Spa Party!

Figuring out how to entertain a bunch of tweens or teens can feel a lot more intimidating than entertaining a bunch of kiddos. Yet, there are a lot of great ideas for entertaining older kids! A Spa party is on the top of the list. It is a fun way for your daughter to pamper herself and her friends. A Spa party allows them time just to laugh, and talk and enjoy being together as well. When we first chose this theme, I wasn’t sure if it was a theme that would fit with all of her friends’ personalities. Aurora has a variety of friends, with different interests and personalities, but we found that this theme was a great fit for everyone! They all had a blast.

*I created these tropical Customized Birthday Invitations for the birthday girl* .

My daughter loves flamingos, so we went with a Tropical theme. We started with these adorable invitations. We chose to do have our Spa on a Saturday morning so that we could have brunch and time to relax. It was the perfect fit. Throwing a great party is possible with any budget. I did not provide all the supplies that the girls needed. I asked the girls to bring common items that each girl would easily have in their home: a throw pillow, a hand towel and a water basin. [If you want to splurge, you can provide these items yourself in the same color and theme as your party. We decided just to ask, and to provide for anyone who needed a specific item. I sent a message to each Mom in private letting them know I had extras of everything, if they did not already have what was needed at home].

As the girls arrived they took a photo with the birthday girl while they waited for the others. Photo booths are a must at parties! They are the perfect way to capture those silly moments with their special friends, but they are also a super sweet thank you note! After the party we print out the photos and my kids write a short thank you on the back. Then they give it to their friends as a thank you for coming to the party.

I made all the customized printables for this party, including the water bottle labels, toppers and banner.

When all the girls had arrived we sat down to the table for brunch (I left the food out during the party so that they could continue to snack whenever they wanted to as well). Each girl had their own personalized water bottle and a sticker that I made for them that said, “On the days when I feel inadeguate, unloved and unworthy, I remember whose daughter I am and straighten my crown.” We have the tradition as a family that each year at our kid’s birthdays, we pick a Bible verse for them for the new year of their life that they are beginning. I shared a verse with the girls about them being beautifully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) and we prayed for Aurora. Then we had brunch and tea and juice.

After brunch the girls each made their own flip flops (I provided flip flops for each girl, asking their mom’s ahead of time for the appropriate sizes). I put out a lot of materials for them to use and to create their own cute inventions: ribbon, yarn, fake flowers, self-adhesive material, pom poms, buttons, and self adhesive jewels. They were super creative. Visit this post for more details on this activity.

After they had finished up their flip flops the girls took a trampoline break so that I could set everything up for the Spa.

We did facials, a foot scrub and foot soak at our Spa, complete with cucumber splices for their eyes! They had a ton of fun and laughed a lot! After they had washed their faces and dried their feet, they did hair chalk to each other’s hair (make sure you ask parent’s permission ahead of time to use hair chalk!), while we cleaned up the mess and set up the table for manicures and pedicures.

They helped each other paint their toes and nails. After manicures and pedicures we opened gifts and sang happy birthday with her flamingo cake! It was a really wonderful birthday and a great opportunity to love on my daughter’s friends and to make them feel special. Most importantly I got to spoil my new 13 year old and she had a blast with her friends.