When a child turns 11, she will want to have a party that includes a lot of fun without seeming too childish. When planning a birthday party for an 11-year-old, it is important to remember that she is still a child but is in those tween years. Making it an event that her friends will talk about long after it is over can be the greatest gift of all.
Significance
A birthday party for an 11-year-old is a significant event. It typically includes the newly emerging social graces that serve as practice for the upcoming teenage years. At 11, even if there is still a residual interest in the childlike games of yesteryear, the birthday child and his friends often voice a desire to have more grown-up activities.
Types
Several types of parties are appropriate for an 11-year-old. Part of the decision-making process will depend on whether the birthday child is a boy or a girl. Theme parties will work for either gender. If you choose to go with a theme party, choose a theme that is founded in an interest of the birthday child. For example, if the birthday girl loves to dress-up and play with makeup, you can have a Diva party. In a Diva party, the guests dress-up, have a professional put makeup on them and have a formal tea. The birthday boy might enjoy a football-themed party, in which everybody wears a jersey from his favorite team. If weather permits, an outdoor football game will help guests burn off that birthday cake energy.
Considerations
Eleven-year-old children value their friends and do not value spending time with non-friends. It is important to take the birthday child’s feelings into account about which friends to invite. If your child has a friend who is also a potential problem at the party, make sure plenty of activities are planned to keep the troublemaker from starting problems. Allow the birthday child to invite five to six of his closest buddies rather than an entire class of acquaintances. It is important to include the birthday child in as much of the party planning as possible, so he can begin to use the social skills and decision-making processes he has learned over the years.
Solutions
Rather than have a house filled with 11-year-old kids, many parents opt to have birthday parties outside the home. Taking a group of friends to a sporting complex and letting them hit the batting cages for the afternoon may be just the ticket for your budding tween. In addition, a movie and pizza party at the theater and nearby pizzeria can entertain a coed birthday group. Choose an activity that allows the child to be part of the process so she can choose something she knows her guests will enjoy, too.
Warning
In planning a party for an 11-year-old, consider the fact that this is an age of great differences in maturity levels. It is also important if you are going to go to the movies or another event, that you let the guests’ parents know in advance what movie your birthday child has chosen to see.
