70 Of The Best 9th Birthday Party Ideas For Boys & Girls

You can forgo the big birthday party for a weekend camping trip, especially if your kid is into nature and the great outdoors. But, if they still want a party with their friends, why not have a camping theme instead, like Joyfully Treasured? Set up some tents and hammocks in your backyard, eat at picnic tables, and have a fire pit for roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. Make s’mores, and cook on the grill. Have a contest to see who can tell the best ghost story around the campfire, and if you’re willing, make it a sleepover and let kids camp out.

For the LEGO lover in your life, a building birthday fits the bill to a tee. If your kid is really into LEGOs, they might have special series that they enjoy, like LEGO Ninjago. Celebrations at Home opts for a more detailed LEGO party, focusing on the Ninjago theme with Japanese accents, colorful décor, paper lanterns, bamboo, and of course, lots of opportunities to build LEGO creations. Let kids build unique sculptures, and give them mini-kits as favors.

You might remember the popular Goosebumps books and TV show from when you were a kid. Well, thanks to new movies and a resurgence of the show on Netflix, a whole new generation has discovered this spookily fun series. If your son’s a fan, you’ll want to check out this Goosebumps-inspired party on Pinterest for inspiration. Go with a purple and neon green color scheme, capture some of the classic scenes from the stories, and have the show playing on TV in the background.

This Super Mario party on Pinterest is a colorful and fun way to celebrate a video game fan’s birthday. Whether your son loves Mario Kart, Super Mario Bros., Mario Party, or any other game starring the famous Nintendo plumber, it’s sure to be a hit. Decorate with characters and images from the games, set up a play space for kids to test their video game skills, and play some Mario trivia.

If your son’s into aliens, UFOs, robots, futuristic cars, and anything else that falls under the sci-fi umbrella, throw him a science fiction birthday.  Crafts by Courtney focuses on the concept of aliens and Area 51, but you can cater your son’s party to whatever his favorite things are. It could even be Star Wars, outer space-themed, or a mixture of the above. Serve snacks with a sci-fi twist like planetary pizza and alien’s blood (a raspberry sherbert and ice cream punch).

Another great place to pull some theme ideas from are the latest movies that have kids buzzing. The Despicable Me and minions franchise, with its recent hit, The Rise of Gru is a popular film many kids love, so it makes sense to turn it into the backdrop for your son’s birthday party. You can find supplies to help decorate for a Despicable Me birthday on Amazon or at party supply stores. Use a yellow and blue color scheme, decorate with characters from the films, and have a movie viewing.

Another popular film franchise that has become the focus of many kids’ parties is Jurassic Park. It’s a great pick if your son is dinosaur-obsessed. Catch My Party shows off a mix of greenery for a jungle-like vibe, dinosaur images and sculptures, and the film’s classic logo. Use tableware and décor that feature images from the movie or your kid’s favorite dinosaurs. Set up a fossil dig excursion with bins of sand and let kids keep the fossils they find. For an extra fun twist, hide a dinosaur “egg” in the sand that holds a special prize for the lucky finder.

Kids are obsessed with slime, no matter what age they are. Sunshine Parties Blog embraces the love for slime and centers an entire birthday around the squishy, gooey stuff. Let kids make their own slime with either a DIY recipe or you can get a slime-making kit for them to use. Make sure to have containers for everyone so they can take their slime home. Keep colors bright and vivid, a neon-color scheme is an excellent fit, or you can mix it up with outer space and do galaxy slime.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney is a popular kid’s book that spawned more books and multiple movies. If your child’s a fan of the series, you can get some inspiration from Kara’s Party Ideas for a book-based birthday celebrating the main character Greg Heffley and all of his interesting situations. Use the books as decorations, give some as favors, and have kids share some of their favorite parts.

Check out this fun baseball-themed party from Cupcakes, Kisses ‘N Crumbs. It’s got ballpark favorites to munch on, baseball memorabilia and décor, and other fun sport touches. A chalkboard scoreboard makes a delightful backdrop to show off a tasty food spread or the birthday cake. Set up a game in the backyard for kids to play some ball, or if possible, take everyone to a baseball game in your area.

If your daughter loves learning about the world or dreams of traveling to far-off places, check out this party theme from Angelic Scalliwags Homeschool. It features all sorts of travel-related memorabilia, like a suitcase cake, passports, maps, and more. You can showcase some of your child’s favorite places and decorate with famous landmarks from other states and countries. Serve food and snacks inspired by global cuisine and label them with flags based on where the recipe comes from.

What better way to celebrate a 9-year-old’s birthday than on Cloud Nine, like this idea from Kara’s Party Ideas? You can decorate with fluffy cotton clouds, rainbows, bright colors, glitter, sparkles, and dreamy décor. It’s an uplifting party theme that will have your daughter smiling and feeling her best. You can also keep the look softer, using pastels and softer shades of rainbow colors. Serve fluffy marshmallow treats and cotton candy to reinforce the cloud theme.

If your daughter loves Hello, Kitty, then gather up tons of red, white, and pink party supplies to put on a party like this one from The Little Big Company. This theme is bright and colorful, with lots of opportunities for flashy fun. Use the colors throughout and decorate with the popular kitty’s image. Give your guests kitty cat sleep masks, make it a spa party, and tell everyone to wear their best pink bow, ala Hello, Kitty style.

It wouldn’t be surprising if your 9-year-old girl still adored unicorns. Unicorns are simply one of those things that remain a favorite of young girls and adults, perhaps because of their beauty and mysteriousness. Put on a unicorn bash for your birthday girl, featuring lots of colors and glitz, unicorns (of course), flowers, rainbows, and more. You can find lots of party supplies featuring this mythical creature online or at party supply shops.

Want to put on a flashy and fun party worthy of the biggest star? Jasmine Nichole does just that with lots of feathers, vivid colors, hot pink cheetah print, Mylar fringe, and more. Deck out your table as if you’re about to serve dinner to the most star-studded of guest lists, crank up the rock music, and hand out microphones (even fake ones will do). Let girls sing, dance, and live it up in style at a rockstar birthday.

A popular party idea for young girls is a paint and pancake party featuring, you guessed it — painting and pancakes. Let girls paint a picture, either on their own or guided by an artist sip-and-paint style. Then, mix up colorful batter using food dye or sprinkles to enjoy some funfetti-style pancakes like these from Confetti and Bliss. This is also a great sleepover option, with painting in the evening and pancakes in the morning.

This famous phrase becomes the perfect backdrop to a young fashionista’s birthday bash. Hostess with the Mostess invites guests to dress their glamorous best, do each other’s make-up, accessorize, and show off their unique styles. Girls can come dressed in fancy clothes, or you can have a clothes rack with a variety of sparkly dresses and other items for them to choose from. Set up a photo booth with fun accessories for girls to complete their creative ensembles and let them put on a fashion show with fun music and lots of pictures.

One of the most powerful superheroes of all time is also an inspiration for young girls worldwide Captain Marvel. Mimi’s Dollhouse shows off a party idea for girls that celebrates this incredible hero and everything she stands for. You can make it a costume party inviting guests to dress as their favorite heroes, play games, show off their best superhero moves, and more. Or, turn it into a film screening and watch the movie if your daughter prefers to turn it into a more low-key event.

Here’s a party idea that will leave her glowing with excitement featuring tons of Day-Glo neon party supplies. There are glow balloons, streamers, banners, and all sorts of things you can use for this kind of party. Use glow-in-the-dark and Day-Glo tape to create some interesting designs that will glow under blacklights or in the dark. Tell everyone to wear neon colors and use neon-colored food dye to give some of your menu items a funky twist.

Does your daughter love mysteries, solving puzzles, or going to escape rooms? If so, then this might be just the party plan you’re looking for. You can create an escape room in your own home with various games and services from places like Lock Paper Scissors. Call it Escaping Eight and let guests attempt to wend their way through challenging puzzles and clues as they try to beat the clock and escape into a brand new year of being 9. As an alternative, if your guest list is small, you could go to an actual escape room, then carry the theme into your décor as you return home for cake and food.

Sit kids in a circle with one beach ball. The person with the ball says a person’s name and tosses the ball to them. Easy enough, right? But once they get going, add another ball into the mix, and then another. If you have ten kids playing, aim for four balls. 20 kids? Try 8 or 9 balls at once.

Divide kids into teams and line each team up behind a container with water. Set an empty container several feet away. Give the person in front something to hold water (but make it a challenge), like a spoon or small cup with holes in the bottom.  Rock Chapel United Church uses sponges. Each player gets water from the bucket and runs to put it in the empty container, returning to their team for the next person to take a turn. The first team to fill their container wins.

Here’s a fun party game from Tip Junkie, and all you need is a couple of hula hoops. Line kids up in two lines and have them take turns passing the hoop over and under. Once it reaches the end of the line, that person runs ahead and starts again. After the person who started is back at the front of the line, the whole team sits. The first team to sit wins.

Hide a treasure chest with various surprises and treats and create a map to its location. You can have everyone work together and split the reward. Or, make copies of the map and give them to guests so they can figure out where the hidden chest is. The first person or team to find it gets a special treat, but everyone still shares the chest’s contents.

Have NERF guns for guests to use and set up some target practice in the backyard like Invite and Delight. Have different stations and challenges, like cups, hanging paper plates, or buckets to knock over or land targets in. You can also set up some places for kids to hide behind if they want to have a NERF battle.

Set a timer and let each child make their way through an obstacle course you set up ahead of time. Use different items like hula hoops, balance beams, and even picnic tables to create the ultimate challenge. Provide opportunities for kids to climb, crawl, jump, and run as they try to beat the clock or each other.

You can create your own version of a mini-golf game in your backyard like A Small Snippet or hire an outside company that specializes in at-home putt-putt courses. Either way, kids are sure to have a blast working their way through the course and trying for that coveted hole-in-one.

If you’re celebrating outside, help guests beat the heat with water balloon games or an epic balloon battle. Have the balloons filled and ready to go so you don’t waste valuable party time prepping them. Play water balloon dodgeball or line kids up facing each other. They toss the balloons back and forth, getting farther away from each other with every toss. The last team standing with an unpopped balloon wins.

Set up several buckets or pails in a row like Organize and Decorate Everything. Number them from lowest to highest the farther away they are. Kids take turns tossing a bean bag or ball, trying to get it into the buckets. They score whatever number is on the cup. Give each kid three tries and total up the scores.

Kids compete to see who can stack the cups the fastest in this minute-to-win-it party game. Use some heavy-duty plastic party cups for premium stacking capabilities. You can challenge them with different cup configurations and time them as they play. The fastest wins.

Chicken nuggets and French fries are a classic go-to when it comes to kids. You’d be hard-pressed to not find it on a restaurant’s kid’s menu. b-Inspired Mama puts together a version of the classic that makes it a breeze to eat at a party. Chicken and tater tot kabobs make this kid favorite easy finger food.

You’ll always hit a home run with pizza at a kid’s party, but plain old pizza can get boring. Kick it up a notch with this idea from Rhodes BakenServ. Create personal pizzas that resemble some classic and popular emojis. Or let kids make their own. Either way, it’s sure to be a delicious and quirky way to satisfy your guests’ appetites.

Some kids love sushi, and some, well, not so much. But no matter where your kid stands, these banana sushi bites from My Fussy Eater are sure to be a crowd pleaser. The best part is they’re easy to make, and you can even let kids make their own (perfect for a cooking party activity). Have lots of chopsticks ready as a fun way for kids to eat their treats.

Grilled cheese sandwiches are a longtime favorite food for kids. You just can’t go wrong with hot, melty cheese on buttery bread. But it can be hard to eat a sandwich and keep mingling at the party. So, serve up these grilled cheese pops from Tastemade instead, so kids can take their snacks on the go.

Here’s an easy and fun breakfast option for the morning after a sleepover. It’s also great for a camping party, paint and pancakes gala, or similar events. BuzzFeed puts together pancake and fruit skewers along with tasty syrup to drizzle on top. You can make your own or buy silver-dollar pancakes to make things even easier.

You’ve likely heard of a taco bar, complete with tortillas, taco meat, cheese, and all the fixings. But, give your taco bar a sweet spin like these dessert creations from Taste of Home. Cinnamon and sugar shells with ice cream and fun sundae toppings let kids make their own dessert masterpieces.

These treats from Must Have Mom feature one of America’s classic jiggly desserts with a vivid twist. The colorful cubes add lots of pop to your food table, and kids will have a blast eating them. It’s an excellent option for a rainbow theme, unicorn party, art party, or any other theme that calls for lots of colors.

Slice up some tasty fruit to create a colorful platter for your food table, and place some yummy marshmallow dip at its center. Try out this recipe from Taste of Home, or you can buy a pre-made dip. Have some toothpicks on hand so guests can grab their fruit hands-free or make some fruit kabobs.

Ice cream and soda come together to make a tasty dessert beverage that kids will love. Lady Behind the Curtain offers a few different recipes to try, or you can stick with classic root beer floats. Or, have a few ice cream and soda flavors available for guests to select their own combinations.

Here’s a super flavorful idea for your party drinks from Alex Daynes. A self-serve lemonade bar complete with various flavored syrups and add-ins allows kids to create their own refreshing concoctions. You can also set out some fruit garnishes and fun twisty straws that kids can keep as a party favor.

Bath bombs are a pretty common fad among kids, especially when they come in all sorts of fun shapes and colors. But you don’t have to break the bank buying expensive bath products. Instead, make your own, like The Dancing Soap Dish, to give as gifts, or let kids create the bath bombs during the party. You can make them in various shapes to match your theme or use them as favors at a sleepover or spa party.

Having a summertime birthday bash, beach bonanza, or pool party? Favors that kids can use throughout the summer or when they head to the beach are a welcome treat. Beach balls provide a fun surprise and are easy to get. You can also pair them up with a beach towel, a water bottle, a pair of flip-flops, sunglasses, etc.

These colorful pens are lots of fun and give kids several color options in one. With a quick click, they can switch from one shade to another. You can pair them up with a notebook or put them in a pencil pouch with other school supplies to make a cute favor.

Catch My Party assembles kits for budding artists, including paintbrushes, paints, smocks, or aprons, all in a convenient carrying case. You can create your own or buy pre-made art sets for your guests. They can be as straightforward or as extravagant as your budget will allow.

Costumes and accessories are always a fun party favor that’s easy to do. You can typically buy what you need in bulk online or at party supply stores. Tomkat gives guests fun-shaped sunglasses, which are a great fit for a summertime birthday or pool party. They also work well for rockstar, fashion, or dance themes.

One Day at a Time uses small clear plastic paint buckets personalized with guests’ names to give out colorful sidewalk chalk as favors. It’s a fun favor for an art party, rainbow theme, summer fun or outdoor birthday, and more. Another option is to let guests personalize their own buckets as an activity.

Give guests a party favor that helps them celebrate nature and do something good for the environment. You can place seed packets in a small flower pot for guests to take home, like these from The Hallway. It’s great for a springtime bash, gardening party, or even an art party. You can have guests decorate their flower pots as part of the birthday fun.

Give your guests a favor with a personal touch and lots of tasty goodness by making some homemade trail mix like The Denver Housewife. You can incorporate some of your kid’s favorite treats, like M&Ms, mini marshmallows, peanuts, raisins, etc. Package it up in a creative way that helps show off your party theme. Trail mix is also a great choice for a camping-themed party.

Want to give kids something fun and helpful? Fidget spinners help kids stay focused and calm and provide a way for them to channel anxious behavior. Add one into a bag of trinkets and treats for children to take home after the party. You can find them in lots of colors, and some that even light up.

These colorful sticky hands are a favorite of many kids. They love trying to throw them against the wall and watch them travel back down. And when you have more than one, kids love to see whose sticky splat will last the longest before starting to fall. You can buy them in sets on Amazon, making it a super easy party favor or addition to a goody bag.