Throwing a birthday party for a 10-year-old girl can be a challenge, but with a little planning and creativity, it can be an exciting and memorable experience for everyone involved. This year my daughter turned 10, and it was a big deal! As she liked to say, “I’m turning double digits!” We wanted to do something a little different and take her on a shopping spree at the mall. If you’re looking for a unique and fun-filled celebration, read on as I guide you through planning the ultimate 10-year-old girl’s birthday party at the mall—ensuring a day full of laughter, joy, and unforgettable memories.
Setting a Budget:
Before you start planning the party, it’s important to set a budget. Once you decide how much you want to spend, you can determine the number of girls to include and set a budget for other items like party favors, food and decor. Based on my experiences in the past of planning birthday parties, we’ve spent in the area of $500+ before to host a party at a location like Rylee’s last birthday or at Chuck E. Cheese. For our party, each girl got a budget to shop, Rylee getting a little extra as the birthday girl. I also budgeted enough for lunch, a special drink from Starbucks, and the party favors. Total recommended budget based on our day including the favors was under $400.
Choosing the Mall:
Depending where you live, there could be several mall options to choose from. I love this idea so much because the mall is already a great place to host a birthday party due to the variety of entertainment options and activities. Start the selection process by researching what kinds of attractions, amenities and stores suitable for a 10-year-old’s birthday party the mall has. When Rylee and I first talked about a shopping spree birthday party at the mall, I knew that the Mall at Millenia was the perfect location. It’s conveniently located to us, an enjoyable atmosphere and has plenty of stores for the girls to shop in.
Planning the Activities:
It’s easy to plan a day at the mall when it has so much to offer! As you are working on choosing a mall and researching all there is to do, you can map out each activity and make any reservations or plans throughout the experience. For instance:
- Schedule a Makeover: Many malls have makeup stores, like MAC for instance, that offer free makeup sessions. I reserved two 15 minute slots for the girls there to get their makeup professionally done. They absolutely loved it! Each girl got to choose their own eyeshadow, blush and lipstick and the artists turned their choices into art. Plus they added glitter and they loved that! Some malls have a nail salon, which is another great idea.
- Plan a Scavenger Hunt: Organize a mall-wide scavenger hunt, where the girls must complete various tasks, solve riddles, and find specific items. You can provide them with a fun checklist and small prizes for completing each task.
- Starbucks: Kick start the shopping extravaganza with a trip to Starbucks to get everyone’s favorite drink or snack. It’s one of my favorite shopping traditions, so of course it made the list.
- Shopping Spree: The main event of course. Give each girl a small budget and let them explore the mall’s stores and shop ’till they drop. As 10 year old girls, they will absolutely love finding and trying things on, and it’s so cool to see them making decisions and budgeting on their own. If you’ve done research on the mall, you can also guide them to the right areas and age-appropriate stores to keep them engaged.
Theme and Invitations
One of the things I love about this idea, is that you don’t need to go crazy with invites, creating a theme or decorations. You can save all that money for the shopping spree and even better—you don’t need to set up or break down anything.
Rylee invited three of her friends to her birthday. We saved on printed invites by creating a shopping themed digital image from Canva that I sent out to her friend’s moms through a text.
Food and Refreshments
These little shoppers are going to get hungry, so make sure you have a plan for lunch. You can opt for a sit-down meal at a restaurant or hit up the food court, depending on what your vision for the day is. I wanted to give the girls the true mall experience, so we went for the food court and the girls got to choose what they wanted to eat. We had a half and half split of Chinese and Chick-fil-a.
Since Rylee only invited three friends, they were invited to sleep over the night before, so we could wake up, have breakfast and head to the mall right when it opens. So that night, we did birthday cake and were able to include her brother, dad, grandparents and some neighborhood friends in the celebration which was nice. You can also bring the girls back home after the mall for cake while you wait for their parents to pick them up as an option.
Goodie Bags and Favors
In a typical birthday party, you end with the party favors, but for a mall party, it’s how you begin. It’s always fun to get them and in this case, it’s a great way to give the girls their cash for the shopping spree. Place them in the car as a surprise so they can open them on the way to the mall. Inside the goodie bag, you can include items such as snacks, candy, lip glosses, stickers or a personalized water bottle. And my favorite idea was including matching wallets for the girls with their money for the mall inside of it!
The Ultimate 10-Year-Old Girl’s Birthday Party at the Mall
Hosting a 10-year-old girl’s birthday party at the mall offers such a unique and exciting experience for both the birthday girl and her friends. The variety of activities, shopping options, and delicious food available at the mall ensure a day filled with laughter, fun, and lasting memories. Remember to plan ahead and tailor the activities and favors to suit the birthday girl’s interests. With a well-planned mall party, you’re guaranteed to create an unforgettable celebration that will be cherished for years to come.
