Planning a 10th Birthday Party

A child’s 10 year old birthday signals the tween years, and their 10th birthday party is the last chance you will have to celebrate childhood as you know it.

Double figures at last! Your baby has left single birthdays behind for ever. While the parents may wonder why this is cause for celebration (weren’t they easier to handle as babies??!!) your child is probably very excited, as they often consider themselves practically grown up once they hit 10.

Something as important as double figures can also be marked by an extra special birthday celebration – maybe dining out in a restaurant as well as a party, or a sleepover for their friends. A 10th birthday usually also marks your child’s last year of primary school, which is a milestone in itself.

Planning a 10th Birthday Party

Chances are your child will soon be off to intermediate, and a whole new phase of their life will begin.

They will still enjoy childhood games, but they’ll be less likely to admit it in public, and they will flit between wanting to be ‘cool’ and just having fun.

Turning 10 is about finding that middle ground between childhood and the race to grow up, so it’s definitely an age worth celebrating. When planning a 10th birthday you need to tread carefully, but relax in the knowledge that you are still safely in a position to call the shots.

10 Year old Birthday Themes

Ten year olds still love the idea of having a themed birthday party, but their idea of an appropriate theme will have changed dramatically in the last few years. They will be torn between a traditional birthday party and something a little more grown up, so you’ll need to get the mix just right. Here are some great party themes for 10 year olds to get you started.

Sports Party

A sports themed party is great for this age group, particularly if your child is a sports fanatic. They get to play games and run around like kids should at birthday parties, but they don’t feel like the games are too babyish and embarrassing. For ideas on how to plan a great Sports Party, check out our article in the party themes section.

Fear Factor

This is a definite hit for 10 year olds, especially if they follow Fear Factor on television. Like the Sports Party, a Fear Factor party allows kids to be kids, but still gives them a sense of being grown up. There are some great ideas for a Fear Factor party in our party theme section.

Around the World

Picking a specific country is a great way to theme a party, especially if your child has an interest in somewhere special. It’s easy to match the food, decorations and games to the chosen location, and you can plan the party to be as grown up (or as child-like) as you want it to be. We have some great ideas for a Hawaiian Luau in our party themes section, and they can be easily adapted for other countries as well.

Slumber Party

Slumber parties are traditionally more of a girl’s event, but boys enjoy the chance to hang out with their mates and stay up all night as well. A true slumber party means your child and their friends get to start up insanely late watching videos, telling jokes, playing games, and having midnight feasts. For some great slumber party games, check out Games for Teenagers in our party game section.

10 Year old Birthday Venues

If you want to make your child’s 10th birthday special, but lack the time to organise a themed party, why not take your child out to celebrate. They could bring one special friend, or a whole group of mates depending on your budget. Some great places to go include:

• Ten Pin Bowling
• Rock Climbing
• Movies
• Art and Craft Workshop
• Family Friendly Restaurant
• Horse Riding
• A Show or Concert
• A Special Sports Event
• Go Karting
• Blo Karting
• Aquatic Centre or Water Park
• Theme Park

10th Birthday Food

If you are having a themed birthday party, then you will want to keep the food in keeping with the theme, otherwise keep the food simple and stick to things you know everybody will like.

Fairy bread and cherrios are probably off the menu for your nearly ‘grown up’ child, so check out our Party Food section for some other easy-to-make ideas.

10th Birthday Games and Activities

At 10 your child is still young enough to have the odd game, (provided they ‘cool’ games of course), but chances are they’ll want to ‘do’ things, rather than ‘play’ things.

Take a look at your child’s interests, and focus the games and activities around that. Our party venues above are a good place to start, or check out Great games for 8 – 12 year olds in our Party Games section.

Making 10 Year old Birthday Memories

A 10th birthday is definitely a milestone, and milestone birthdays provide an opportunity to form rituals and traditions in your family. Your child’s 10th birthday is about the cross-over from childhood to teenage years.

It’s the time when your child wants to be grown up, but still hangs onto to the silliness of being a child – and rightfully so! It’s also a time where you can create a special gateway from childhood to adolescence.

Some nice ways to recognise your child’s 10th birthday and create traditions in your home are:

• Give the birthday child a day on their own with Mum, or Dad or both, doing exactly what they want to do. You may have to put some budget restrictions in place, but the reality is they will probably want to do fairly simple things. It’s all about having uninterrupted time with you, and their knowing that it’s still okay to be friends with Mum and Dad.
• It’s about now that the ‘sex’ talk needs to be had, and while you may not want to do it on the day of their party, you can make it a bit of a ritual with something special that occurs as a part of it. For girls it may be buying their first bra (or crop top if that’s all that is necessary), and for boys it may be some deodorant or the like. The talk will happen again in a few years with even more detail, but it’s important to introduce it now and make it special.
• Make turning 10 a time when your child earns the right to do something like get their ears pierced, or bike to the shops on their own. Whatever the ‘thing’ is, keep the same rule for every child in the house, and they will all have something to look forward to on their 10th birthday. Being allowed to do the ‘thing’ is a gift on its own.

For more great birthday party advice, check out our Birthdays section