Outdoor Party Games for Kids
Fun Games and Activities for Your Next Outdoor Kids' Party
From candy races to water balloon launches, here are some new ideas to keep kids entertained at a summer party.
Every time a birthday or summer party comes around parents struggle with finding new ways to keep the kids busy and having fun. Any of these ideas that would work at your next outdoor party with kids of all ages.
Money Dig
Hide pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters in the sand box. Empty out all of the sand toys first. Give kids one minute to dig through the sand and find as much money as they can. For some messy fun, instead of sand, you could also hide the coins in a large container filled with Jell-O.
Candy Race
Fill up a big tub with small wrapped candy such as bubble gum, mini tootsie rolls, lollipops, etc. and then give each child a brand new shovel and sand pail. Line up all the kids about 25 feet away from the tub. They have one minute to run to the bucket, fill up their shovel with candy and run back and put it in their sand pail without dropping any. At the end they get to keep the candy in their bucket. It also makes a great party favor.
Musical Band
Buy a bunch of instruments from the dollar store – drums, recorders, tambourines, maracas, etc., and put on some Calypso music. Have the kids perform as a band. They could even do a Congo line around the house or yard or take turns going under a limbo bar.
Water Obstacle Course
If it’s a hot summer day and the kids are in their bathing suits, create a water obstacle course for the children to race each other. They have to crawl through a tube as they are being sprayed by a garden hose, jump over a small kiddy pool, throw a wet sponge through a hoop and finally slide across the finish line (a 12 foot long plastic tarp that has been hosed down).
Army Men Hunt
If you have lots of trees in your back yard hide small green army men for kids to find. Give them two minutes to find as many as possible. Make sure they are on the ground, under leaves and hanging from branches. Whoever finds the most wins a prize, plus all the kids can keep the army men they find.
Mini Piñatas
Run a clothesline between two trees and string on a mini piñata for each child to break. You can make these by doing paper-maché over a balloon, or just using a strong paper bag that you decorate. Make sure the piñatas are far enough apart so that the children don’t hit each other. This is more interesting than each child standing around waiting to have a turn at just one piñata and they can race to see who breaks their piñata first.
Tower Challenge
Give each child a pile of wooden blocks or Lego. They have one minute to build the highest structure that is still standing by the time the minute is up. The child who does wins a prize.
Water Balloon Launch
Standing in your front yard, launch mini water balloons over your house and into the backyard where the kids are ready waiting for them. Part of the excitement is not knowing when the balloons are coming. Whoever catches the most balloons is the winner.
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