Some teens like parties with a theme and decor, and some prefer just to hang out. Both are fine. Having special friends, a comfortable place to chill, delicious food and drinks, and awesome music are a large part of what makes great gathering.
Beyond those basics, many young people are also looking for fun activities and games for entertaining party guests. Teens love parties and dances and teenage birthday celebrations are a lot of fun for guys and girls alike. Here are all kinds of cool activity ideas for co-ed boy/girl events that many teens will enjoy.
Quick and Fun Teen Party Games and Activities
- Improv – Search drama sites online for improvisation games. Basically people are given a situation and character and then act out whatever comes to mind in a (usually) funny skit.
- Card games
- Dancing – Easy. Clear some space and get someone started.
- Deck out – Have a selection of cool hats, scarves, and beautiful accessories for girls and guys and let everyone dress up in style. Play the song “Puttin’ on the Ritz.” Get out the cameras!
- Watch a few pre-picked super good YouTube videos. This makes for a great icebreaker.
- Casino night games
- Have a selection of games on hand. Some great party games are Apples-to-Apples, Cranium, Pictionary and charades.
- Is there a pool on hand? How about a late-night swim?
- What about a backyard bonfire and camp-out?
- Is there somewhere nearby to go?
Larger, Pre-Planned Activities for Entertaining Fun
A Teen Video Scavenger Hunt Theme Event
This is a take on the old-fashioned hunts many remember, however, instead of collecting items, groups collect video footage of team members performing various tasks or finding items. Each team will need a parent to drive (for safety reasons) and a recording device. Each team starts at the same time with the same list (with more options than can be done in the time allowed) and meets back within a chosen period of time.
Teens have fun meeting the challenges and then watching all the recordings (while they pig out on pizza or ice cream, or course).
Some sample hunt challenges to film (encourage teenagers to "think outside the box." ):
- a cat and dog touching
- Snoopy from Peanuts
- the whole group singing a song
- film arrival at certain checkpoints
- get a stranger to give everyone in the group a coin
- kiss a fish
- borrow someone’s bicycle and ride in a circle
...and more. It can be a lot of fun thinking of ideas that fit the individual group and area.
A Teen Murder Mystery Night
This can be a blast. Murder mystery games are generally sold as kits, involving scripts and character descriptions for the various players. Often these can get very involved (especially with older teenagers) and often include a full dinner banquet. This may cross the line from activity into a theme for the evening, so the length of the party and game should be taken into consideration. Kits may be purchased online starting in the range of $25-$100 and can even be customized for extra fees. Simply search “Murder Mystery Party” on any search engine for ideas.
Note: Adult supervision is always recommended at events for kids and teens.
Janienne Jennrich - Janienne Jennrich, Topic Editor for Kids & Teen Parties and for Hair, is an award-winning freelance writer & webmaster.
