In this kid birthday party themes section, we’ve included all of our party themes suitable for the 8-12 age group. At these ages kids are on their way to pre-teen-hood. It is usually very important for them to be with good friends. It’s best to get them involved with the planning of the party and having them decide all kinds of important things regarding the party (the theme – if any at all, the location, the activities, the friends being invited, etc.).
Organizing kid birthday parties can be challenging with this age group. They have usually outgrown the playground but might not be ready for teenage activities yet. It really depends on your child and what will make them the happiest.
The key is to be creative and find activities that that are challenging to the kids and that are also educational. Most likely you won’t need to look over them too much (just stick around), as they are old enough to be together on their own.
My sister and I gave my niece an Aloha Luau party. Check out our coolest Luau party ideas below! We sent out Tiki invitations for a six-hour Luau. My sister made many grass skirts with a variety of beautiful silk flowers around them. The entire carport and back yard was decorated with tiki torches and … Read more
We have boy/girl twins who were turning eight and wanted a party that would accommodate all their friends and ideas. So, we took the book series “The Magic Tree House” that all the kids are reading and used this as inspiration. It was a rainy day, so we had to stay indoors. Making the Magic … Read more
A Movie themed party lets kids become actors in their very own film. The birthday child chooses which script to produce then casts their birthday guests in their roles. They arrive in costume, have make-up applied, collect the props, then the Director calls “Quiet on the Set!” Next using the movie script they shoot the … Read more
I have a son who has a birthday around Halloween so we always like to have party themes that are spooky and fun. Here’s our Mad Scientist Party themes and ideas. This was a party for nine 9 year olds. Invitations I took the labels off of plastic water bottles. I cut a small slit … Read more
Here are the pirate party ideas from my daughter’s 18th this year. All the props were made especially for the party and most of our village attended. Invitations The invites read: Ahoy Matey!! Whether Ye be a land-lubber or a salty sea-dog, Ye be invited to MissCatherine’s 18th fancy dress birthday party, The crew be … Read more
Slumber party ideas and photos by: Amy from Blair, NE Our invitations were mini pillows “stuffed” with the information of the party! For activities we made a foam craft picture frame that said “Slumber Party Fun” and I took a digital picture, copied it off and sent it home with each girl. I also got … Read more
Here’s the ideal teenage slumber party guide for the parents of a teenager because it’s written by a teenager. Invitations The invitations for the slumber party were chocolate bars. I bought enough chocolate bars (Carmilk bars) for each guest. Then I slipped the outside wrapper off (leaving the gold wrapped chocolate bar alone). I then … Read more
Out of all of the theme parties, this year Joey chose a knight theme for his 9th birthday. So, there were 8 knights, 2 princesses, and a king. Invitations The invitations were printed on red paper with the edges burnt. It read as follows: “Hear Ye! Hear Ye! His Majesty wants to honor the bravest … Read more
My son Joshua wanted a “magic show” for his 8th birthday. He really loves magic. All of the theme party ideas needed to have a magic part to them, including the games, the cake, the party goods and the decorations. I purchased the magic party goods from Birthday Express, which were perfect since they were … Read more
Top Teen Model party ideas and photos by: Mellanese from Upper Marlboro, MD Gabby celebrated her 14th birthday and had an “America’s Next Top Teen Model Party!” Her invitation announcement stated… “Tyra Mail!” The guests were asked to bring two outfits: Favorite T-shirt Dressy and were asked to wear their Personality outfit. The Teen Model … Read more
For my daughter Savannah Rose’s 9th Birthday we wanted to have an under the sea birthday party. I tried to make it as much under the sea as I could without getting mixed up with Nemo or Little Mermaid. Savannah Rose loves to dress up so we always have pictures taken to the theme of … Read more
Yugioh party ideas and photos by: Lydia from Patterson, CA My son and I had a lot of Big-Kids meals at Burger King when they had Yugioh figurines. We kept the pyramid boxes that the figures came in as well as the activity sheets. We used the pyramid boxes for goody bags and the activity … Read more
For our kids 7th and 9th birthdays we had a carnival for each of them and did it on a budget! I can’t afford to spend a lot of money on birthday parties but I still want them to be spectacular so for our carnival I made almost all the games. I estimate the party … Read more
If there is one thing that little girls [dream] of, it is being a [bride]. I know I did as a child and my daughter was no different and either were her friends. Being able to dress like a princess and [marry Prince Charming] were the stories of childhood and it was this that formed … Read more
Each year I host a week long Grandma Camp for my grandchildren. A recent theme was “It’s About Time – A time travel adventure”. One of the stops along the time line was in Prehistoric times. Dino and Cavemen Activities We were met by a Mama Cave Woman who along with her adopted dinosaur baby … Read more
My Son was turning 9 years old and really wanted to have a big birthday bash. We had around 15 kids total attending this party. We went with the royal knight party theme. I ordered online plastic swords, goblets for the king (my son), a king’s crown and robe. I sent out online invitations to … Read more
Halloween – 50s theme party ideas and photos by: Tina from Englewood, OH My daughter’s birthday is on Halloween. Every year we have a Halloween party and for invitations I write a poem about a little witch named Meagan. The poem (invite) continues each year. It is a poem about a witch who cast her … Read more
Asian theme party ideas and photos by: Beth from Newport, RI My daughter Hannah was turning 9 and she decided to have an Asian Theme party. First we came up with a great Asian party invitation idea: We bought fortune cookies and printed our own “fortunes” to put inside the cookies. The fortunes were actually … Read more
Basketball party ideas and photos by: Maha from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia My 11 year old son wanted a basketball themed party. I printed out basketball invitations from this site and personalized them. I got favor bags from the dollar store and printed out basketball pictures and stuck them all over. I filled them with candy … Read more
Childrens birthday party ideas and photos by: Mona from Yorktown, VA I just got finished throwing a Surprise Pirate birthday party for my 10-year-old son. Adults and all the kids HAD A BLAST! And I am sure that this childrens birthday party will be hard to beat, if I am ever foolish enough to attempt … Read more
Fear Factor Party ideas and photos by: Sandra from Peoria, IL My boys wanted a Fear Factor party for their birthday last year. I made the invites on our computer. The basic yellow and black from the Fear Factor logo, some clip art and all the important party info. The first game we played was … Read more
My son’s 8th birthday was a young Jedi training Star Wars party. Since it was August, we enjoyed most of the party outdoors! As the boys arrived, each received a homemade light saber (half a pool noodle with a duct tape handle) to decorate using permanent markers. They were then taken outside to practice their … Read more
Harry Potter party ideas and photos by: Lisa from Stratford, CT For my daughter’s 11th birthday we did a Harry Potter birthday party. We sent invitations that read like Hogwart’s acceptance letters. We recruited relatives to dress up and be professors for potions class (we made lava lamps) and transfiguration class (we played charades using … Read more
For my daughter’s 11th Coolest Sleepover Mall Birthday Party, I invited some of her friends over. For the invitations, I went to greetingsisland.com. I put a sign that says V.I.P. Entrance to the (HER NAME) Mall. There were some stores, a food court, a movie theater, and a salon/spa. Since I wanted it realistic, and … Read more