Party Ideas for Teens
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Party Ideas for Teens
Sept 2008
My son is going to be sixteen and is a sophomore. He loves
large parties and wants to have a large birthday party 40-
50 kids. It will be Early Oct. Does anyone have any ideas
for a venue? Ideas, precautions, food recommendations,
safety precautions; I have checked city rec centers and
parks and they require security guards inaddition to
rental fee. That is too much to pay. Am I crazy at this
age to give him a party this size?
How do other parents chaparone without being intrusive?
What rules do you set up if it is at your home?Help! I
need guidence.
r
We hosted a Sweet Sixteen party for our daughter this last
year with about 150 teens. We rented the Kensington
Community Center, which worked out very well. It's not hard
to find, but a little out of the way at the same time. We
did hire a private security guard, in addition to having
about 6 adults. The party was a great success, because we
had taken certain precautions, as follows: (1) To get in,
you had to RSVP and be on the guest list. Each teen was
checked off at the door by the security guard. (2) Once
in, there was no going in and out. (3) Nothing could be
brought in, like a backpack, unless it was open to
inspection. An adult was stationed in the coat room.
Adults also (discreetly) watched additional exits. We had
spent a couple of hours decorating with fairy lights, which
lasted about 15 minutes into the party before they were
unplugged because it was still too ''bright''. While there
was enough ambient light remaining not to run into people,
the food (pizza) went mostly untouched. Beverages, however,
were in high demand. The room had a window opening to the
kitchen, which we used as a bar and lined up small cups of
soda and water identified by the soda bottles behind them.
There was a trash can next to the window and kids would grab
their choice of beverage, drink and toss the cup, so we
didn't have half filled cups all over. We rented a music
system and connected a couple of Ipods. If I were to do it
again, I would look harder for a teenage DJ to run the
music. Our plan worked out, but it took awhile to figure
out the equipment, which we got working just in time. We
didn't have any trouble with crashers, but since it was in
Kensington I am sure we could have had rapid response from
the local police if it had been necessary. This venue might
be large for 50 kids, but if half the room were set up with
tables it might be fine. The kids had a great time. The
music was very loud; it felt like a teen club and everyone
danced all night. If you have additional questions, feel
free to contact me.
mj
In my opinion, this is too many kids for a party for kids
that age. Word gets around too quickly and easily to kids
that are not your kid's friends, and you can lose control,
and put your kid, their friends and your property at risk.
If you have a party, make sure you can control who comes to
the party. Make sure you now all the friends who are
invited, and don't let in others, and discourage others
from haniging around outside. If you can't control this,
don't have the party. It's not worth the risk to the kids
or your family. This is a good place to consider worst
case scenarios and plan (or cancel) accordingly.
Small Party Mom
March 2008
My 16-yr-old son really wants to have parties,and has had a
few. We have a good house and he and his friends have been
very responsible. However, they have all grown too big,
with too many extended friends, etc. Has anyone had any
success with controlling these parties or do I just have to
say NO. The kids really need a place to go, but at the
moment I must say no since they are too hard to control.
He's pressing me to have an after-prom party and I can't do
it...I wish there was something to suggest...!!! Any ideas
for alternatives? Thanks for your help, I need it here.
I suggest you contact the parents of a few of your son's
friends and together rent a space and host and chaperone
the party. Just last night my 13 year old son attended a
wonderful party held at a Yoga studio in Albany (can't
remember the name) on Talbot near Solano -- behind a little
house. The space was perfect sized, and had a little
enclosed yard out back. There was only one entrance, so it
was very easy to monitor -- with an adult posted at the
gate. The food was soda and chips -- and a ''DJ'' played
tunes (and also was a set of adult eyes in the room,
unobtrusive but definately there). The adults kept their
distance -- sitting in the yard near the entrance -- but
the kdis knew they were there. If you can find this type
of set up and split the cost -- and responsibility -- with
other parents, it seems ideal. You should also generate
real (paper) invitations so that the party does not
become ''open.'' I agree that kids need good places to
congregate, celebrate, dance and flirt. If we don't
provide well monitored, safe places for their normal
adolescent activities, they will surely find other places,
unmonitored, on their own. The cost in time and money is
more than worth it! Plus, it's kind of fun.
Former Party Girl now Vigilant Parent of Teens
Sept 2007
My 13 year old son would like to host a Halloween Party and invite 30+ friends-both
boys and girls. Of course my husband and I will be present the entire evening. There
will be food, music and dancing. My son had demonstrated very responsible behavior
and has never given us one reason to worry about the choices he makes. We like his
friends and he is very social. It's the other kids I worry about.
Should we allow him to host the party and if so, what kinds of activities should we
provide to keep the party on the straight and narrow. I'd love to hear from anyone
who has allowed (or not) their child to host their first boy/girl party. I'd also
appreciate any tips to keep party running smoothly.
Mom
I don't have advice specifically about activities for the
party but just wanted to advise you to make sure the party
has a definite ending time and that the kids' parents know
what the ending time is. We've had a couple of parties
that were supposed to end at a certain time and I still had
kids hanging around for hours after because they ''forget''
to tell their parents when to pick them up or their parents
couldn't come then or some other lame excuse. I don't mean
to sound like a party pooper, but believe me, the frantic
energy generated by groups of kids this age is exhausting
for grown-ups, and when this party is over you will want
them all to leave!
anon
My daughter had her first co-ed party for her 12th bday.
I said she had to invite about the same number of boys and
girls so it wouldn't be just a few boys (in her case).
I think 30 is too many. We had about 15.
Party was from 6-10. That was plenty long enough. I would
recommend 7-10.
We had lots of activities planned. They only did them for
about 5 minutes each, but it was helpful to have them,
because when I saw they seemed to be at loose ends I
introduced a new activity.
And of course for a while the girls danced and the boys watched.
We (parents) stayed in our bedroom and made periodic sweeps
through the party.
Everything went fine!
Good Luck!
Sept 2005
My pre-teen daughter is interested in hosting a murder mystery party
for Halloween. I've seen lots of ''kits'' available online but I don't know
how to tell which ones are good. Has anyone out there ever done this
sucessfully? Any recommendations on kits or formats? Any tips to make
sure everyone has fun?
Thanks for the help!
Needs A Clue
I've been to four or five (adult) murder mystery parties and
have always had a great time. My friend (who has hosted all
of the parties) finds the boxed versions at garage sales.
They've all been a little corny, some better than others,
sometimes the cornier the better. But, the quality of the
story doesn't seem to matter much. What has been great fun
is that people have worn costumes (sometimes just a ''hint''
of one), taken on an accent, and otherwise tried to get into
character. I don't think it's as much fun to be an observer
(i.e. more guests than characters in the script) but I have
done that too.
I found this link on-line which, though a little pricier
than a boxed version, sounds great. It would be helpful to
have someone else accomodate the number and gender of the
guests. (My friend would usually try to do this.)
http://www.host-a-murder.com/teen.html
Sounds like a great idea for a party for pre-teens. You
might want to have some costume props available for those
kids who might not otherwise get into it.
Have fun!
Sally
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