22 Birthday Party Ideas for Tweens That Are Actually Fun

Break out the sparkles and blush. Throw a makeup party for the glitzy tween who just loves to paint her face. Hire an artist or two to come do the work, or go the more affordable route: run to the dollar store and/or get samples from retailers like Sephora and Ulta and let the kids go to town. Add in some makeup contests and makeup-themed favors (or just rainbow-style ones).

Tweens love emojis. They're fun and silly and make for great decorations. Grab white paper plates and have an emoji-face decorating contest. Or get an emoji piñata. There's lots of emoji essentials to choose from on Amazon.

OK, back to the makeup idea. Take it a step further and have a YouTuber-themed party. Break out the makeup and slap the word "sisters" on decor or T-shirts, and have a few iPads around so the tweens can film their own YouTube videos (not to post anywhere unless it's OK). If there's time, make a cardboard "YouTube" screen for photos.

Bark! Dog parties are a theme almost everyone can get behind. Get doggy plates, doggy-themed games, and put dogs on the cake. Go a step further and invite a few shelter dogs over for a meet-and-greet.

This one's for the artsy tweens and there's plenty of routes to take it. Go to a ceramics store to paint or head to a craft store to get canvases or other DIY activities to do at home.

Sleepovers are the quintessential birthday party idea, but take it a step further by renting tents for the sleeping bags. Or, find a company like Once Upon a Sleepover that can set up fun sleepovers.

Tweens need pampering, too. Between the hormones and the drama, they'll be sure to love taking it easy and doing their nails or getting facials. Get robes for each of them and kid-friendly or homemade organic face masks.

Laser tag is on the old-school list of party ideas, along with bowling, but it's evolving thanks to fun new places with new courses. Nerf gun parties are also a thing and there are even services that bring the game and arena to the tween's house.

Arcades will never go out of style. Take that route for a birthday party and find an arcade, whether it's a smaller business like TNT or bigger like Dave and Buster's. It's a great place to let tweens feel independent, but still like kids because of the prizes at the end.

Is a tween really a tween without liking or knowing about Fortnite? Bring the game to life at a party for them. Print out *Fortnite-*themed decor and set up gaming stations wherever possible.

Bring the Cupcake Wars from Food Network to a birthday party. Bake as many cupcakes as there are kids and set up a decorating station. Have the tweens decorate their creations, with sprinkles and frosting, and have them try one anothers.

Hotel pool parties are super underrated, but truly a great party for tweens. Find a hotel with an indoor pool and then rent rooms to have a sleepover after. It's the best of both worlds, sleepover and swimming, no matter the geographical location. As mentioned above: This has minimal cleanup. Just tip the hotel staff well!

Calling all budding chefs! Have a cooking party, or pizza-making party. Give each tween their own apron and set up all the tools and ingredients they need. It's a fun activity with the food made by the guests themselves. Win-win.

It's no secret that slime and kids/tweens are basically synonymous. To indulge them, throw a slime party and have each guest make their own slime to take home.

No one is too old for a scavenger hunt. Make it 2019 style by making it a "photo" version. It'll give the tweens something else to do with their phones other than selfies.

Let their hair down! Even grownups love getting blow-outs (thanks for the inspo, Kate Middleton.) Dedicate an entire birthday party to letting them get the Insta-worthy looks they want -- from braids to curls.

Tweens love a good challenge -- give it to them by having an escape room party. They'll spend their time solving clues and trying to beat the clock to make it out of the room and win the game. Bonus: Moms don't have to participate. It's the only time "locking them in a room for an hour" is what's supposed to happen.

Just because there's no woods nearby doesn't mean camping can't happen. Crowd-source tents and set them up in the backyard. Don't forget to roast some s'mores with the birthday cake!

Not enough TVs in the house to have every kid at the party play? No problem. Just rent a game truck. It features all types of games in one mobile truck that can come to any place where the party is being held. Like the hotel party, minimal mess!

Everything is more fun in the dark -- at least to tweens. Purchase all glow-in-the-dark items and then turn off the lights for a fun, and glowy party.

Take the party on the road to a show like Blue Man Group. It's fun and engaging and a great experience for tweens who are finally old enough to sit still for longer than two minutes.

Sugar should be permitted on birthdays. Go full-on sugar rush by having a candy-themed party. Dylan's Candy bar locations host parties that allow attendees to stock up on all the sweets they could want.

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