One of the most exciting things for a kid to enjoy is their birthday! All their friends come over, they will get presents and have fun. Each kid has different interests, and normally this will influence the theme of their party. However, a theme alone is normally not enough to throw a successful party. Here are 8 backyard birthday party ideas for kids that your kids and their friends are sure to remember!

Including games and food is going to make the party more enjoyable for everyone there, kids and adults alike. Being able to have an outdoor birthday party will also let the kids use all that energy they always have! But how are you going to do this? What are some good ideas? Well look no further, since today we will cover some backyard birthday party ideas for kids that you can use to spice up your child's birthday!

Our Best Ideas for a Backyard Birthday Party for Kids

1. Minute to Win It Games

What You’ll Need: Basic household items you probably already have!

How Much Time: As the title suggests, these games roughly only take a minute! This is not going to be an all-night or several hour plan, since kids tend to have a short attention span and will get bored quickly, but with the proper setup you can play several Minute to Win It games over an hour or so.

Food Ideas: Including food in the games will be an awesome way to get everyone involved! Marshmallows, M&M’s, and other small candies or treats are great, affordable options!

Decorations: Decorations are not going to be crucial but can make the games more fun! For example, if you are playing a game such as the mummy wrap, then maybe some ancient Egyptian decorations or pictures would be a great way to make the game more interesting and entertaining!

We already mentioned food, but when it comes to drinks, any other kid-friendly options are going to be perfect. This can be juice, soda, water, tea, etc! Game examples can include cup stacking, ping-pong ball transfer, three leg race, and mummy wrap, just to name a few. For my examples and games, consider looking at this site!

2. Painting Party

What You’ll Need: Painting Supplies, paper/canvas, old clothes!

How Much Time: This idea is also not going to be one that will be able to continue for hours and hours, however it can last as long as you want it, but we recommend about thirty minutes to an hour!

Food Ideas: Small snacks are going to be great for this activity, however, keep some wet wipes, hand sanitizer, or make sure there is a sink nearby where hands can be washed, since kids don’t need to be eating with paint covered hands!

Decorations: Decorations aren’t going to be very prominent in this idea, however adding some food or drinks to the activity can keep the kids happy! If you do want to have decorations, maybe having some small items set on a table as something for the kids to paint could be a great way to add an end goal for the kids and any others involved!

Smaller foods that aren’t as messy will probably be a safe route to take in this case, since this will minimize the risk of the paintings getting ruined or getting food all through the supplies. It is also a good idea to keep drinks away from the paintings, since a spill could possibly mean a very bad time.

3. Nerf War Party

What You’ll Need: Nerf guns, a large area, and plenty of foam darts!

How Much Time: A nerf war can last for hours and can go as long as the kids want it to! It can be only a couple hours, or all night!

Food Ideas: Since the nerf war can last a long time, making foods like burgers, hotdogs, or other party foods will be a great way to have the kids spend some time in between battles! Lay out the food on the counter or table and start a line, it is guaranteed to be a great time!

Decorations: While there aren’t many “nerf” decorations, it is still possible to make some awesome additions to your battleground! Depending on where the kids will be playing, having some cover to hide behind or objectives to capture over a spread-out area will enhance the experience for the kids!

As previously mentioned, having a bigger selection of food is going to be easy to accomplish for this party, and can also be a time to show off new recipes you have, or make your child’s favorite food! Be sure to also keep drinks on hand so the soldiers can stay hydrated!

Purchase your Nerf supplies here.

4. Camping Party

What You’ll Need: Tents, flashlights, hotdog sticks, camp food (hotdogs, smores supplies, etc), pillows/blankets

How Much Time: A camping party is going to be a great way to host a sleepover and can also be the nightcap for any of the other ideas you may use or come up with!

Food Ideas: There are a ton of different campfire recipes that you can make, but for kids, sticking to hotdogs and burgers will be easy and cheap to make! It is also possible for the kids to make their own food over the fire and play games or sing some campfire songs!

Decorations: Hanging up some lights around the tents and putting up some tiki torches will make your backyard feel cozy and warm! Another great way to make your backyard camping party even better is to include a movie night with a mini projector or outside TV if it is available! (View idea 6 on this list!) Top the night off by making smores over the fire and crawling into the warm tents!

If the weather is a bit colder, have some hot chocolate for the kids! This can be made over the fire if you so desire! Other hot drinks could include apple cider or hot tea, for example. If the nights are hot, have the standard cold drinks you would have at any other party! Either way, having a campout in the backyard is a generational activity, and makes life-long memories!

5. Ice Cream Social

What You’ll Need: Ice cream, disposable bowls/silverware

How Much Time: An ice cream social will be an amazing desert or end of the night treat that will only take a bit of time, and is best included with other activities or party ideas

Food Ideas: Having different flavors of ice cream and different toppings can make your kitchen a makeshift ice cream buffet of sorts! Crushed up Oreos, gummy bears, chocolate syrup, walnuts, and other standard frozen yogurt/ice cream toppings will allow the kids to make their custom bowls and have fun!

Decorations: There are no straight forward ice cream social decorations, but simply having the standard happy birthday decorations as well as whatever themed decorations are at the party are going to be the best décor for this idea. As mentioned, this is a great desert option that should not be paired with heavier foods, as this can be too much food at once, but may also be nasty!

One variation you could include for your ice cream social is making different ice cream dishes! Sundaes, floats, shakes, etc! This can mix up the normal boring ice cream in a bowl and give the party a little flair!

6. Movie Theater Party

What You’ll Need: Mini projector/TV, popcorn/candy, blankets

How Much Time: A movie night is a great way to relax and seeing as a normal movie is about an hour and a half, and that you will probably watch a couple of movies in one sitting, it is safe to assume that this can take up the majority of the night.

Food Ideas: Standard movie theater foods such as candies and popcorn are a must-have for a movie party!

Decorations: No matter where you set up your theater, you can “decorate” it by adding some pillows and blankets to wherever everyone will be sitting at, and maybe even adding a snack bar with your popcorn, salt, butter, candy, and any other foods you want! Maybe add some string lights if you are outside to give the area a little more light and a warm aesthetic.

It is a good idea to stick to movies that follow the theme of the party, since this will not only complement the atmosphere of the party, but also be what the kids like. Marvel is a very common party theme, so watching The Avengers is going to go great with the party!

7. Backyard Olympics

What You’ll Need: Sports equipment, water, space, planned events

How Much Time: Depending on the number of games you have and how long each of them last, an Olympics party can last for a long time, but may not be a great activity for the whole party.

Food Ideas: Sports inspired foods such as football shaped cookies are great options for some foods to have at your party. If you want a healthier approach, a veggie tray and granola bars are also a great option!

Decorations: The Olympics have a history of being decorated with the different national colors and flags of the countries competing, so one idea is to make teams and have them create their own banners or flags to hang up as decorations! You can also use the different events to implement different aesthetics. For example, a football challenge can be complemented by a small football field design on the ground, or a PVC pipe goal post!

Drinks are another way to keep the sports theme alive. Pick up a variety of Gatorade or Powerade flavors, as well as some water or juice to make sure everyone stays hydrated and energized for the events!

8. Scavenger Hunt Party

What You’ll Need: Items to hide, good hiding spots, lists of items, a play area/zone

How Much Time: There are a couple different ways to make your scavenger hunt last. You can go until one person, team, or the whole group finds all the items, or you can make it a bit more competitive by only giving a certain amount of time for the players to find the items.

Food Ideas: There are no specific food ideas that could tie into a scavenger hunt, but standard party foods will do just fine. This goes for drinks as well.

Decorations: A scavenger hunt is not going to have any special decorations, unless it is inside, and you want to stick with the party theme or go in a different direction. For an outdoors scavenger hunt, simply having nature be your decorations are perfect. Having your hunt at a park or somewhere with more scenery and places to hide items will be preferable, but your backyard can do just fine with a bit of creativity!

There are all kinds of different ways you can set your scavenger hunt up, and it is up to you! For some more ideas, this is a great article, or if you want, make your scavenger hunt relate to the party theme!

Tips for Hosting a Backyard Birthday Party for Kids

Being able to make the party fun and entertaining for the people there, all while keeping the kids under control, will make everything go smoothly. Planning is also going to be key, so sitting down a week or so before and planning will help you in the future. Talk to your child and see what they want to do, after all, it is their party!

In Conclusion

When it comes to birthdays, whether in the backyard, or in the house, they are meant to be fun for whoever’s birthday it happens to be. There are so many different backyard birthday party ideas for kids and adults alike, and you are ultimately the one who chooses what happens. Feel free to mix and match ideas too! This can make unique experiences and add to the fun even more!

FAQ’S

What are some fun outdoor birthday party games for kids?

Water balloon toss, pool games (marco-polo, etc), tug of war, tag

Should I invite parents to my kid's backyard birthday party?

While this is up to you and how you feel about the other parents, it can be a great time to bond with them and enjoy your own activities while the kids are playing

What are some other backyard birthday party themes to consider?

While the list is endless, other examples are pool parties, a slip and slide/custom water park, or frisbee, just to name a few!