Let’s be honest here. If you’ve been down the birthday party rabbit hole for a few years now, you’ve probably done the princess thing, the unicorn thing, and maybe even survived a slime-making disaster or two. So when your 10-year-old starts hinting about her upcoming birthday, you might find yourself thinking, “What the heck are some unique party ideas for 10 year old girls?”

I’ve been there, trust me. After hosting more parties than I care to count and attending even more, I’ve learned that 10-year-old girls are at this sweet spot where they’re outgrowing some of the “little kid” themes but aren’t quite ready for full-blown tween territory. They want something that feels grown-up but is still fun and engaging for a group of 10-15 kids.

Here are nine unique party ideas that have worked well for this age group – we’ve included the details you’ll need to pull this off successfully! 

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This one will be a hit if your daughter loves puzzles or has been devouring mystery books. The kids get to solve an actual mystery throughout the party, and it keeps everyone engaged from start to finish.

: Create a simple mystery storyline (something like “The Case of the Missing Birthday Cake” works perfectly). Set up different “clue stations” around your house or yard. I usually plan for 5-6 clues that lead to the final solution. Each clue should take about 10-15 minutes to solve, giving you a solid hour of structured activity.

: Magnifying glasses (this is a pretty inexpensive set on Amazon), detective notebooks, pencils, evidence bags (small zip-lock bags), fake fingerprint powder (baby powder works), crime scene tape, and small prizes for each solved clue.

: Plan for 45 minutes to an hour for the mystery-solving portion. Start this right after everyone arrives and gets their detective gear.

: Write out your mystery storyline a week ahead and test it with your birthday child (they can help plant clues on party day). Keep the clues challenging but not frustrating. Remember, you want “aha!” moments, not tears.

: This runs about $30-50 for supplies, depending on how elaborate you want to get with the detective gear.

Who says you need to leave your house to go camping? This theme works perfectly year-round and gives kids that adventure feeling without any of the actual outdoor hassles. (Of course, if weather permits and you’re up for the challenge, you can do this outdoors too.)

: Transform your living room or basement into a campground. Set up small tents or build blanket forts using chairs and sheets. Dim the lights and use battery-operated lanterns or string lights to create that camping ambiance.

: Small pop-up tents (or materials for fort-building), battery-operated lanterns, s’mores supplies, hot chocolate mix, camping-themed decorations, sleeping bags for sitting, and a portable speaker for “nature sounds.”

: S’mores making (using tea lights or a small camping stove if you have one), storytelling with flashlights, a nature scavenger hunt using items you’ve hidden around the house, and camping songs or games.

: This theme works well for longer parties (3-4 hours) because there are so many different activities you can rotate through.

: Set up the “campground” the night before if possible. Pre-cut all s’mores ingredients and have them ready to go. Create a playlist of nature sounds to play softly in the background.

: Around $40-70, depending on whether you need to buy tents or can borrow them.

This is perfect for creative kids and gives them something special to take home. The twist is that they’re not just making art; they’re curating their own gallery opening.

: Set up different art stations around your space. Each station should have a different medium (watercolors, collage materials, clay, etc.). The kids rotate through stations, creating pieces for their personal collection.

: Canvases or heavy paper, various art supplies (paints, markers, collage materials, clay), easels or clipboard stands, fancy plastic cups for “gallery opening” refreshments, small adhesive labels for artwork titles, and disposable tablecloths.

: After everyone finishes their artwork, hang all pieces around your space with the kids’ chosen titles. Serve sparkling cider in fancy cups and let the kids walk around “critiquing” each other’s work in their most sophisticated voices.

: Allow 90 minutes for art creation and 30 minutes for the gallery opening portion.

: Cover everything with plastic tablecloths or newspaper. Have wet wipes and paper towels readily available at each station. Set up a drying area for wet artwork.

: This can range from $50-100 depending on the quality of art supplies you choose.

This one is fantastic for adventurous eaters and teaches kids about different cultures while they party. You “travel” to different countries through food and activities.

: Choose 4-5 countries and set up stations representing each one. Kids get “passports” and travel from country to country (here’s a set of pretend passports from Amazon), trying foods and doing a simple activity related to that culture.

: Simple foods representing each country (think mini tacos for Mexico, pasta for Italy, sushi rolls for Japan), small notebooks for passports, stickers or stamps, flags for decoration, and cultural music playlists.

: Learn a simple dance from each country, try using chopsticks, make mini pizzas, or learn to say “hello” in different languages.

: Plan about 15-20 minutes per “country” station.

: Keep foods simple and kid-friendly. Have alternatives ready for picky eaters. Create a simple passport template you can print and fold or buy these.

: Food costs can vary widely, but plan for $60-90 for food and supplies.

Create your own escape room experience that’s perfectly tailored to 10-year-olds. This works great because you can adjust the difficulty level and theme to match your group.

: Choose one room in your house to transform. Create a storyline (escaping from a haunted library, breaking out of a mad scientist’s lab, etc.) and design 5-7 puzzles that must be solved in sequence to “escape.”

: Locks (combination locks work best), small boxes, printed puzzles, hidden keys, UV pens and blacklights for invisible ink clues, and props related to your theme.

: Math problems that give combination numbers, jigsaw puzzles that reveal clues, riddles, pattern matching, and physical challenges like stacking cups in a specific way.

: Design the room to take 45-60 minutes to complete. Have the kids work in teams of 3-4 to make it more manageable.

: Test your escape room thoroughly before the party. Have hints ready in case groups get stuck. Create a clear storyline that ties all the puzzles together.

: About $40-60 for locks, boxes, and themed decorations.

This idea gives kids something meaningful to look forward to in the future. They create individual and group time capsules to open on a future birthday.

: Set up stations where kids can work on different elements for their time capsules. Provide both individual containers and one large group container.

: Small containers or boxes for individual capsules, one larger container for the group capsule, decorating supplies, current magazines and newspapers, disposable cameras, paper and pens, and laminating sheets or page protectors.

: Current photos, letters to their future selves, predictions about the future, current favorite songs (written down), drawings, small meaningful objects, and newspaper clippings from the current date.

: Decorating their capsule containers, writing letters, taking photos with the disposable cameras, and creating group predictions about what they think will happen in the next 5-10 years.

: This works well as a 2-3 hour activity since there’s so much to create and discuss.

: Decide ahead of time when the capsules will be opened (5th grade graduation? Sweet 16?). Make sure you have enough supplies for both individual and group elements.

: Around $50-80, depending on the containers you choose and whether you buy disposable cameras.

Turn your kitchen into a cooking competition show where teams of kids compete in fun, safe cooking challenges.

: Divide kids into teams of 3-4. Set up cooking stations with all necessary supplies. Plan 2-3 different challenges of increasing difficulty.

: Ingredients for chosen recipes, aprons or chef hats, mixing bowls, measuring cups, simple cooking tools, and small prizes for winners.

: Decorating pre-made cupcakes, making their own pizza creations, fruit kabob assembly, or simple sandwich competitions with creative presentation requirements.

: No sharp knives or hot surfaces. Pre-cut any ingredients that need cutting. Adult supervision at each station.

: Plan 30-40 minutes per challenge with time for judging and cleanup between rounds.

: Do all prep work ahead of time. Have ingredients pre-measured in small bowls when possible. Create judging criteria ahead of time (taste, creativity, presentation).

: This varies greatly depending on ingredients chosen, but plan for $70-120.

Transform your space into a mad scientist’s laboratory where kids conduct safe, exciting experiments that feel like magic.

: Set up different experiment stations around your space. Each station should have a different type of experiment (chemical reactions, physics demonstrations, etc.).

: Baking soda, vinegar, food coloring, clear containers, measuring spoons, safety goggles (toy ones work fine), lab coats or aprons, balloons, Mentos and Diet Coke (for outdoor use), and simple microscopes if available.

: Volcano eruptions with baking soda and vinegar, color-changing milk with food coloring and dish soap, invisible ink with lemon juice, slime making with safe ingredients, and dancing raisins in carbonated water.

: Plan 15-20 minutes per experiment station. Allow extra time for the most popular experiments.

: Test all experiments beforehand. Have plenty of paper towels and cleanup supplies ready. Set up outdoor experiments away from indoor activities.

: Most supplies are household items, so this runs about $30-50.

Kids write, direct, act in, and premiere their own short films during the party. This is perfect for dramatic kids who love being the center of attention.

: Divide kids into groups of 4-5. Give each group a simple prompt or theme. Provide costumes, props, and recording devices (phones or tablets work perfectly).

: Costume box with various accessories, simple props, devices for recording (tablets or smartphones), poster board for movie posters, markers, and a way to display the finished films (laptop connected to TV or projector).

: 30 minutes for planning and script writing, 45 minutes for filming, 15 minutes for creating movie posters, and 30 minutes for the film festival premiere with popcorn.

: “A day when gravity stopped working,” “Kids discover a magic door in their school,” or “The day animals could talk.”

: This needs a solid 2-3 hours to work well, making it perfect for longer parties.

: Have extension cords available for charging devices. Create a simple template for movie planning. Set boundaries for filming locations.

: About $40-60 for costumes, props, and poster supplies.

The key to pulling off any of these unique party ideas for 10 year old girls is planning ahead and staying flexible. These kids are typically old enough to handle more complex activities but still need structure and clear instructions. They also have strong opinions about what’s “cool” and what’s “babyish,” so involving your daughter in the planning process will help ensure the party hits the mark.

Most importantly, don’t stress too much about every detail being perfect. The kids will remember the overall experience and the fact that someone put thought into making their celebration unique. And honestly? Half the time the thing they remember most fondly will be something completely unplanned that happened spontaneously during the party.

Trust me, the effort you put into using one these unique party ideas for 10 year old girls will be worth it when you see your daughter and her friends having a ton of fun.  (And once you’re finally ready for sleepover parties, check out our post about sleepover games for tweens).

Do you have other creative ideas? Share them in the comments below!