My oldest daughter turned 13 last August. It was a big deal for her…entering the teen years and I had to really think about how to make a 13th birthday special! We had discussed her birthday a LOT in the months preceding it. Of course, her dream party would have been taking a crew of friends and flying to Paris for the weekend….but I brought her back to planet earth where there are budgets and money constraints! 🙂 Here are some ideas to help you make your child's 13th birthday shine!
How to Make a 13th Birthday Special
1. First you need to talk to your child! Find out what their expectations and hopes are for this birthday. A lot of kids aren't interested in a party as they get older and your child may surprise you and not be into the “birthday party” scene anymore. If they do want a party find out what they are thinking about.
2. Look at your budget. What do you have budgeted to spend on this birthday? Do you have funds for gifts and a party? If money is tight you will want to start early so you can find good deals on party supplies and even gifts! After holiday sales are a great way to stock up on gifts and supplies.
3. Look at your child's interests. Is your child into music, movies, dancing, theater, art, etc. There are lots of ways to work their interests at this time of their life into a themed party or outing. If your child loves theater look up any shows that will be in your area around the time of their birthday….it may be too costly to have all their friends go along, but you could get tickets for your child and their best friend to go see a show. If they love music…think about tickets to a concert that is happening around that time of the year. The list could go on and on…think outside the box!
4. If a party is going to be out of your budget…look at a special gift for this special birthday. Some people may give their daughter a nicer piece of jewelry for her 13th birthday. You could go online to Shutterfly and make a photo book of photos from birth to age 13. Maybe there is some item that is passed down in your family that could be given to your child on this birthday! Get creative!
5. Surprise parties are always fun and I think teenagers love to be surprised! A surprise party with all their friends would be a great way to show your teen that you went to a lot of trouble to make their birthday special! Remember to really stress to their friends that it is a surprise…teens aren't the greatest at keeping secrets!
How We Made My Daughter's 13th Birthday Special
I did a lot of thinking and knew that one of my daughter's favorite things to do was get all dolled up and go to the mall! It doesn't sound very exciting, but we live in a very small town and with a toddler running around our house…going to the mall is a rarity for us! I knew my daughter wanted to do something with quite a few friends.
We played around with several different options. Finally, I asked if she would be interested in having her Aunt, who happens to be a Director with Mary Kay come down and do makeovers for her and her friends. Once they were all prettied up we could have lunch and go to their favorite place…the MALL!
A Plan is Created
After some consideration and of course consulting her friends she said YES…that would be a great 13th birthday party. I think the key to a kid pleasing party is doing something they enjoy…while not breaking the bank!
My Aunt came over and did a great job with the makeovers. The girls had fun and actually learned some things about taking care of their skin too! Jaiden was the “model” that my Aunt demonstrated techniques on!
It was so fun to see the girls looking so pretty and elegant after the makeovers! I mean lets face it…not all middle school girls know how to apply makeup properly…but now these girls do!
The girls had pizza for lunch because hey….almost every teen loves pizza! Then I surprised Jaiden with a cake I had made that matched her bedroom wall….chevrons! She loved it! I hadn't told her what the cake was going to look like….so it was great to see her face when she saw it! After cake…we were off to the mall! They cruised the mall looking their best!
The moral of this little birthday story is this….my daughter had a GREAT time with her friends and I didn't spend a small fortune to make it happen. A birthday party can SHINE if you look at your child's interests at that time. I knew my daughter LOVED to put on makeup…and go to the mall. Such an easy combination and fun for all the girls involved!
What are your thoughts on how to make a 13th birthday special? Check out this really Fun Way to Give Cash Using a Tissue Box for your next birthday or holiday! You could even plan a Birthday Scavenger Hunt to really have some family fun!
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