Creative, Affordable Birthday Party Ideas for Middle Schoolers

I have always loved planning birthday parties for our kids. And I’m a big believer that you don’t need to spend $750 at the next NBA game to keep them happy during the junior high years. 🙅🏼‍♀️

There are so many ideas for home parties, but it gets tougher the older they get for two reasons: 

  1. We run out of ideas that will keep this age group happy.

  2. Our lives are quite simply busier and we hardly have time to think straight to order or make the cake, let alone plan a party.

So I hope to make it a bit more simple for you by providing ideas based on my interview with Clark Giansanti, a college aged camp founder who has a gifting toward connecting with kids.

He gets hired as a side job to run at-home parties for kids, including tweens and teens. We tossed back and forth our ideas in my YouTube interview - Middle School Mommer Channel.

Watch the interview here: bit.ly/MiddleSchoolBdayIdeas

A few solid points from the interview … and then onto the ideas:

Consider how your middle schooler is wired:

If they’re athletic, a park kickball, whiffle ball or any sort of sports party will be great. 

If they’re artistic, go that route. Blank canvases and an online painting tutorial go a long way. Or search a million other ideas on Pinterest. 

If they’re gamers, let them have a video game championship party. Hear me out on the point below. 😉

Remember that getting kids together brings the hype. 

Any mom who’s driven an SUV full of middle schoolers knows what I’m talking about. They get psyched out of their minds just being together, so right away, take some pressure off of yourself. 

Have a loose structure for sure, but then let the party roll.

The party doesn’t have to be at your house.
Any mom who’s ever had a house party knows the amount of work that goes into not only setting it up but also cleaning up afterwards. We’ve dealt with broken snow globes and finding Nerf bullets 3 years after the party underneath furniture and the list goes on. It ain’t easy.

So go to a park...or make a scavenger hunt...or host it in your backyard. Yes, even in the winter. (Keep reading. 😉)

Have some (affordable) backup.

Once your party gets to 8 or more kiddos, backup is highly recommended. Recruit a family member or friend to help. 

In addition, consider unconventional ways to keep the kids occupied. We once hosted a party for our daughter with different “stations” the 23 kids could alternate through and when there was lag time we hired a 13 year old at an extremely affordable price to do some basic face painting on the kids’ faces, and they were elated. (This may be a better received idea for tween girls in particular.) 

Meanwhile, here are some solid ideas that are tried and true, coming from both Clark and me:

Winter Ideas:

  • Snowman building competition

  • Sledding competition with cardboard boxes: best sled; fastest sled; best-looking sled; sled that holds the most amount of people

  • Scavenger hunt (hide things in the snow!)

Summer Ideas:

  • Get a large inflatable or kid-style pool, fill it with water and water balloons, and have everyone bring a water gun. End with ice cream cake and it’s the perfect summer party.

  • Create a Big Wheels style race. Yes, we’re going back to the 70s and 80s here. Get a couple of “adult” sized Big Wheels and create a course with duct tape for them to navigate through and race to the end.

  • Create extra large bean bag boards and have a tournament. I’m talking 3 feet wide by 5 feet long. There’s something about making things super large that makes things more fun, Consider doing the same thing with other games like Twister. 

Any Season Ideas: 

  • Host a video game party. I know, moms, you’re saying “it’s what I try and get them away from all the time!” But another train of thought is that this one time you’re saying “have at it - enjoy.”

    Have a tournament or make it more artistic, like give them 5 minutes to build the best looking house on Minecraft. ✨Bonus that you do not get your house destroyed going this route. ✨ 

  • Host an artist’s party. Buy some blank canvases and paint, let the birthday child select the project to be painted, and cue up a drawing tutorial on YouTube. 

    Or simply search Pinterest for another style of party your artist would enjoy. Just being together with friends and some bowls of popcorn at everyone’s disposal will keep them happy and occupied.

  • Have a tent party. Set up a tent inside or out, and let the party begin even before dark. Fill the tent with flashlights, snacks, and toys. There’s just something magical about playing and sleeping under a tent. 

I have many more ideas. If you’re still searching email hello@middleschoolmommer.com. 😉


Kim Caifano