Looking for birthday party ideas for girls aged 10-16? Fed up of pass the parcel, bouncy castles and hyper kids? Read on for ideas for children’s and teens’ parties that will be talked about in the playground for years to come.

Themed girls’ parties
Themed parties are a great way to indulge your daughter’s interests, whether it’s animals, pirates, a particular band, or princesses. How about a:

One Direction girls’ party: Die-hard One Direction fans will love the chance to worship them in style. Why not decorate the room with posters and life-size cardboard cut-outs?  Try a 1D quiz, karaoke and disco, decorate heart shaped biscuits and include 1D accessories in the party bag, such as masks, stationary and balloons.

Lego Movie girls’ party: Decorate the room with brightly coloured yellow, red and white balloons and top the cake with Lego figures. Invite the girls to make masks using square yellow party plates. For games, how about a race to build a Lego creation and a competition to see who can build the tallest Megablocks tower? You could also award a prize for the most inventive build. If you still have time to spare, you could always watch the Lego Movie. There are plenty of small Lego kits available for prizes and party bag fillers. 

Best for 10-12 year olds.

Sleepover party
Sleepovers can be great fun for older girls and teens. Party activities will depend on your daughter’s age and interests, but could include a movie, decorating fairy cakes or craft activities such as jewellery making. For teens, why not host an at home spa party (see below)?it comes to food, make it a social occasion. Younger girls might enjoy making their own pizza, or everyone could tuck into a big buffet. Popcorn is a movie essential and you can’t forget the bed-time hot chocolate (with cream and marshmallows of course).

Best for 11-14 year olds.

Camping
If the idea of a children’s party inside your house all night long is too much to bear, you could consider camping. Pitch a tent in the back garden and organise a few outdoor games, from willow-weaving and singing to lawn games. You could even roast marshmallows if you have a fire-pit.

Alternatively, head to a nearby campsite, and let the girls stay in their own tent, next to yours. Larger campsites often have plenty of facilities and organised activities to keep children and teens happy. You could make it even easier by paying for yurts. When it comes to food, you can’t beat a barbeque, or you could just head to an on-site restaurant.

Best for 12-16 year olds.

Treasure hunt or Scavenger hunt
Treasure and scavenger hunts are really fun ideas for children’s parties. They can take place in your house or garden, or even a park if you ask parents to come along. For treasure hunts, try pictures on a map or rhyming clues. Each clue then leads to the next one.  Small items of ‘treasure’ can be given at each hiding place, with one big prize to split at the end.  How about a pirate themed treasure hunt, with a ‘booty’ of chocolate coins to find? Give children party bags or baskets to collect the ‘treasure’ to take home with them.

You could split guests into groups, or let them all ‘hunt’ together. Just make sure that everyone ends up with at least a small prize, or you’ll have tears to contend with! Scavenger hunts are a little different. For this birthday party, the girls and boys are given a list of things to find, from a pine cone and a red leaf, to items that you’ve hidden, such as an orange flag and bouncy ball. The team or person who collects the most things, or finds everything in the shortest time, is the winner! For food, you can’t beat a picnic or barbeque.

Best for 10-12 year olds.

Spa party
If you have an older girl or teenager who loves a spot of pampering, why not host a spa party? You could do it yourself, with face masks, manicures, temporary tattoos and so on, or give yourself one less job to do by booking a Glo Teen Pamper Party. Choose from a wide range of treatments, including mini-facials, eye make-up application and mini-manicures. Glo even provides a goody bag for each spa party guest, plus invitations, thank you cards, non-alcoholic cocktail recipes and party game ideas.

Soft lighting, candles and music can create the perfect ambience to help your daughter and her guests feel like celebrities. For food, try an afternoon cream tea, with mini sandwiches, scones and cakes, served with non-alcoholic cocktails.

Best for 10-16 year olds.

Murder Mystery Party
If you’re looking for teen party ideas, how about a murder mystery party? You can create your own, but we recommend ordering one, it’s easier! There are even free downloadable ones online. With lines to read, clues to gather and mysteries to solve, this is the perfect party for girls who love acting, role playing or problem solving.

Allocate characters beforehand, so that the girls can come in fancy-dress, or just let them know the theme, whether it’s 1920s dinner party, cruise ship or stately home. The theme may also help with decoration and food ideas. Most murder mysteries need at least some time at a table, so you could opt for a ‘grown-up’ dinner party. 

Best for 13-16 year olds.

Activity parties
If you don’t fancy hoovering up glitter for weeks on end, then keep your girl’s birthday party out of your house with an organised activity. Depending on your daughter’s age and interests, you could try:

• Bowling
• Ice skating
• Rock climbing
• Cinema
• Build-a-Bear Workshop
• Pottery painting
• Go Ape
• Soft play

Many venues will offer packages for children’s birthday parties that include food and goody bags. However, some activities do need you to be pretty hands-on, so you might want to rope in some helpers.

Best for 10-13 year olds.

Dance Party/ Disco
Whether it’s in a church hall with a DJ, or at home with an iPod, this party is for those girls who just love to dance. Getting ready can be part of the fun, with glitter-sprayed hair, glow in the dark bracelets, feather boas and temporary tattoos. Depending on the age of the girls at the party, games can include Wii dance games, the limbo, mini dance classes, musical statues and dance competitions. Do allow plenty of time for the children or teens to simply dance to their favourite tunes.

Decorate the venue with posters of pop stars, glitter balls and so on. You could also combine this party with the themed girls’ parties idea.

Best for 10-16 year olds.

Makeover and photoshoot party
You can do this yourself, or there are reasonably priced packages where girls can have their hair and make-up done by a make-up artist and then take part in a group photo shoot afterwards.  Beauty-themed goody bags can be handed out at the end and photos sent on at a later date. This can be a great teen party idea and can be combined with the spa party.

If you’re hosting it at home, stick to fun finger foods, but if you’re going to a venue, why not head out for pizza afterwards? There may be some waiting around, so you’ll need to come up with a few activities. These could include non-alcoholic cocktail making, cupcake decorating and jewellery making.

Best for 13-16 year olds

Hopefully we’ve given you a few ideas to get you started. We’d love to know how you get on. Tweet us @GloPamper!