As your kids turn into teenagers, the pressure for a cool birthday party will increase. There will also be increasing pressure for house parties once they start turning 15 and up. If your house is too small to facilitate a house party, or if you are concerned they will be sneaking in alcohol, you might want to find an activity somewhere else.
A good way to organise it is to do lunch or dinner plus an activity. It is probably best to do the activity first so you everyone can linger on longer and chat after the food. Choose a restaurant that is close to the location of the activity so you don’t have to worry about transporting dozens of teens.
Escape Rooms
If your teenagers are into video games, why not let them experience something similar in real life? There is an increasing number of escape rooms in Melbourne. Most other capital cities would have them too. These are a great way for smaller groups of teenagers to work together to solve problems and develop teamwork skills. You will surely enjoy the peace of locking a group of teenagers away in a room for an hour or more.
Mini Golf
Mini-golf is no longer a dorky activity. There are a lot of modern mini golf places throughout Melbourne. They are a lot more elaborate and visually exciting than the old outdoor places you might have experienced in the past. Some feature UV paint and glow in the dark. Teenagers will love these places because they look great on social media, with features like the Simpsons Couch at Holey Moley. This can be a lot of fun for teenagers and adults alike, so feel free to join in as well.
Cinema
If you have any special deals through your phone plan, health insurance, car insurance or through your work, you might be able to get discounted movie tickets making this an inexpensive way of keeping a group of teenagers entertained. If you book online well in advance you can ensure everyone is sitting together so you can help supervise them all easily. If you have lunch or dinner before the film, you can fill everyone up so you don’t have to buy as many snacks.
Laser Tag
A great way to tire the teenagers out is laser tag. Laser tag centres can be a great way to keep teenagers entertained as you can generally book them in for several games in a row and the host will do a lot of entertaining as well. The only downside to this is that you'll be stuck with a lot of sweaty teenagers afterwards.
Bowling
This is a timeless group event that people of any age can enjoy. Some bowling centres have cool neon lights and glow in the dark, so this might be a bit cooler than the traditional style places that teenagers might find daggy.
Go-Karts
Many teenagers can’t wait to get behind the wheel of a real car. Getting behind the wheel of a go-kart is the next best thing. Racing is a good competitive game that most teenagers will enjoy and will probably teach them that they’re not as good drivers as they think they are.
Theme Park or Amusement Park
If you live near a theme park or amusement park, it is pretty easy to let them run loose there. You can often find discount coupons online for many of these types of places. Some can be cheaper than others.
Paintball
The adult version of paintball requires everyone to be aged 16+ with photo ID (learners permit, school ID etc) but some centres have a version for kids as young as 8 years old. If you live near a paintball centre, be careful with checking that everyone attending will be able to participate.
When planning a birthday party for your teenager, be sure to let them get the final say. Don’t force these ideas on them or they might reject it. So you might want to get their opinion on it first. You can show their friends that you can still have a fun birthday party without underage drinking.
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