• Invite teens to dress in their best beach attire for an Hawaiian luau.Reggie Casagrande/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
  
  Transform your home into a tropical paradise and throw an Hawaiian luau for your teen's next birthday. The exotic and colorful theme appeals to teens' sense of adventure and invites them to kick back and relax for a few hours. Party preparations can be as simple or extravagant as you would like but should include plans in a few key areas.
  
  

Invitations

• Help teen guests get into the spirit of the luau party with colorful lei invitations that double as party attire. The birthday teen can design the invitation text on the computer and print the party information on brightly colored card stock. Punch a hole in the corner of each invitation card and tie it to a lei with string or ribbon. On the invitation, remind guests to dress in their Hawaiian best and wear their leis. Hand-deliver invitations or place them in padded envelopes and take them to the post office to determine the correct amount of postage.
  
  

Decorations

• The most important aspect of a successful luau party is creating decorations that make teens feel like they are in a tropical location. If possible, have the luau party outdoors, where decorations such as tiki torches are appropriate and the natural foliage lends a tropical feel. For an indoor party, decorate with inflatable palm trees and hang beach towels over furniture. Provide tropical attire such as inexpensive flip-flops, grass skirts, colorful plastic sunglasses and straw hats so that teens who did not dress up can get in the Hawaiian spirit when they arrive.
  
  

Activities

• Help teens break the ice with some classic luau activities such as a game of limbo. A stalk of real bamboo makes a perfect limbo stick. Another idea is to play pop the coconut by tying a brown balloon to each partygoer's ankle and challenging the teens to stomp on each other's balloons. The last person with an inflated balloon wins. Just make sure to play this one inside or on smooth pavement instead of on grass. If the party involves dancing, hire a hula instructor to give the teens a lesson before they hit the dance floor.
  
  

Food

• Teenagers are typically past the picky-eater stage, so go all out with Hawaiian-inspired food. Cook a large pork roast and shred it so teens can make barbecue pulled pork sandwiches. Grill veggie kabobs with onion, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, pineapple and zucchini slices. Make a fruit salad, and for a special touch, carve the top third off a watermelon and empty it out to use it as a watermelon bowl for the salad. For drinks, make tropical smoothies from frozen fruit, ice cubes and nonalcoholic piña colada mix.