Preteen Birthday Party Ideas Interview

By Susie McGee

In this preteen brithday party ideas interview, you'll get tips on planning a birthday bash that preteens will love. Preteens are notorious for having very definite ideas regarding the celebration of their birthdays. Fortunately, party specialist Mindy Kobrin can help you plan a truly special event.

About Mindy Kobrin

LoveToKnow (LTK): Please tell us about yourself.

Mindy Kobrin (MK): I am an entertaining, celebrating and party expert. The founder of Mindy's Meals on Heels, I believe in fusing food, fashion and travel to create menus and parties with international flare and panache. Over the past 15 years, I've planned hundreds of events. With 20 nieces and nephews in the family tree, I'm never short on party ideas and sweet birthday wishes for all ages.

Fun Preteen Birthday Party Ideas

LTK: What are some fun preteen party ideas for girls?

MK: Pre-teens are at a terrific age to entertain with a touch of colorful creativity and retro-fun that helps them feel independent and adult! Most tweens are too mature for traditional birthday parties. Your adolescent is most likely looking for something unique to do on his or her birthday. For a pre-teen girl, like many famous "color-themed" music and mogul parties held in The Hamptons, make her shine with a Retro-Tweety Bird Canary Yellow Party. Leave no item uncolored (including your birthday honoree)!

Table Ambiance/Guest Gift

Create Tweety Birdbaths to hold your beverages. Simply add water to big punch bowls, add an inch or two of water, float bright gerbera daisies or dahlias in between bottles of lemonade or Capri-Sun Tropical Punch.
Fill smaller adjacent bowls with yellow: Chiclets gum, plain and peanut M&Ms, gummy worms, Jelly Bellies, DOTS, Sugar Babies, etc.
Line small birdcages or bird-feeders with yellow paper; fill with yellow stationery, a Tweety Bird pen and a Twinkie for unique party gifts.

Menu/Desserts

Salad with yellow peppers and cherry tomatoes
Mac-n-cheese in ramekins
Melt-in-your-mouth lemon macadamia bars
Vanilla mini-cupcakes frosted with fluffy yellow butter-cream frosting and place on a tiered cupcake display
Tweety Bird custom cookie cake by CookiesbyDesign

Games/Music

Girls can play board games and also decorate plastic bird-feeders found at Petco or PetSmart with bedazzling canary yellow, white and orange colored crystals with clear glue. Craft items can be purchased at a local craft store such as Michael's and Jo-Ann's Fabrics and Crafts.

LTK: What are some fun preteen party ideas for boys?

MK: Pre-teen boys like action, creativity and above all, food! Keep a boy's birthday party festive, active, fun and full of favorite comfort foods with make-your-own pizza stations. Before they're off running and playing games like dodge ball or S.P.U.D., each boy can make his very own gourmet pizza dressed in his very own monogrammed apron. He'll feel like a true chef when creating his own edible masterpiece. Parents can pop them in the oven while the kids are playing. By providing a personalized apron and sport cup filled with punch or sports drinks, each boy has two tasty gifts-to-go once the pizza is done.

Make Your Own Pizza Station

Set up a buffet for the kids to put together their own pizza pies.
Put a disposable tablecloth on a long table as well as a tarp underneath the table and chairs for easy clean-up.
Make the table accessible from all sides so everyone can join in the fun.
Make one half of the table the "dough prep" side.
Scatter flour on the tabletop and put the pizza dough and small pie tins here.
Make the other half of the table the "sauce and toppings" side.
Put bowls of sauce, cheese, and toppings here along with serving spoons.
Serve punch and ready-to-eat pizzas on personalized plates, and the party is ready for finger-licking-good success!

Party Problems

LTK: What are some party problems kids and parents often run into?

MK: Unsupervised play time leads to injuries and unsupervised eating leads to a mess. It has been my experience that if food, activities and the party's timing are not well-thought out, both kids and parents will be let down. Food allergies need to be discussed ahead of time so options are available.

Party Tips

LTK: What are some tips you can offer to make the party a success?

MK: Keep the party fun.

Label the cups with kids' names to reduce waste.
Always keep snacks and beverages available.
Keep the time to a three hour maximum unless it's a slumber party.
A party should include food, birthday sweets, a designated activity and time to run and play.
Designate the birthday party bathroom and stock it with plenty of toilet paper and soap.

LTK: Do you have any other comments you'd like to add?

MK: It's important to make all the children feel comfortable and welcomed even if they haven't met before. An activity like Twister is an ideal and playful activity that will help the children become aquainted. (This is especially good for encouraging kids at a boy/girl party to mix and mingle.)

LTK: Where can we read more about your business?

MK: Visit MealsOnHeelsByMindy, where you can also sign-up for the Eat This Up e-newsletter .

In addition, you can find out more about Mindy on her Facebook page--Mindy's Meals on Heels and Twitter--Meals Heels.