Birthday "Favors" for 13 Year Olds.......

hello, I agree with the odd shaped candy and pencils/erasers I worked in an after school program and they all liked that stuff. I wanted to also suggest key chains, because they probably all are getting house keys by now....and if you have a local skating rink putting in a little gift card for there, here it's only $2 to skate so that wouldn't be too expensive and depending on how many you buy they may even cut you a deal. I've also seen fake lotto tickets that usually provide some fun before they realize they're fake! sounds like it'll be a fun party!

It seems like every kid has an Ipod or mp3 player of some sort now. Maybe consider an ITunes or Rhapsody gift certificate. I know you can get them in denominations as little as $1. Most songs are 99 cents, so a $1 gift could be used for one free song.

we have several 13y.o.s in our family, including our son. I also have an older son who's 22. Sooooo, these are some of the things that they all have enjoyed: fun candy like Pixie sticks, blow pops, strange shaped gummies, foam discs (the old flying saucers), anything mega sour, wax bottles, etc. The weirder the better...anything for a conversation starter!

They also like funky pens....no pencils. Funky erasers, mini Sharpies (if you're brave & they're very well-behaved (we've had some really wild experiences with permanent markers, to the other parents' dismay), old-style glider airplanes (Ben Franklin, Michaels, Cracker Barrel), puzzle thingies??...seriously those little activity puzzles where you have to move the ball around...they think they're a riot! Oh, & our kids still have a BLAST with noisemakers! Especially when done thru the nose...I've even seen 3 done at one time-one in each nostril & one in the mouth. (We have some really warped kids in our family!)

Anyway, if this is your 1st teenager co-ed party, be prepared for the gross & inappropriate. The boys try very hard to gross out the girls, & the girls can be mean. BUT it's a BLAST to watch, a blast to plan, .....& I did Halloween parties for my oldest son until H.S. & his friends still talk about the parties!
For my younger son, his friends...the girls included....are still asking for parties, party games, & they all want to be invited. It's heartwarming to have a girl come up to me at a school function & have her ask to be invited! & for my younger son, he's been having Halloween parties for the past 6 years. They seem to be getting bigger & more involved! Good luck & be sure to chaperone!

Feel free to contact me if you need game ideas!

You've gotten some really great ideas here!

There are a few things that come to mind. Crybaby gum (super sour), Warheads (sour, hot, bitter... they think it's fun!), fake tattoos, the popper "firecrackers" that they can just throw on the ground and they pop. It also might be a good idea to throw in a few things that they might not have thought about for a while: slinkys, bubbles, little coloring books. The teens I know really gravitate towards them and have a fun time reliving their not-so-long-ago childhood.

have you daughter put together a playlist to burn to cds to hand out at the party, or possibly as invitations, the kids would enjoy it i'm sure and you could make fun cd covers to commemorate the occasion

Free ice cream vouchers are always fun. Usually McDonald's sells them for a good price.

What about a movie ticket (don't know where you're from, but) Springfield MO has a "dollar" (?) theater and tickets are $2.50 (yeah I don't get it either...lol). You could do that with a bag of microwave popcorn, some candy and a soda. Or even if you have to pay for a full priced movie ticket you could probably still get by with about $10 per kid...??? Maybe McDonals gift certificates and some junk food... Or just a bag of candy makes kids happy. Or if you're health conscious... go for trail mix and a bottle of water...??? Have fun.

Not sure where you live, but if it isn't too far you should go over to U.S. Toy. I think its around 435 and State. They have a lot of party supplies and goodie bag items. Some really fun stuff too. I think they might have a website.
Whatever you go with, have fun!

My 13 yo thinks silly string and silly putty are fun, if you can handle the mess.

OMG, I'll still be doing party favors at 13???!!! LOL... well some things I thought of were Pixie Sticks (especially if you can get the really big ones), candy bars, any kind of candy that would turn their mouth a different color (they still seem to like that), cool pens or little notebooks, silly string, silly putty, stress ball, gift cert/coupon for movie/game rental, maybe even gift certs for McDonald's/Wendy's (they are ramping up for those Halloween one's about now for fries or Frosty's), spray hair color or hair extensions....

Also, if you can't find one of everything for the kids, then just do them up in grab bags and mark them boy or girl...it'll even be more fun to see what everyone got and watch them trade amongst themselves...

What movie are they gonna watch? Try to use your movie choice as a theme for favors. An easy one right now is Twilight; it's PG-13 so some kids might need approval before coming over. Then head to those huge Halloween stores that are opening up all over & stock up on fake fangs or other fun "scary" items. Stick a shiny red apple in a black bag and you're done! Or for the Hannah Montana movie, go with an i-tunes card, sparkly nail polish for girls, etc. Good luck and let us know what you & she decide on!

D., are you having a theme to your party? Maybe something that fits with your theme. You said they were watching a movie? Maybe have it be a hollywood glamour theme and put gawdy sunglasses in the goody bags? I have seen them at the dollar stores, a buck a favor can get expensive depending on the length of the guest list and your budget. Maybe a small picture frame and take snap shots at the party as mementos? You can even set up a fun background to take pics in front of. I have a 13 year old and I am often surprised at what is still cool...what about something they could do outside...bubbles, water guns, water balloons, silly string? Sugarless gum would be an option instead of candy. I hope you get some great ideas = ) I am sure the party will be fun no matter what.
B.

I don't have any different ideas but I really liked the idea of a CD. Teens all love music and blank CDs are very inexpensive to buy in bulk. Good luck and have a great time! Happy birthday to your daughter! Get ready for the teen years!

well you dont hhave to do something big you could have sandwich bags and put candy in from the dollar store.and have a thank you card

i personally use the dollar store grab bags that most have it features boy and girl design hope it helps

I would go to walmart they have snack size candy bars for less than $1 forlike 10 in a bag. and Maybe Mcdonalds still has books of gift coupons like they do for Haloween where each child can get a soda fries or icecream .Get age appropriate things ask your daughter what small things she likes maybe even a chapstick that boys can use also .just brainstorm. Good luck!

Glow sticks. Kids of all ages love them. I normally get them at Dollar General multi-packs.

Have fun.
S.

I like everyone's candy suggestions - fun candy that they don't have too often. You could possibly set up a candy buffet bar and let them pack their own goody bags?

maybe some fingernail polish, lip gloss, or chapsticks but have no clue for the boys. Personally I only put candy in the goodie bags now. I notice when my kids go to a party they eat the candy and the little toys really don't get touched and end up in the trash a few days later. I don't even do party bags for the teenagers and most of the time when I did make the bags up when they were little, it would be so chaotic at the end of the party that I would forget to hand them out to most of the kids. I didn't let them have them during the party because they just lose them around the house or eat all that candy and throw the wrappers all over the house so I usually kept them until the end and passed them out as they went home.. if I remembered.
Since it is a sleepover, I definitely wouldn't worry about goodie bags. Just have a lot of snacks and fun activities planned. I think party favors are definitely over rated anyway. The kids are just happy to get invited to a party.. they don't care whether they get a party bag or not. Have fun and enjoy the party.