Are you searching for the best 11-year-old birthday party ideas? Well, you found it 55 fun things to do at birthday parties for boys & girls.
Use this to plan an awesome birthday celebration for your child at home or in your local area near you.
This tween age group can be tricky to plan for but don’t worry I’ve got you covered. With a large variety of party games and party activites for every personality. Plan the perfect party for your birthday boy or birthday girl with our favorite birthday party ideas.
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What 11-Year-Old Boys & Girls Want to Do for their Birthday Parties
These 11-year-old birthday party ideas are so much fun and easy to do. Which is great for parents and kids. It’s a complete list of 55 unique birthday party ideas 11-year-olds will love. So stop stressing about what your 11-year-old tween wants to do for their birthday party and let’s get started planning.
After your read, this article find even more cool party ideas & birthday themes in our Best Birthday Party Ideas for Boys, 30 Awesome Birthday Party Games for Kids, and check out all our birthday articles on the Birthday Party Ideas Page.
How to Get Started Planning
First, make sure to grab our free printable Birthday Party Checklist. This has all the tasks you’ll need to get done for the birthday party in an easy-to-follow timeline & checklist.
Next, decide how many party guests your child wants to invite. Will it be a small party with just their closest friends or a bigger party with everyone they know (:
This will help you decide if you need a party package at your party destination or if you could host the party at home.
Now that you know your guest list look through the fun games and birthday activities listed below. As you read through the great ideas think about if you want a birthday theme or if your child will be happy with a mix of all different birthday activities.
Whatever you pick you just want to make sure it’s a special day for them. I love to add in a few meaningful birthday traditions to go along with my child’s birthday party to really make it a special day.
Scavenger Hunt
Kids will love the challenge of a scavenger hunt. At this age, it’s fun to pair the kids up and make it a competition. If you’re comfortable having them walk around your neighborhood send the kids out on a neighborhood selfie scavenger hunt.
Give the kids this free printable scavenger hunt and set up some rules. Such as the time limit so they know when to be back at the house and the boundaries they have to search the neighborhood.
If you feel more comfortable each group could be paired up with an adult to head out on the search.
Have the kids take a selfie with each item they find on their list. Whichever group returns at the time limit with the most items checked off their list wins.
Obstacle Course
The kids will have a great time racing through an obstacle course. You can make one in your backyard easily with items you have already.
Here are some ideas: put out buckets to weave around, a longboard to walk over, hula hoops to hop through, slide down a slide on a swing set, or bend pool noodles to the ground with lawn sticks and make a tunnel to crawl through.
It’s just a matter of making an area with some obstacles for the kids to race through. Time each child racing and give out a prize to the winner.
We added this cool Ninja Warrior Obstacle Course between trees one year and it was a huge hit. Now we just put it out for the kids to play on all summer long.
Relay Races
Get more energy out with a backyard relay race. Make DIY relay sticks with a paper towel roll covered in construction paper.
Set up a space for the kids to run in the backyard or nearby park. You can make it simple with a line in the grass on one side and a chair on the other side.
Break the kids up into teams. Have half the kids at the start line and the other half by the chair across the yard.
When you say go the first teammate will run to the chair and hand off the relay wand to the next teammate at the chair, then that child runs back to the start line and hands the relay wand to the next teammates waiting. Keep doing this until all the kids on the team have run the race.
Whichever team finishes the race first with all their kids competing is the winning team.
Indoor Laser Maze
If the weather is not great and you want to do an indoor obstacle course or relay race create a hallway laser maze indoors. It’s super easy to make a DIY Laser maze with streamers.
Kids will have a blast trying to race through without knocking the streamers off the wall. See who can get through the maze the fastest.
Here are directions for making a DIY Laser Maze.
Pool Party
Plan a fun pool party for the kids in the summer at the local pool. Or if you have a waterpark close by take a smaller group of close friends to a waterpark for the day. Six Flags water park is always a fun option if you have one.
Make sure to bring some games the kids can play at the pool. My kids absolutely love these skip balls to throw back and forth and these dive sticks.
Another fun idea is bringing pool floats for the kids to ride or a floating basketball hoop. Keeping the kids active in the pool will help cut down on how crazy it can get.
You could even give out the skip balls as part of the party favors for the birthday along with some pool snacks, and sunblock.
Board Games
If you have a small group for the party, board games can be really fun 11 year old birthday party ideas. I suggest doing some cooperative board games. With these games, they have to work together to solve a problem as a group rather than having one child win the game.
You can also try bigger group games like Watch Ya Mouth or 5 Second Rule. Both are pretty hilarious games.
Find tons of board game ideas in our Favorite Board Games for Teens & Tweens.
Video Games
Kids at this age love video games so why not throw a video game party? You can go to a local video arcade or rent a video game truck.
The video game trucks are really cool as they pull up to your driveway and the kids play all the games they want right inside. The trucks usually have party packages so you can pick how long the truck is at your house.
Set up tables on your driveway to have pizza and birthday cake after the game truck leaves. It’s an at-home party with a twist. Plus it’s a great way to keep all the kids out of your house.
Just google escape room trucks and you’ll find ones near you.
Laser Tag Party
This is another fun party this age group really loves. Head to your local Laser tag place to play. Most will give you a private party room to have pizza and birthday cake after you’re done.
Another idea is to look for a laser tag company that will set up a game in your backyard or at a local park. They have blow-up obstacles to turn your backyard into a laser tag course. It”s pretty cool and you don’t have to do anything to set it up they do it all for you.
Sleepover
Plan an awesome sleepover for the birthday kid. Let your child choose a few friends to invite over and plan some fun slumber party activites to do.
Then add plenty of snacks, dinner, and desserts for the kids. Maybe even a fun pancake breakfast bar in the morning.
Get tons of ideas in our Best Things to Do at a Sleepover.
Ice Cream Bar
What kid doesn’t love ice cream? Creating a yummy ice cream bar is a fun way to have dessert. Put out a few flavors of ice cream and tons of topping options.
Topping Ideas – chocolate sauce, camel sauce, hot fudge, gummy worms, M&Ms, chocolate chips, crushed toffee, cut-up candy bars, sprinkles, crushed Andes candies, whip cream, crushed Oreos, cherries.
Tip: Double-check if any kids have allergies before creating your ice cream bar.
Classic Games
Even 11 year olds will have fun playing classic birthday party games. They’ll just be more competitive than if little kids played.
Musical Chairs
Set up chairs for all the kids but one in a row. Start the music and let the kids walk in a circle around the chairs.
When you stop the music all the kids need to try and find a seat. The child who does not find a seat is out. Now remove one chair and repeat the games.
Play until you are down to the last child finding a seat. They are the winner.
Classic Game of Limbo
This game is so easy. All you need is a limbo stick to play. Have two people hold the limbo stick while the kids line up on one side.
Kids then try to go under the limbo stick one at a time without falling down. Each round you lower the stick closer to the ground. See who can go the lowest to make it under the limbo stick.
Tik Toc Challenge
Many kids this age love social media already so embrace it with a Tik Toc dance challenge. Break the kids up into groups and have each group create a Tik Toc dance. See which group can come up with the best dance-to video. Then do the dance as one big group.
Spa Party
Throw a relaxing spa party for the kids. Let the kids do face masks while listening to fun music. Then put out a bunch of different colored nail polish and let them paint each other’s nails.
Place on trays tea sandwiches, and small desserts accompanied by water with cucumber or fruit infused. As goody bags give the girls eye masks, yummy-smelling lotions, a nail file, and a nail polish bottle.
Water Balloon Party
If it’s warm weather plan an epic water balloon fight. Make this easy with water balloons that fill up as a group on your hose. Then add them to a large storage container.
Break the kids up into two groups and create a line down the middle of your yard so each team has a side. Give each group a storage container or two filled with water balloons.
Set some basic ground rules such as staying on your side and not aiming for friends’ heads. Then start the battle!
Balloon Stomp
A cheap way to entertain kids is with balloon games. There are tons of fun balloon games to try but here are two favorites.
First Way – Blow up 20 Blue balloons and 20 Red balloons. Break the kids up into the Blue Team and the Red team. When you say go the kids will try and stomp and pop all the balloons for their color team. Whichever team pops all the balloons of their color first wins.
Second Way – Tie a ribbon to a balloon and tie the other end of the ribbon to a player’s ankle. Each player will have a balloon tied to their ankle. When you say go the kids try to stomp the other kids’ balloons. If your balloon gets popped you’re out. The last kid in without having their balloon stomped on & popped wins.
Find more Balloon Games including balloon races and Candy balloon games in our hilarious Balloon Party Games.
Ice Skating
Take the kids to the local rink to go Ice skating. See if the rink has birthday packages to rent ice skates and a party room for after their done skating.
Roller Skating
Head to a local roller rink to skate around. This tends to be easier than ice skating as you have four wheels to balance on rather than one blade when ice skating.
Arcade Games
Throw a birthday party at the local arcade. Kids will have a blast trying to win those arcade games and get tickets for all the prizes we think are junk but they love.
Nerf Wars Party
Throw the Ultimate New Wars Party in your own backyard. It’s easier than you think and will be a huge hit with the kids. I’ve thrown several of these and all the kids have had a blast.
Get my step-by-step directions on How to Throw a New Wars Party.
Fortnite Birthday Party
If your kids are huge gamers then they’ll love an awesome Fortnite birthday party theme. Server them V Bucks cookies with slurp juice for snack.
Then play a Fortnite version of capture the flag that’s so much fun.
Get my step-by-step guide to Hosting an Awesome Fortnite Birthday Party.
Escape Room Games
A thrilling & exciting group game for this age is printable escape room game kits. The kits come with everything you need to host an escape room birthday party in your home.
Each escape room game is filled with challenges & clues the kids use to figure out the mystery that will help them unlock the room to escape. They’ll have so much fun working together to figure out what all the clues mean.
Make sure to pick out an escape room game that is for this age group as you don’t want to make the game too easy or too hard.
Use our list of favorite Escape room games by age to find the perfect game for 11 year olds.
Charades
You’ll love how easy it is to host a charades party. All you need are these free printable Charades Words List to play.
Break the kids up into teams and add the charade’s words into a bowl. Decide ahead of time how many words each team will act out. I suggest letting each player go at least twice.
To play the first player will pick a word out of the bowl and have 1 minute to act it out for her teammates to guess. If the teammates guess the word correctly the team gets 1 point.
Then next player on the other team picks a word and acts it out for their team. Keep going until you go through all the words.
Make this game easy with Free Printable Charades Word List
Pictionary
This game is similar to Charades except instead of acting out the word you are drawing the word.
You will need a large tabletop easel pad and markers for the kids to draw. Plus Pictionary words to use. You can use our free printable Charades word list or find a Pictionary word list on Pinterest.
Next, break the kids up into two teams and add the words into a bowl.
The first player will pick a word out of the bowl and have 1 minute to draw the word for her teammates. If the kids guess the word within the minute the team wins 1 point.
Let both teams switch off players. The winning team has the most points at the end of the game.
Yard Games
Yard games are great 11-year-old birthday party ideas. Set up different yard game stations around your backyard for the kids to try out.
Tip: Check around and see if any friends already have these games you can borrow.
We have tons of outdoor birthday party games to choose from but here are a few easy ones to try.
Cornhole
All you need is a cornhole set. For this simple game, the kids will try to throw bean bags into a hole in large boards.
Ladder Game
This Ladder game is a great yard game choice. The are two small ladders and two balls attached to a rope. Kids will throw the balls at the ladder and try and get them to hook. You’ll get a different number of points depending on where the balls hook on the ladder.
Horse Shoes
This is a classic game because it’s fun for all ages. All you need is some horseshoes and two stakes to play.
Yard Pong
For this game of Yard Pong, you have 12 buckets with each team setting up 6 buckets like pins at bowling.
Kids try to throw a ball into the opponent’s buckets to get them out.
It’s a good idea to add water or sand to the bottom of the buckets to keep them from falling over.
Giant Jenga Game
Get the yard version of Jenga that has huge oversize blocks. Set it up on a flatter part of the lawn or patio. Then play an awesome game of Jenga.
Find more ideas in our favorite Outdoor Birthday Party Games.
Dance Party
If your kids love to dance host a dance party it’s a super easy 11 year old birthday party ideas. This is a great option for sleepover birthday parties too.
Have your child create a playlist of their favorite dance songs to play. At the party crank up the music and let the kids dance.
Karaoke
Set up a Karaoke machine which could be a birthday gift idea for the birthday child. Let the girls and boys pick out their favorite song to sing. They’ll love watching their friends try to keep up with singing all the words.
Walk the Red Carpet
Do your kids like to dress up? Have all the kids bring a fancy dress or shirt to wear on your red carpet. Then provide fun boas, hats, silly glasses, and more for the kids to wear.
Roll out a red carpet and play music for the kids to walk down the catwalk.
Tip: Head to your local Good Will and find some dress-up clothes the kids could wear.
Would You Rather Game
This hilarious game will have all the kids engaged. We like to play this while the kids are waiting for the food to be served or any lull in the party. It is an easy backup activity to pull out if you want the kids to sit.
Use our free printable Would You Rather Questions for Kids or Would You Rather Questions for Teens & Tweens. All are appropriate questions for kids so don’t worry.
Climbing Walls
Head to a local place that has a climbing wall for the kids. They’ll love the challenge of trying to reach the top and rooting on their friends.
Sports Party at Local Park
Utilize the local park or a park district building in your area to host a sports party for your kids. Sports-themed 11-year-old birthday party ideas tend to be a huge hit.
See if the park district will let you rent out an area with picnic tables during the party to have birthday cake after the kids are done playing games. Get some ideas below of games you can play.
Flag Football Party
Host a flag football game in the local park. You can get a flag football kit that has the flags and cones you’ll need to run the game. Then all you need is a football to play.
Home Run Derby
Use a local baseball field to host this party. Have a parent pitch the ball and see which kids can hit the ball the furthest.
Have the kids not hitting go in the outfield to catch the balls. We did this one year and the kids had a blast. Let the parents try too.
Basketball Shootout
Find a local basketball court outdoors you could use or a basketball hoop in your driveway. Create three to four lines (use chalk) for the kids to shoot the ball from.
When it’s their turn the kids will try and shoot from each line. Add up the points and see who made the most shots.
Soccer Shootout
Soccer lovers can take turns kicking the ball to see who can make it into the goal without the goalie blocking the shot. Whoever gets the most goals wins.
Kickball Tournament
Again take advantage of a local baseball field or just a large field near your home. All you need for the game are four bases and a kickball. Divide the kids into two teams. You can have a parent pitch the kickball or let one of the kids. Then play a fun game of Kickball.
Beach Party
Take a small group of kids on a beach day. Pack a fun picnic full of drinks and food kids will like to eat. Then bring some awesome beach games to play like Spikeball, Beach Tennis, Frisbee, or a football to throw.
You could also give each kid a cheaper snorkel set to play with in the water and look for fish. Just make sure to give a quick lesson on how to use a snorkel properly. This can be the kid’s goody bag item too!
Don’t forget to bring a small speaker they could play music on too. Spend a couple of hours hanging out and swimming at the beach.
Craft Party
Do your kids like to craft? Find a couple of fun crafts the kids can make together at your house. Scrapbooks are always fun to make. Ask the kids to bring pictures to add to their book and they can go home with a new photo album.
You can also find unique craft ideas on Pinterest for tweens.
Movie Marathon
Plan a movie marathon with your child’s favorite movies or a new movie that came out on Netflix. Create a popcorn bar or candy bar to eat while they are watching the movies.
Outdoor Movie Night
If the weather is nice create an outdoor movie night. Use a projector that links to your phone or firestick to get movies easily. Then use a white sheet for a screen. You can tie the white sheet between trees or up against your house.
Lastly set out blankets for the kids to sit on or lawn chairs. Add a fun food station outdoors for the kids to munch on party snacks while they watch the movie.
Theme Park Day Out
Take a small group to a theme park like Six Flags for the day. Check if kids already have a membership so you only have to pay for food. Or go on a day when it’s a bring a friend to the park to save money.
They’ll have a blast riding all the roller coasters together and playing games.
Bake Off
Have the kids make cookies or brownies for dessert. Then put out a toppings bar for the desserts. Let the kids all decorate the desserts and see who can make the coolest decorations.
Another idea is to get Gingerbread house kits and let the kids compete to see who creates the best house. We loved this M&M cookie house. You could always put out extra toppings so they can get even more creative with their house.
Pizza Topping Bar
Let kids make their own pizzas. Buy some premade pizza dough for kids to roll out and stretch into a circle pizza. Then let the kids add to their pizza from a pizza toppings bar.
Pizza Topping Bar Ideas: Pizza sauce, pesto sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, cooked sausage, pepperoni, sliced bell peppers, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, shredded chicken.
Volunteering
A unique experience as an 11 year old birthday party ideas is volunteering with the kids. Take them to a local animal shelter, a chapter of Feed My Starving Children, or a food pantry.
The kids will have fun and feel good about giving back to the community. Just make sure to ask the nonprofit if they allow 11-year-olds to volunteer.
Trampoline Park
Find a local Trampoline Park for the kids to jump and play during the party. Most locations will have a birthday party package.
Painting Party
Buy unpainted small pots like these ones from Dollar Tree, different color paints, and paint brushes. Let the kids paint the small pots and then give them a small plant as a goody bag.
Another idea is to get a party pack of small easels and canvas. Let the kids create their own pictures on the canvas.
A third option is to find a local place in your area that hosts kids painting parties. They will usually help you plan the party and host it for your child.
Hide & Seek
Yes, they still want to play hide & seek. They can play this in your house or in your backyard. It’s a great game to start when the kids are getting a little wild and need to get some energy out.
Glow in the Dark Dance Party
Give all the kids glow necklaces and glow sticks to wear. Then turn off the lights and crank up the music for the ultimate dance party.
This is a great option for kids who want to dance but are shyer. They’ll feel more comfortable dancing around in the dark with all their friends. Which means everyone will have a great time together.
Science Party
Plan a few cool science experiments to do with the kids for more unique 11 year old birthday party ideas. We love these super cool Volcano experiments and Rain Cloud in a Jar.
For the rain cloud in a jar experiment, you could let each child individually do this experiment. Just pick up a round glass vase for each child at Dollar Tree along with the shaving cream and food dye. It will make a cheap and fun science activity.
Tug of War
Plan an epic game of tug of war for the kids in your backyard. It’s an old-school game but so much fun. All you need is a Tug of War Rope with a flag in the middle to play.
Backyard Camping
Make it an overnight party with backyard camping. Set up tents in the backyard for the kids to sleep and ask them to each bring a sleeping bag. Have an outdoor fire to roast marshmallows and tell ghost stories.
Then play a game of ghost in the graveyard or glow-in-the-dark tag by having all the kids wear glow-in-the-dark necklaces.
Miniature Golf Party
Head to your local miniature golf spot with a small group of your kid’s friends to play. This is another easy 11-year-old birthday party ideas as the location has everything you need for a party. If it’s a small course and they don’t have a party room available just stop for ice cream after the miniature golf game.
Bowling Party
Kids love to bowl so book a party at your local bowling alley. Let the kids bowl a couple of rounds before having pizza and cake. Most bowling alleys will have a party room you could use or will let the kids eat near the bowling lanes.
I hope you have found a few 11-year-old birthday party ideas your kids will be excited to try. It’s going to be a fun birthday party that they’ll remember!!
Make sure to grab your free printable birthday party checklist to make party planning easier and help you get organized!
More Birthday Party Ideas
Find tons of great party ideas for kids on our Birthday Party Page.
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12-Year-Old Birthday Party Ideas to Wow Tweens
13-Year-Old Birthday Party Ideas for Boys & Girls
Birthday Party Games & Activities
30 Birthday Party Games Kids Love – Indoor & Outdoor Parties
Best Outdoor Party Games for Kids in Your Backyard – Great Games for Parties at Home
Meaningful Birthday Traditions to Start this Year – Make their birthday special without a party.
Escape Room Birthday Parties -How to Throw an Escape Room Birthday Party
Birthday Interviews – Free Printables for a yearly birthday interview – Remember what your kids are like every year.
Birthday Gift Ideas
Not sure what to get your child for their birthday this year? Check out our Gifts List page or these popular gift ideas.
45 Hottest Tween Girl Gift Ideas – Best gift ideas for this picky age group
35 Cool Gift Ideas Boys Aged 10-12 Really Want – Awesome gifts boys love!
Best Gifts for Fortnite Players and Gamers – Cool Gaming gift ideas
Coolest Nerf Guns for Kids – Best Nerf Gun Gifts for Kids
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