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With the warmer weather upon us, it’s the perfect time to plan some outdoor fun for your little ones by hosting a backyard party. From birthdays to graduations to end-of-school-year celebrations and beyond, there are so many great reasons to bring the party outdoors.
Get ready to create magical moments for your kids and their friends with these creative backyard party ideas!
One of our favorite do it yourself party ideas is to create a backyard obstacle course using household items like hula hoops, cones, jump ropes, and tunnels. Incorporate activities like crawling under tables, balancing on beams, and jumping through hoops. Add to the fun by asking kids to dress in team colors. Time each player and award prizes for the fastest times.
Turn your backyard into a cozy cinema for a memorable outdoor movie night under the stars. Set up a projector and a screen or a large white sheet. Provide lots of blankets, pillows, and bean bags for comfy seating. Serve classic movie treats like popcorn, candy, and individually packaged Welch’s® Fruit Snacks. We like to give each kid their own bento-style box that they can fill with treats of their choice. If you have the budget, consider backyard party rentals like an old-fashioned popcorn machine or a cotton candy machine to elevate the moviegoing experience.
Next on our list of backyard party ideas is a carnival wonderland filled with food, fun, and activities. Create classic carnival games like ring toss, bean bag toss, and duck pond, and award stuffed animals and other prizes for the winners. Set up a face painting station and a photo booth with fun photo props like clown noses, balloons, blue ribbons, and more. For backyard party food ideas inspired by carnivals, serve popular fair food like hot dogs, corn dogs, corn on the cob, funnel cakes, ice cream, and churros.
When it comes to classic backyard party ideas for a hot summer day, nothing beats a water-themed party. Here’s how to throw a backyard party that offers splash-tastic fun. Set up a kiddie pool, slip and slide, or sprinklers—or organize a water balloon toss, sponge relay races, or a water balloon piñata. Offer plenty of water to keep everyone hydrated and serve popsicles as a refreshing treat. As far as how to keep food cold at an outdoor party, be sure to set up your cooler in the shade. A standing chest cooler is ideal as it looks like a concession stand. Make sure you have a stash of extra towels and plenty of sunscreen ready to go!
Welcome warm weather and celebrate the beauty of nature with a garden party. Set up a gardening station where children can plant their own flowers to take home. Provide art supplies for nature-inspired crafts like leaf rubbings, rock painting, or birdhouse decorating. Wondering how to decorate a backyard for a party with a garden theme? Add backyard party decor like a flowery tablecloth, floral centerpieces, and a vine-wrapped trellis to act as a photo backdrop.
If you’re looking for backyard party ideas for kids who never stop moving, try a sports-themed bash. Set up different stations for various sports such as soccer, basketball, baseball, and frisbee. Create mini-tournaments or relay races and award medals or ribbons to winners. Don’t forget to provide plenty of water and snacks for sports to keep everyone energized. We also like to set up a shaded area with an umbrella where kids can take breaks in between activities. Be sure to have cold snacks for summer on hand to help kids beat the heat.
Continuing our roundup of backyard party ideas, we have one that your child will never forget. Invite your child’s favorite stuffed animals for a teddy bear picnic! Set up picnic blankets, cushions, and baskets filled with backyard party food ideas inspired by teatime, like sandwiches, fruit, scones, and cookies. Have guests bring their own stuffed animals and enjoy a day of imaginative play, storytelling, and friendship. Teddy bear picnics also make great birthday party themes for little ones!
Inspire budding scientists with a DIY science party filled with exciting experiments and demonstrations. For how to plan an outdoor party with a science theme, start with your backyard party setup. Create lab stations for hands-on activities like making slime, creating fizzy volcanoes, or launching homemade rockets. Some experiments can get messy, which is why the backyard is the perfect setting. Provide lab coats, safety goggles, and experiment kits to make the experience even more authentic.
Next on our list of party ideas for outdoors is a backyard campout. Set up tents, sleeping bags, and lanterns to create a cozy camping area. Roast marshmallows over a campfire for s’mores, tell spooky stories, and gaze at the stars. Provide extra blankets in case it gets chilly during the night, along with flashlights for trips to the bathroom. And don’t forget the bug spray! Plan a hearty breakfast for the next morning to wrap up the camping experience. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can even try making pancakes and eggs on an outdoor grill.
One of the sweetest backyard party ideas we can think of is a good old-fashioned ice cream social. Start with backyard party decor like a brightly colored tablecloth, pink-and-white striped napkins, and little bowls that look like ice cream cones. Put out different flavors of ice cream and a variety of ice cream toppings so guests can make their own sundaes. Think sprinkles, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, chopped nuts, cherries, mini chocolate chips, and Welch’s® Fruit Snacks. Made with real fruit, these mouthwatering snacks pair well with ice cream and are an excellent source of Vitamins A, C & E.
That wraps up our roundup of party ideas for the outdoors! Whether you’re hosting a water-filled day of fun, a cinematic outdoor movie night, or anything in between, we hope we gave you lots of unforgettable backyard party ideas for your next event. To make every moment deliciously fun, be sure to add Welch’s® Fruit Snacks to your backyard party checklist.
