You're finally a teenager! Why not make your first birthday as a teenager wonderful? However, it can be difficult to throw a party for your thirteen. Should you focus on a lot of games, or something more adult, to symbolize the arrival of adolescence? Everyone will have a different idea about the perfect party. As long as everyone has fun, the possibilities are endless!
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Evaluating Your Options
Step 1. Find some ideas with your friends
The first thing you should do is come up with ideas on how to celebrate the birthday. Call some of your closest friends and sit back and think about what the best ideas might be. They know you well, and will be able to tell you if an idea you had doesn't work at all and give you suggestions if you don't know what to do.
Remember to pick something you like, but if you're going to invite a group of friends, consider their fun too
Step 2. Talk about your ideas with parents
When you have some ideas, before you start planning, talk to your parents. They will have to take care of much of the organization and will have a clearer idea about expenses and limitations. They may let you down by not appreciating the idea of a huge expensive party, but be understanding and work with them. They really care about your fun!
Don't be rude and bossy to your parents, it won't allow you to get the party you want
Step 3. Decide whether to hold the party at home or somewhere else
After talking to friends and parents, the first important decision to make is whether to organize the party indoors or out. Both of these choices have their pros and cons, so you'll need to decide based on what you find the most fun and what you can arrange with friends and family.
If you are hosting the party at home, decide which areas will not be accessible. Your parents won't like an army of kids ripping up their bedroom
Step 4. Decide how many people to invite
The next step is to decide how many people you want by your side to celebrate your birthday. You could limit the invitation to family and close friends, or extend it to your entire class. The best choice depends on the type of party you want to organize, but it's a good idea to know roughly the number of people before you go ahead with planning.
- If you want to have a small party, consider that word will spread in your class.
- Try not to create an awkward situation by inviting all but one or two people in your class.
- Do you want to have a mixed party, for boys only, or just boys? Talk to your parents about it and make sure they approve of your final decision.
Step 5. Choose a date
You should choose the perfect date to organize your thirteenth birthday. Ideally, you should choose your birthday, but it's not mandatory. Try to organize the party on the weekend, or at least on a Friday night. You could even put it off until a day off. Be careful if your birthday is in the summer, Easter or Christmas holidays, as some of your friends may be on vacation.
It's a good idea to check if another friend is having a party around the same time. You don't want to force your friends to decide between two parties that are held on the same night
Step 6. Choose a theme or activity
Now that you have a clear idea of the size, date and location of the party, you can think about what theme to adopt. The possibilities are nearly endless, so talk to friends and family to try and find something fun and special. A theme is always a good idea for a birthday party. Here are just a few ideas:
- Rollerblading party
- Sleepover
- Pool party (indoors or at the municipal pool)
- Retro party (50s, 60s, up to 90s)
- Theme party (Hawaiian, Roman, etc.)
- Party with a murder to solve
- Spa party (at home or a professional Spa)
- Party dedicated to makeup
- Film party (at home or at the cinema)
- Camping (in nature or in your garden)
- Theme party of a TV program (X Factor, The Island of the Famous, Big Brother, etc.)
- Party at an amusement park
- Horse party
- Dance party (at home or in a club)
- Party on the beach
- Go to a concert
Part 2 of 3: First Preparations
Step 1. Book the venue where you will hold the party
If you have decided not to organize the party at home, you will need to book the venue you are interested in as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. Remember how many people you want to invite and make sure there is room for everyone. Think about whether you will need space to dance and to install a sound system or make room for a DJ.
Throwing a party in a dedicated venue can make things a lot easier for your parents than doing it at home
Step 2. If necessary, get tickets for the event
For some places, such as an amusement park or stadium, you will need tickets. Your best bet is to buy them in advance so you don't waste time queuing. It's best to let your parents take care of this, but make sure you know what the situation is and let your friends know if they need to get the tickets themselves.
- In some cases you will get a discount if you buy many tickets together.
- If the party is in a stadium, make sure the seats are close together.
Step 3. Take care of the transportation
When you know where and when the party will be held, you will need to think about how all the people will reach the venue and return home. Maybe you could all take a minibus from your home, or leave with multiple cars. Again, your parents will need to take care of this by talking to your friends' parents, so make sure everyone understands what the plan is - including you.
Step 4. Send out the invitations
When the organization is well underway, you can send out invitations. You have the opportunity to be creative and show how much you want to share your birthday with your friends, as well as anticipate the theme of the party. You can handwrite the invitations, email them, or communicate the invitation in person or over the phone. You can also use free internet services that allow you to send out invitations, such as Evite.
- It's a good idea to ask people when you invite them if they are allergic to something. It wouldn't be a good experience if your friend suffered an allergic reaction to your party!
- Don't forget to ask people to confirm their presence. This will help you in the planning stage. It will be much easier to arrange food, transportation, entertainment and everything in between if you know how many people will be there.
- It communicates all the information on the place, date and transport on the invitations.
Part 3 of 3: Final Preparations
Step 1. Get your food
Plan what food you will need. You don't want a group of hungry 13-year-olds to show up to a party where there is no food. Chips, candies, pretzels, juices, fruit, and chocolate are great foods for a buffet. You can also offer small appetizers such as sausage or cold rice. If you are going to offer your guests a real meal (lunch or dinner), order pizza, sushi or food from a Chinese restaurant, or make a reservation at a restaurant.
- Be sure to consider your guests' dietary needs.
- You can choose the food according to the theme.
- Don't forget the cake!
Step 2. Decorate the room
Decorating the party area is not essential. It's more important if you're having a themed party, but it's always nice to have decorations, even if it's just a few balloons. You will have to choose the decorations based on the venue. Decorate as much as you like (and within your budget).
- It is a good idea to choose decorations that respect the theme.
- If you are hosting the party in an outdoor venue, the decorations will probably already be there before your arrival.
Step 3. Take care of the entertainment
It can be difficult to choose games and entertainment for a thirteenth birthday, because you may no longer want to play the games you enjoyed when you were younger. Make sure you talk to your parents about it so they can decide what kind of entertainment you and your friends would like. You can just put on some music or maybe a movie, depending on the type of party. You could even hire dancers to liven up the party. Or try one of these classic party games:
- Twister
- The killer game
- Say or do
- Treasure hunt
- Karaoke
- You play quizzes
Advice
- Always make sure the guests get along, you certainly don't want a fight at your party.
- Bring a camera so you can take pictures of yourself and your friends while you are having a lot of fun!
- Make sure you don't exclude anyone. You don't want to be in her shoes.
- Have fun! There is nothing worse than putting in a lot of effort and then not having fun.
- If you are a girl, don't go overboard with your hairstyle and makeup. Give yourself a natural look for your party.
- Don't over-plan the party; you don't need intransigent programming to have fun! Teenagers usually improvise!
- Prepare some homemade trinkets or gifts for your friends to take home as a memento of the special night you became a teenager!
- Ask your guests if they are allergic to anything, as it wouldn't be nice if there was an allergic reaction to your party.
- At the end of the party, to let your friends know you're happy they came, thank them publicly and dance the rest of the night on the little train!
