13th Birthday Party Theme Ideas That Won't Get You An Eyeroll

Turning 13 is a big deal. It represents a departure from childhood to teenager and all the changes that come with that. So it’s only right that a soon-to-be 13-year-old might want a big party to celebrate. But what should you give this new teen? And what about invites and decorations?

Delving into the tween psyche, here are 13th birthday ideas, from BTS banners to games like balloon dare, to make the big move to adulthood all the more fun.

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13th Birthday Themes

To get the party started, it helps to come up with a birthday theme. This could be something your 13 year old loves, perhaps it’s the super group BTS or maybe it’s a sport or TikTok dance craze. Whatever the case, this can help focus every other part of the party. Here are some ideas.

• Movie Party

Have your teen pick their top three movies and decorate the house with posters, trivia, and all things flick related.

• Music Party

Whether your kid love pop or trap tunes, you can host a great music party by centering the sounds at the heart of the throwdown. Have a dance off, break out the karaoke machine, or see if any kids can spin records for a musical fete.

• Cake Decorating Party

This hands on approach can be great fun. Set up mini cake stations in your kitchen and have guests pair off to see who can decorate the best cake for a pseudo Great 13th Bake Off event.

• Jewelry Making Party

Another crafty birthday idea, get a big table set up and let kids get creative making their own friendship bracelets or necklaces they can take home with them after the party.

• Basketball Party

For sporty kids, a backyard 3 on 3 competition can make for a great party. Prepare some fun prizes, and see who will take home the gold.

• Olympics Party

Similar to the basketball idea, this takes the thrill of the Tokyo Olympics and puts it in your own backyard. You can have fun with it and do relay races, egg tosses, or tug-of-war then set up your own podium for the winning team.

• Spa Day Party

So easy to put together, your guests will love doing DIY manicures, face masks, and self-care.

• Glow Dance Party

Glow sticks, glow spray, and blue light are all you need for a fun fluorescent throwdown.

• Camp Out Party

Set up backyard tents or take a small group of party goers to a nearby campsite for s’mores, sing-a-longs, and, of course, ghost stories.

13th Birthday Activities

Aside from cake and a rousing round of “Happy Birthday,” activities are key to a good party. But what’s fun for a group of 13-year-olds? These ideas should do the trick.

• Guess that tune

Quiz your crew on a series of pop hits by playing just a snippet of each snog. Winners can take home fun or silly prizes, like headphones, kazoos, and recorders.

• Nail polish spin the bottle

This interactive twist on the classic game has players spin a different nail polish color each time and whoever it lands on has to paint one nail that color. Players keep playing until all 10 fingers of every player have been painted.

• T-shirt keepsake

Who says puff paint is just for kids. Let your creative guests go hog wild on white t-shirts which they can take home after the party.

• Watermelon pool race

Get two large watermelons, cover them in petroleum jelly, then divide guests into two teams for relays racing the slippery fruits across the pool. Whoever makes it to the end of the race with the watermelon intact wins.

• Whipped bubble gum

Another race game, in this one, you put a piece of gum on a series of plates, then top each with whipped cream. Participants race (with hands behind their back) to eat through the whipped cream first, get the gum, in their mouth and whoever blows and pops the first bubble first wins.

• Footies pop

Tie balloons to each participant's leg then have everyone try to pop them. Whoever is the last person with an unpopped balloon wins.

Invitations for 13th Birthday Party

Today’s tweens are digital natives, which means receiving an e-vite will be expected. But you could also mix it up and have your kid hand deliver homemade invitations or even send good ol’ fashioned snail mail party invites.

13th Birthday Decorations

Decking the house out is all part of birthday fun. To get the right vibe, make your teen feel special with splashy decor items that will tell the whole neighborhood there’s a new 13-year-old in the ‘hood.

Instagram Caption Ideas for 13th Birthday

Sharing your child’s birthday with friends and family is always a big deal, but even more so when they cross the bridge from child to teen. Here are some things to post on Instagram with a photo of your growing baby (because, let’s be honest, they’ll always be your baby).

• It’s her party and I’ll cry if I want to.
• Hugs, kisses, and lots of birthday wishes for our 13-year-old!
• Go shawty, it's sherbert day!
• Officially a teenager!
• Our teen queen!
• Birthday vibez.
• Here comes trouble!
• Our darling boy has become a man!
• 13 going on 33.

Gifts for a 13th Birthday

Buying the perfect thing for a 13-year-old is no easy task. You want your gift to be cool enough but also something they’ll actually use. Tech items are always appreciated, but so are heartfelt gifts.

Gifts and theme ideas in hand, now you can throw a super party for your new teenager. And even if there are a few eye rolls at your enthusiasm, bets are they’ll secretly love it.