Hitting Double Figures! 5 Options For Your Pre-teen’s Birthday
When your baby turns ten, life seems to suddenly change. Double figures mean something big for them. It’s that all-important step toward being a grown up. It’s pretty big for you too. Your baby is fast becoming a grown up! No coming-of-age occasion is complete without a proper celebration. But when they hit ten, it can be quite difficult to gauge where to pitch your party at.
Chances are your not-so-little one has a lot of opinions on this. It might be best to just go along with their ideas. Perhaps not all of them are practical, but at least you know what you end up doing won’t disappoint. Of course, some kids have hit the ‘I dunno’ years around this birthday. It looks like you’re going to have to get creative. Try one of these birthday celebration ideas for your double-figured child:
The All-inclusive
When life is busy enough, the last thing you want to do is prepare, organize, cater, and clean up a big party. Instead, the lure of the all-inclusive party service from one of your local centers might be just what you need. Things like a laser tag center can be the best kids birthday party places regardless of their age. They usually provide all the entertainment, plenty of food, and even send the guests home with a fun-filled goody favor bag.
For you, it can be a dream come true. Your child is having the time of his life. His friends love him to bits because they get to go and do all these awesome activities. And you can sit back, watch, and enjoy the looks on their faces. No cooking, no organizing, and definitely no cleaning up. One price gets it all. Bliss!
The Small Meal Out
For a smaller budget, a smaller event might be called for. Some kids struggle with large venues and big numbers of kids around getting excited. Instead, a small meal out with three or four of their closest friends could be ideal. They still get to hang out with each other, but they’re all doing something a little more grown up. Sure, it will probably be the local burger bar or pizza restaurant. But it’s the first step toward adulthood for them all.
It also means that some of the family can come along, and you’re more likely to get at least some quality time with the birthday girl. Best of all, there is no cooking or cleaning up required for you, and you get a lovely meal out of it as well.
The Big Party At Home
This is the one that many moms simply can’t face by this age. Inviting the whole class plus all of their friends from the club and the team means you’ve got dozens of kids crammed into your home. You need to find a way to keep them entertained, and provide some sort of structure to the event. Music and dancing are probably what they’re after, but at this age, things like a treasure hunt or a few games would still be OK.
The catering is in itself mind boggling. Try to recruit some help from the other moms or your siblings to make sure everything is prepared in time. Nibbles will have to do. You’re not likely to be able to seat that many people for a full meal. Be wary of lots of candies and cakes though. All that sugar could send all those kids into a frenzy in your home!
The ‘It’s Just Us’ Weekend
Having a celebration just in the family can be very welcome by this age. After all, there is probably no end of things they would love to do with you to celebrate this big birthday. A day out at the space museum, a boat ride under the bridge, or maybe even an afternoon horseback riding would be delightful. Your pre-teen might lead the way with ideas for this one.
It could be a good idea to set your budget before you agree to something exotic and extravagant. You might surprise your child with tickets to the game or a popstar concert. Make it memorable. They only turn this age once.
The ‘OMG Your Mom Is Awesome’ Event
For something really out of this world, you have two options. Either plan an enormous event, complete with celebrity performance. Or give the kids something truly wild to do. Big inflatable obstacle courses or water fights go down very well at this age. If you can book a small gig with someone kids admire at this age, you might just make it to mom of the year in their eyes. Enjoy.