Sweet 16 Party Ideas

That being said, you should plan the party with a more “grown-up” theme. Avoid games or activities your teen may find childish. One of the most important aspects of a sweet 16 party like this is assembling the perfect guest list. Avoid the temptation to invite a lot of other adults or small children. Fill out the guest list mainly with your teen’s friends. The fewer adults there are, the more the partiers will feel at ease and be able to enjoy themselves.

A good sweet 16 party idea is to send personalized invites to all the guests. There are a number of software applications you can use for this. Or, if the guest list is small enough, you may even hand write the invitations on fancy paper or letterhead. You can use paper embossed with the logo of your teen’s favorite sports team or movie characters. Use your imagination and keep the invitations unique and interesting.

A theme party is one of the more popular sweet 16 party ideas. Make sure the theme will appeal to the teen’s crowd and is consistent with what is currently popular. You may need to consult with some of his/her friends or other teens to get a good grip on this. What we enjoyed on our sweet 16 party may not fit for your teen today. Some popular themes are movies and Hollywood, rock, rap or rhythm & blues music, or boys will enjoy a sports theme while girls may prefer a fashion theme. A slumber party may work as a sweet 16 party for girls but probably not so much for the boys.

No sweet 16 party is complete without a great spread of food. Arrange a menu of your teen’s favorites. Don’t be concerned too much with the healthiness of the food today. Let the partiers load up on pizza, burgers, fries, sandwiches, cake and ice cream. Don’t forget to provide an assortment of cold beverages such as soda, energy drinks and juices.

While games may have been the staple of birthday parties in the pre-teen years, most teens won’t be too excited by lining up for pin-the-tail on the donkey or whack the piñata. They may be more interested in simply socializing with their friends or dancing to their favorite music. However, some good sweet 16 party ideas that might interest them are a game of limbo, egg toss or apple relays. Up the ante by offering some great prizes such as CDs, DVDs or gift certificates.

Another fun but seldom used sweet 16 party idea is an outing to the local movie theater to take in the latest “hot” movie. Teenagers love movies and love seeing them in a big group. Try to plan for an early matinee or “twilight” movie to save on the high price of tickets. Recruit a family member or another parent to help with transportation. Don’t forget to get there early so you can get a whole row of seats and everyone can sit together!

An enjoyable and memorable sweet 16 party can ease the discomfort of being a teenager and give them a great send off into adulthood. Use these or other sweet 16 party ideas to plan everything out in advance and you’ll minimize the stress and pull off a great event.