10 December Birthday Party Ideas For 13 Year Olds

December Birthday Party Ideas For 13 Year Olds

Turning 13 is often a right of passage. Kids this age are no longer ‘little kids,’ but they usually aren’t entirely into the teen years either, which is as awkward for them as for parents.

Even when you have a great relationship, puberty and hormones can make this a tough time. So, what are the best December birthday party ideas for your thirteen-year-olds? I will walk you through some great ideas to help you plan.

Most 13 year olds like video games, so having a LAN gaming birthday party is one of the easiest and best December birthday party ideas. The kids will have fun, and it’s indoors, so no one gets too cold. Set up a snack bar instead of having a traditional birthday meal with cake and let them play their way with multiplayer games.

5 December Birthday Party Ideas For 13 Year Old Girl

Thirteen-year-old girls are pretty easy to embarrass. You don’t want to treat them like a little kid and make all the choices for them, but it’s essential to keep things PG13.

Talk to your daughter and find out what she likes. It’s okay to go a little overboard but treat it with class and dignity rather than childish frivolity. Be as serious about her as she is.

Here are 5 great December birthday party ideas for 13 year old girls:

1 – Bonfire/Fire Pit Party

Choose an outdoor fire and some lovely pillows and blankets for ‘chilling out’ rather than rainbow balloons and paper streamers.

It’s okay to put up streamers, but make sure they’re her favorite colors and go around the edges of the room or yard to make it feel festive. Don’t plan little kid party games unless she asks.

Instead, focus on having great music that she likes, a more grown-up feeling setting. A DJ for an hour or two and some lights will go over better than a clown or petting zoo if it’s a big party.

Make cocoa. For interactive options, have fancy DIY smores.

2 – Go Ice Skating

Ice skating isn’t exactly ‘easy’ if you’re new to it, but this is a wintertime staple. Especially if you have a sporty girl, an outdoor (or indoor) rink will let her hang out with friends and use up some of that boundless youthful energy.

Better still, ice skating is a chance to dress up a bit if she’s ‘into’ that.

If you want to make it memorable for a girl who owns her ice skates, they make a skate-able faux ice rink flooring. You can have an ice-skating party at home without a pond.

Get the Skate Anytime Skateable Artificial Ice Tiles from Amazon for an unforgettable skate party at home. Not only are these easy on the skate blades, but they set up and clean up super easily.

Plus, your skater can use them all year in any weather.

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Last update on 2024-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

3 – Classic Sleepover With A Winter Spin

The sleepover is a standard for girls’ parties. What makes these nice is that they’re low effort because the kids pretty much entertain themselves.

Please pick up a couple of favorite movies or rent them on a streaming service, and make sure you have plenty of snacks on hand, and maybe get the birthday girl a nice set of pajamas she likes for the occasion.

Most sleepovers involve ordering pizza, but you can do better. Grab some pre-made pizza crusts or dough and set up a design-your-own pizza station.

If your daughter has vegan, gluten-free friends, or otherwise have special dietary needs, pizza is pretty adaptable. There’s even vegan cheese and cauliflower pizza crust.

4 – Arcade

Have an indoor party at an arcade. Rather than dealing with cold weather and a bunch of damp, grumpy teenagers, head down to your local arcade and play some games.

This will give them a chance to do some fun stuff that they enjoy and give adults a place to relax and enjoy the party.

Best of all, an organized indoor winter party is low stress. You don’t need to decorate an arcade for kids to play there. Plan for some pizza and drinks and let the kids have a few tokens to choose their games.

5 – Get Crafty

Is your daughter artistic? Setting up a craft-based indoor party is excellent for winter. You can make Iron on t-shirts, jewelry, or even wrap up beeswax candles. As long as you pick something she wants to do, it will be great.

One of the nice things about older kids’ parties is that you can do more advanced activities. Plus, you don’t need to worry about party favors when everyone makes something; just let them take their projects home.

I recommend picking up a few of these Make It Real – DIY Led Cloud Lamp – Hanging Bedroom Lamp Kits from Amazon.

Not only are they customizable, but every girl at the party will have a functional, really cool item for their room.

Make It Real - DIY Led Cloud Lamp - Hanging Bedroom Lamp with Color Changing Led Lights - Includes Nylon Lantern, LED Strip, Beads, Stickers, and More! - DIY Arts and Crafts
  • DIY LED CLOUD LAMP. Construct a sparkly cloud to brighten up a room with a smile on its face that brings 3 different modes of light in 13 different colors - even when it rains! This DIY kit has everything needed to build your own puffy cloud lamp to give your room a touch of unique flair.
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  • PERFECT FOR AGES 8+. The DIY LED Cloud Lamp is safe for kids and parent-approved!

Last update on 2024-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

5 December Birthday Party Ideas For 13 Year Old Boy

Many parents find planning a thirteen-year-old boy’s party the most difficult of all. However, it doesn’t need to be a headache. Young teen boys like to play, but they want something a little more serious or funny than small children.

Here are 5 great December birthday party ideas for 13 year old boys:

1 – Laser Tag

Whether you opt to go to a professional laser tag arena or pick up some laser tag home gear, this is a fun way to keep thirteen-year-old boys busy.

Let them get their energy out by running around and chasing each other. This is more fun than ‘little kid’ tag, and they won’t be as wild later when it’s time for cake and presents.

2 – Inflatable Bumper Ball Is Hilarious

Bumper Balls are sporty and fun, but they also provide plenty of padding. A bumper ball inflates, and then you put it on over your clothing so you can run into each other safely.

You can take this hilarious activity outdoors to the yard or a park and let those teen boys have a battle royale without worrying that anyone will get hurt.

Plus, the kids will stay warm from all the running around. Just make sure you have enough space.

Grab a set or two of these Happybuy Inflatable Bumper Balls from Amazon. Since they last three to five years, you can use them over and over. Plus, these durable, all-weather balls are great for summer fun too.

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Last update on 2024-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

3 – Ninja Warrior At Home

Ninja Warrior is a TV show where people run through a wildly challenging obstacle course. If you choose this theme, the kids can chill out and watch episodes on the TV, plus you can set up an enjoyable course to help them use up their energy.

Best of all, you can go as easy or complex as you like.

Rope ladders, balance beams, and other things to climb swing from, balance across, and run through are easy to come up with.

You don’t need a whole climbing wall at home, but it’s already perfect for this sort of game if you have one.

Tie ropes to trees and nearby objects for them to crawl under or step-through, and set up tires or rings to run through, then time everyone and give out a silly prize to the winner.

4 – Faux Camping With A Big Tent And Fire

Outdoor event tents are fantastic for December Birthday Parties. You can add a free-standing porch heater if you want to stay extra comfortable outdoors.

Then all you need is a campfire and some smores or even hotdogs and sticks. Making a winter-camping-themed party doesn’t need to involve sleeping on the snowy ground unless you want to.

5 – Mad Science

Would your teenage boy rather hang out inside and do something creative? How about setting up a mad-science-themed party?

You can set up crazy lights and use plastic beakers to hold candy, plus there are tons of easy to make at home science experiments like fake snow.

Check out this video on the incredibly popular elephant toothpaste.

Grab your birthday boy a wild wig and a lab coat. Better still, you can add some dry ice to the punch bowl and let the kids mix up an individual collection of candies and trailmix.

All you need to do this is some imagination and maybe a great party playlist including songs like Weird Science. Most importantly, grab safety goggles and have fun.

Helpful Tips To Know About December Birthday Party Ideas For 13 Year Olds

Planning your December birthday party for a thirteen-year-old isn’t always simple, but it can be gratifying. Moreover, it’s a chance to spend some time bonding over what they like and care about.

Here are more helpful tips to know about December birthday party ideas for thirteen-year-olds.

  • Feel free to mix and match ideas. You can have a sleepover and mad science party for a smart teen girl or a sumo and bonfire party for a boy. Just keep those hilarious inflatables away from the fire.
  • It’s not just you; tweens are notoriously hard to plan parties for. They aren’t adults, and you need to keep a sense of wonder and delight, but don’t treat this right of passage as a childish event. Find a balance in things that are made for people of all ages but are also modern.
  • Do not hire a kid’s birthday party performer for a thirteen-year-old’s December birthday. The time for clowns, magicians, and balloon animals is passed. Unless you have a huge venue, excellent insurance, and you know a troop of fire dancers personally, leave the goofy theatrics behind.
  • Every kid is unique. If your thirteen-year-old wants to hit the local game shop to rent a table for D&D with their buddies, or they still want a petting zoo, then listen to them. It is vital for your kids to feel heard on their special day and growing up is challenging enough without the embarrassment of a pinata they didn’t want.

Final Thoughts

Thirteen-year-olds, like their families, are just coming to terms with the fact that they are going to be adults someday. Between hormones and everything else going on in their world and social scene, a December birthday party for a 13 year old needs to be cool, unique, and memorable.

Never let your December birthday kid get shuffled in with other holidays. They’ll get treated that way often enough in their adult life, so while they’re still young, make happy birthday memories that count.

Do something that plays on their interests, but also set the scene in a manner that lets them opt out and ‘just hang out’ if they prefer.

Drew Thomas

My name is Drew Thomas and I’m the creator of Fun In the Yard, your one stop site for all your outdoor games, sports, party activities, outdoor gear, and lawn & gardening tips.

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