Throwing a party for teens may seem daunting, but if you know what you need to achieve, it can be a lot of fun! You want your child and his friends to have fun, but not to the limit. Here are some tips and tricks for throwing a party that your child and their teenage friends will remember.
Step
Part 1 of 2: Party Planning
Step 1. Consider setting up a second mentor or supervisor
Keeping an eye on a teen party without breaking the ground is a balancing act that will require good manners. Having a second supervisor will make you feel less anxious and allow you to handle more things. If the party is attended by young men and women, having a supervisor of the opposite sex from you will help deal with any issues that may arise.
If you know an older kid or a young adult in their 20s who can handle a crowd, hire them to help oversee the party. Explain the party rules to the supervisor and partygoers and then go upstairs or into a room where the party is not taking place. Check the party every now and then while taking something out of the fridge
Step 2. Determine the budget for the party
Plan this with your child so that he or she is involved. The good news is that teenagers' favorite foods like chips, soda, hot dogs and pizza are usually very pocket-friendly.
- How much money should you spend on food and drink? Decor? Activities during the party? Plan everything so that your budget doesn't explode after the party is over.
- Fortunately, many teens feel prestige about throwing themed parties, so keeping it simple may be the best option, unless your teen asks otherwise.
Step 3. Find a place to host the party
If your child is hosting a small party, home alone is appropriate. If your child is hosting a large party, consider setting up picnic tables and grills in the garden (for an outdoor-themed activity) or renting a venue such as a hall or recreation center (for more formal activities).
Be prepared for bad weather. If you are hosting an outdoor party such as in the yard or garden, make sure you have a gazebo just in case the weather changes. Or be prepared to let those teenage guests into the house
Step 4. Make a guest list
How many guests would your child like to invite to the party? How many people can you work with without being overwhelmed? Make a deal with your child so that you both share an opinion on this. What's more, discussing and outlining the party rules in advance will make it easier for both of you to deal with uninvited guests if they are present.
- Be prepared to accommodate a little more guests than invited. Most parties, especially youth parties, rely on word of mouth invitations and the number of visitors can be more, depending on who the guests are or who are not. Make a plan just in case.
- Don't forget to think about parking spaces when planning your invite list. Even though your backyard can accommodate 20 guests, your garage doesn't necessarily accommodate 20 vehicles.
- Don't allow your child to invite anyone you don't like.
Step 5. Determine the time and date
Knowing exactly when the party starts and ends will make it easier for you to "run off" guests who don't come home.
- Set a soft end time and a firm end time. The soft end time is when your child or the supervisor starts asking guests to go home. The firm end time is when the party should really be over.
- Make sure you plan the party at the start of the weekend or the beginning of the holiday so your young guests don't have to worry about going to school the next day.
- Also, don't forget to find out if other teenagers in the child's campus/school are having a party at the same time. Your child doesn't want anyone to come to the party because someone else is also having a party at the same time.
- Don't forget to tell your neighbors about the party beforehand. This step will make them understand the noise that arises.
Step 6. Let your child send the invitation
Paper invitations or e-invitations aren't all that cool when you're in your teens, especially if they were sent by your parents. Let your child send the invitations themselves via text message, email or email, Facebook, etc. But make sure the invitation is a closed invitation so that not everyone can see it. Don't forget to ask about RSVP so you have an idea of how many people to host.
Be flexible. Teenagers are notorious for not being punctual or inconsistent so don't be surprised if more or fewer guests arrive than expected
Step 7. Save your valuables
If you are having a large party, move any expensive or fragile items out of the party area into a room where no one will enter. Teenagers are usually trustworthy, but just in case some kids can't be trusted, keep your valuables safe so they don't get stolen or tampered with.
Step 8. Prepare the party venue
Ideally, a party venue should have a dance zone, a food and drink zone and a place to play (such as a separate ping-pong table, a place to play games like Wii and Guitar Hero). If you have a place to set up a campfire outdoors, it can double as a play area and as a means for guests to cook their own hotdog sausages. Keep your child involved in this step, because he knows best what his guests will like.
- If your child thinks it's a good idea to decorate a party venue, look for inexpensive decorations at flea stores or one-price department stores; because party decorations can be very expensive.
- Provide a large trash can with a clear "trash can" label. The fewer reasons for them to litter, the better.
- Buy a dimmer (dimmer switch). Teens who are busy dancing will immediately run away like cockroaches when adults turn on the lights. Since you probably don't want to take the risk that could occur if the lights were to be completely off, a dimmer can be a solution that satisfies all parties.
Step 9. Set up the music system
All you need is a pretty good speaker and an mp3 player. Don't try to be the DJ at the party; every kid out there will have hundreds (if not thousands) of songs on their smartphones and iPods – and even if they don't have their own collection of songs, chances are those kids won't want to listen to your old-fashioned choice of music tastes.
Step 10. Prepare the food
Teenagers love to snack, so set up a buffet-style area where everyone can grab as many snacks as they want. Chips, salsa sauce, and biscuits are always in demand on the buffet table; but don't forget to include a plate of vegetables and their sauce for athletes and anyone looking to keep their weight off. Be sure to prepare some dessert, whether in the form of candy, cake or chocolate.
Use disposable tools. Using disposable plates, glasses and cutlery will make it easier to clean up all the dirt that remains after the party
Part 2 of 2: During and After the Party
Step 1. Stay calm during the party
Be prepared to deal with noise, spilled food and drink, broken items and petty squabbles. While teen parties should always be accompanied by a supervisor, avoid over-supervising. Try to let your teen have fun without worrying about being embarrassed.
- Let your child come to you if there is a problem. Tell him before the party that you give him the responsibility to warn you if something happens.
- There will always be the possibility for alcohol and drugs to show up at teen parties. If you trust your child and know that he is hanging out with respectable and responsible youth, you may not need to worry about this. However, if it does happen, you shouldn't take this as a bad reflection of your child's character. Keep an eye on everything and if you notice any drugs or alcohol you don't want, stay calm and ask those who brought them to leave. If the teen resists, call their parents, or if you're too worried, call the police and other family members just in case things get out of control than when you first approached the teens.
Step 2. Avoid showing too much affection during the party
You certainly love your child and seeing him hanging out and having fun with his friends might make you feel sentimental. But showing too much affection – hugging, kissing, calling names, etc. – will kill your child's sense of independence.
Step 3. Avoid giving surprises that your child is not ready for
If you're planning to hire a comedian to come and put on an impromptu show, think again: kids usually have a very strong idea of how they want their party to go. What's more, they usually don't find "surprises" from adults too appealing.
Step 4. Let your teen clean up the rest of the party
This was the price he had to pay to be able to throw such a cool party. If possible, make this activity fun for him by:
- Offer him to be able to stash off the money he earns from collecting and recycling or selling leftover party cans and cartons to a junkman. If the party is a big one, your child can clean it up in more ways than one!
- Keep the music playing, the movies playing or a select few friends stay at the party to help clean up. Working together is always better than working alone.
Step 5. Reward your child for being nice
Tell him that if he behaves as an adult you'll be happy to allow him to throw another party, otherwise you'll add to his chores. Life is all about risk and payoff; your child understands this very well, even if they have never studied economics.
Tips
- Don't run out of food treats.
- Trust your teen and remember that you were young too. Now is also the time of the new generation so you have to keep this in mind.
- Make sure your younger children have a place to stay when the party is going on; Teenagers certainly don't want to have to take care of their little siblings while their friends have fun.
- Teen parties usually don't go as planned. Keep this in mind.
- If you really want to beautify your yard, install some indoor and outdoor lanterns or solar lights.
- Remember that you are responsible for the mess your guests cause.
- Make sure there is at least one supervisor in your party. Teenagers can get out of control so stay somewhere in the house (but don't show yourself unless there's a problem).
- If there are fights between teenagers, stay calm. Listen to both sides' stories and find a way out. If the fight doesn't end, the best thing to do is to contact their respective parents.
Warning
- Don't force your child to stick to a schedule that's too tight. Set a start and end time, but basically just let the kids come and go as they please. Teenagers don't have a schedule for fun; they will look for whatever activity they can do. If the party goes on too late, it's okay to "shoo away" the remaining guests.
- If your child's friends are staying overnight, make sure that you and your teen agree on how many people will be staying, when their parents will be picking up and other details.
- FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: People may fight at your party. If that's the case, say very politely, "Hey guys, you're going to ruin my party. Come on, stop fighting." If that doesn't work, report it to your parents.
