• Plan party activities to celebrate the milestone of turning 16.birthday image by Photoeyes from Fotolia.com
  
  Sweet 16 parties can be as casual or formal as you want them to be, but keep the activities fresh and trendy. The birthday kid will appreciate you respecting her image. Young people this age sometimes want to act like an adult but act like a kid at the same time. Instead of hosting a surprise party, involve the birthday boy in the party planning. He knows what activities other kids consider cool. When the day of the party comes, stay involved but keep a low profile.
  
  

Sixteen Questions

• Sixteen questions, like the game 20 questions, uses deductive reasoning as entertainment. Choose an "it" person to start. The person thinks of a noun and the remaining guests ask up to 16 yes or no questions, combined, before they guess the noun. Once the guests reach 16 questions, they must guess. The person who answers correctly becomes the next "it" person. If the 16 questions get used up without a correct guess, the noun gets revealed and the "it" person starts over. The game goes smoother with groups of five or less. If you have more guests than that, put the winners in their own group.
  
  

Feed a Friend 16 Flavors

• Feed a friend 16 flavors is a game of blind strategy. Evenly split guests into two groups. Line them up with their backs facing each other to prevent cheating. Provide one on each side with a stick and a choice between 16 different food items to tie onto the string on the stick. The person eating food off of a string faster than the others wins. This could get messy, so hosts might want to place a tarp beneath the guests and use food items that will not stain clothes, such as marshmallows or apple slices.
  
  

Creative Cooking

• Creative cooking is a game of creativity and culinary skills. It's a spin-off of the cooking shows on television. Provide 16 miscellaneous ingredients buffet style. Each player has to create a delicious dish out of the ingredients offered. The player who creates the best-tasting dish gets the grand prize. As a variation, prizes also could be offered to the worst-tasting dish, the most beautifully presented dish and the most authentic dish.