What can we do special on 13 yo dd birthday?

[Borris]

It falls in half term and all her besties are away 🙁

Its just the 2 of us.

She doesn’t fancy a spa day.

what can we do to make it special. When I ask her she says that opening presents is enough - but realistically that is 30 minutes tops!

Would she want to go to the theatre and see a show? Or have afternoon tea (the kind that comes on tiered plates)? Or go rollerskating with you? Or take a cruise down the river, if there's one nearby (my aunt took me on a cruise down the Thames on my last birthday and I loved it; lots of kids were there). I don't know where you live, but if you're close to a major city, there might be an exhibition on somewhere that she'd enjoy. Or maybe you could both take a cookery class together? There are all kinds available.

Ooh I love the idea of a day out in London.

If she says presents are enough, I'd go with that. Have a nice breakfast, go for a walk or watch a film, save an extra gift for later when you have birthday cake. Cosy birthdays are as nice as exciting ones. Have a nice day

Things my 13yo would like:
shopping day with lunch
cinema
go to a show/musical
do an activity together like go ape
theme park
get nails/hair done together
get a takeaway

Could you arrange something with a friend for when her friends are back?

Also…
Escape room
Animal experience day at a local zoo
Some kind of crafting day like jewellery making or pottery painting

Lunch at someone like Benihana? Food isn’t amazing but they are quite entertaining- I think I went once for a special early teen b day lunch
do you live in striking distance of a place like that?

cinema also a good shout as above - if you’re near an Everyman they are very special and have little sofas and do table service etc which feels very grown up.

trampoline park? There’s one near us that does “neon nights” which looks really fun - and the nights are more like evenings.

planetarium show?

what is your (soon to be) 13yo interested in? Also what’s your budget?

i had my ears pierced for my 13th birthday and really didn’t like it as it felt like such a break from being a little kid. I wish that my parents had indulged the inner pre-teen a little more for my 13th in retrospect, so if she is anything like I was maybe no need to to anything too sophisticated/adult just yet

hope you have a lovely day!

My 13 year old DD would like to go for lunch then the cinema to watch the Taylor Swift concert.
Or lunch followed by an escape room. She has recently been to one with her friends and they loved it.

Thank you. Some lovely ideas.
Sadly we're a long way from London (that would have been a good idea though as we're pretty rural so the shops are exciting!)

Roller skating and afternoon tea sounds fun. Shopping is definitely one of her favourite pastimes - although the shops near us are not amazing.

There is a go ape type thing which she might like.