21 Creative Backyard Birthday Party Ideas Kids Will Love

Give your kid a day to remember with a host of fun, energetic backyard birthday party ideas. With just a few household supplies and some ingenuity, you can dream up an afternoon’s worth of party games that will have guests giggling until the end. From toddlers to teens, we’ve got all ages covered. Let’s get into it.

1. Pool Painting

Make art outside for a colorful party splash. Turn a kiddie pool into a lively outdoor game for kids with white paper, plastic balls, and tempera paint. Tape the paper to the bottom of a plastic kiddie pool. Dip balls in paint and drop them into the pool. Have each artist swirl the pool to create their design. Presto — artists at work.

2. Popcorn Drop

This easy relay race game can work at a party of any size. But it’s a blast with around four to eight players.

First, you’ll need to make two pairs of shoe cups. Use a pushpin to poke holes in the bottom of clear plastic cups. Push a wide rubber band through the holes to create a strap.

To play, split the guests into two teams. The first player straps cups on their shoes and fills them with popped popcorn from a bag at the starting line. Then the player hustles to a basket on the other end of the lawn. After the player dumps out the popcorn in the baskets and races back, the next player follows suit.

The race is over when one of the bags of popcorn is empty. Measure the popcorn in the baskets to see which team got the most in.

3. Bubble Wrap Hopscotch

Kids—and adults—will love popping the bubbles with this one. First, cut leftover bubble wrap into nine rectangles. Then, use a permanent marker to give each a number from one to nine.

1. One player tosses a small stone or object into one of the blocks. The player skips a turn if the stone lands outside of a box.
2. Once the stone lands on a square, the child can step on every available space except the one with the stone, being careful not to touch an outside line.
3. Where two numbers are side-by-side—such as 5-6—the child must jump using both feet simultaneously.
4. Once they reach number ten, the child must turn around and return to start.
5. The first one to finish the routine ten times wins hopscotch.

4. Toppling Tug-of-War

Put a party-worthy twist on tug-of-war by elevating the outdoor game for older kids. First, players stand on upended milk crates 6 to 12 feet apart. Then have players pull or relax a rope to force their opponent off the crate. Consider adding gym mats for safety.

5. Outdoor Word Game

Engage kids with this challenging outdoor spelling game.

1. For a 72-piece game set, purchase a 4×8-foot sheet of Masonite from a home improvement store. At the store, have it cut into 8-inch squares.
2. Apply a letter to each square—you’ll repeat the alphabet twice except for letters Q and X.

To play, each player gets ten letters. The first player spells a word on the ground. Then, the next player must build off that word. The player with the fewest letters at the end wins.

6. Frisbee Toss

Aim and toss! This simple idea starts with a repurposed cardboard box and gets all ages into the action.

Cut a rectangular hole on both sides of a cardboard box. You want the hole large enough to fit your Frisbee comfortably. Decorate the box with colorful tape, paper, or paint. Grab a bunch of Frisbees, and off you go.

7. Silly Sack Race

Kids want to move, especially in the great outdoors.

Decorate plain burlap potato sacks with felt cutouts to suit the party theme. Use fabric glue, or fusible web and an iron to adhere the shapes to the sacks.

Give each child a potato sack. Line the kids up in a grassy area. At the starting signal, have kids hop down a marked path—include a few curves to add a challenge—to the finish line. Keep the path clear to prevent injuries.

8. Clothespin Tag

Combine playground tag and flag football in this easy setup. Let each child decorate a clothespin with markers, crafts foam, and googly eyes. Then, clip the decorated pin on the back of each child’s shirt. When you say “go,” the kids can try to snatch other clothespins without losing their own. The child with the most clothespins at the end wins that round.

9. Disk Tic-Tac-Toe

Supersize tic-tac-toe is perfect for an outdoor birthday party. Flying disks and a shower curtain transform into an easy to set up wonder. Use duct tape to block out squares on a shower curtain liner. Use more tape to mark which disks are Xs, or use color to divide the teams. Players stand behind a throw line and follow the rules of tic-tac-toe. If the disk lands off the board or in an occupied square, the player can throw again.

10. Wooden Block Stacking Game

This simple stacking set is a classic party game for older kids and small groups.

1. Cut 2×4-foot boards into 54 pieces that are ten ½-inches inches long.
2. After all the pieces are cut, sand the edges of each until smooth.
3. Stack the blocks in alternating directions, and you’re ready.

Be careful of tiny toes—the tower will fall at the end of the game.

11. Pool Prize Search

The coolest games on a hot summer day involve water. This wet-and-wild game gives kids a great excuse to get soaked. Fill an inflatable pool with water. Hide a weighted ring or other treasures at the bottom of the pool. Fill the pool with inflatable balls and toys to make it difficult to see the bottom. Have a few kids wade around the pool looking for the hidden treasure.

Provide them with goggles, or make it more challenging by allowing them only to use their feet.

Tip: Add a twist by blindfolding the contestants. Have kids wade through the pool using only their feet to discover the underwater treasures. Encourage the onlookers to shout out advice. Make sure to supervise so everyone stays safe.

12. Star-Shape Bubble Wands

Set up a star-spangled outdoor bubble station with these easy DIY bubble wands. Simply twist wire or wire hangers into desired shapes, like a star. Next, fill shallow baking dishes with bubble solution and get blowing.

Tip: This fun game for kids doubles as a DIY party favor. Send each guest home with a wand and a small bottle of bubble solution.

13. Build-Your-Own Boat Races

Create a fleet of fun sailboats with just a few simple supplies. Cut pool noodles into 13-inch sections with angled ends. Adhere two together with electrical tape. Create a mast and sail with a wooden skewer and a triangle of washi tape. Insert the ship’s mast and sail between the pieces of tape. Have each child sail their boat and see which goes the farthest.

14. Nature Scavenger Hunt

Bugs and bark, pinecones and pebbles, dandelions and dried leaves—kids adore the wonders of the great outdoors. A scavenger hunt encourages a bit of learning. Arm each child or team with a list and a treasure box or bag. Offer tools such as binoculars, magnifying glasses, and disposable cameras to inspire close observation. Set a time limit, and let them explore. Then, display the kids’ finds for the remainder of the party.

Offer prizes for completing the list and discovering unique or hard-to-find items, or let the children select other award categories.

15. Pickup Bottle Game

Bring the carnival home! This classic game is perfect for small-space outdoor areas like a patio.

1. First, fill two empty bottles with colored sand, available at most craft stores. Next, tie a ring with a string long enough to reach the ground. Attach the other end of the string to a wooden dowel.
2. Layout hula hoops and place a bottle on its side in the center of each one.
3. The game is over when someone can stand the bottle up by slipping the small ring over the top of the bottle and gently tugging it upright.

16. Sweet Scavenger Hunt

The hunt is on! Ahead of party time, hide small toys and objects for kids to find. Arm each child with a galvanized pail and let them start searching. The first child to find 10 items wins—and gets to keep their prizes.

17. Water Balloon Toss

It’s time to take aim! This competitive game is perfect for teams of two. To play, give each child a bucket of filled water balloons. Next, set out hula hoops and assign each hoop a points amount. Let players take turns tossing the balloons and see who can make the most shots inside the hoops, collecting points as they go. The player with the highest score wins.

18. Rocket Toss

A rowdy game of rocket toss is an easy and inexpensive birthday party addition. Use colorful duct tape to decorate 15-ounce metal cans. Fill three small socks with about ½ cup of rice, and tie each sock closed with a ribbon, creating the “rocket” that kids can toss at the cans. Give each guest three tries to knock down all the cans.

19. Bottle Catch

Don’t throw away those empty bleach bottles—transform them into an outdoor catching game for kids.

1. Cut the end off a cleaned bleach bottle and remove the label.
2. Wrap the bottle with colorful washi tape, and you’re ready to play catch.

20. Yard Maze

Make a curving, mazelike pathway through fallen leaves for birthday party attendees to race through. No leaves in sight? Use rope or grass clippings and sticks to form the maze. Have kids run together through the maze, or use a stopwatch to time each child.

21. Water Gun Game

Make a splash at your child’s party with a water game. For each team, string a plastic bucket on a length of clothesline; make the lines the same length. With the buckets at one end of the clothesline, arm each team with a hose or large squirt guns. Using only water, the teams must race to move their bucket to the other end of the line.

Tip: Make this game even wilder. Arm a team with water balloons to use as obstacles and distractions while the other team tries to push its bucket across the finish line.