Hosting a birthday party for your child doesn’t need to be a hassle. If the weather is warm enough, why not hold an outdoor child’s party?
There’s less mess, and your kids and their guests will get plenty of fresh air and (hopefully) sun. Here are a few tips for a successful party.
The Basics
Plan for more kids than you invited, in case some kids bring a sibling. You may want to enlist some back-up – have a friend or relative on-hand to help wrangle kids. (If other parents want to stay and help, that’s great, but don’t make it an obligation.)
A good rule of thumb, especially with younger children: the number of guests should be about the same as the age as the birthday boy or girl.
Food
Your menu should be familiar and finger-friendly. This isn’t the time to broaden everyone’s culinary horizons. Chicken fingers, pizza, tacos and veggie slices are all excellent choices. (It’s a good idea to learn whether anyone on your guest list has food allergies beforehand, and to avoid common allergens such as seafood or nuts.)
If the party has a theme, incorporate that theme into the food (a football-shaped cake at a sports-related party, for example).
You should wait until the last half hour to serve the sweets, and have adult-friendly food on hand for your helpers and any other parents who have chosen to stick around.
Games
No birthday party is complete without games.
Throw these outdoor party games into the mix at your next gathering:
1. The Balloon Relay
A party classic for kids ages 4 and older. All you’ll need is a pair of large basket and a bunch of inflated balloons.
Line the kids up in two teams, and place the balloon-filled baskets about 25 yards away. Make sure the balloons are over-inflated and thus easier to pop.
At your signal, have the first two players run to their basket, grab a balloon and sit on it until it pops. As soon as they pop the balloon, the player runs back to the line and tags the next person. The first team to pop all their balloons wins.
2. Blind Man’s Bluff
This children’s party game dates back hundreds of years, and is easy to set up: you just need a blindfold and a lot of space.
To play, choose a child to be “it” and blindfold them. Turn them around a few times so they’re a bit disoriented, and have the other kids gather around. The blindfolded player then tries to tag the other children. Whoever gets tagged has to be “it” next.
There’s a variation on this game in which the blindfolded player must guess who they’ve caught by touching that person’s face or hair.
3. Keep Your Bottle
This is a great game for warm weather. You’ll need two plastic bottles, some small plastic cups, and two players who don’t mind getting wet (you may want to pick adult volunteers to fill these roles).
Split players into two teams. Choose someone from each team who’s a good sport – again, we recommend an adult for this job – to sit cross-legged with one of the bottles on their head.
Line up the rest of the players next to a bucket filled with lukewarm water. Have them fill their cups with water from the bucket and carefully pour it into the bottle on the seated player’s head. The first team to fill their bottle wins.
An outdoor party also gives you the perfect reason to upgrade your backyard. If you’re looking for ways to make your space more kid-friendly, check out Swingset & Toy Warehouse.
For more than three decades, we’ve helped parents make outdoor play easier and more fun for their kids, with a line of quality equipment ranging from swing sets to trampolines to basketball hoops.
Visit us online or at one of our four New Jersey locations before your next outdoor party.
