Outdoor

Kids from about 4^th grade and older will enjoy learning about the Middle Ages and participating in a carnival. 

Set Up: This will take a little creativity, but you should be able to set up several carnival “booths” made from toys and games kids already have. Any kind of game of skill will work here, such as throwing darts or a ball at a target or tower of cans. Foot races and jumping contests would be good, as well as sack races and three-legged competitions. Make several different contests in different areas of your party space and recruit a parent or teen to help at each one if you can. 

Youngsters from 4-8 typically love dinosaurs and will enjoy learning about what real paleontologists do. 

Set Up: You’ll need to get lots of plastic dinosaurs. If you’d like to make it an educational party, you should read up on the names of some of the most common creatures, and be ready to give a little lesson on them. Before the party you should bury several dinos in a sandbox or wading pool filled with dirt. Hide enough that each guest will be able to find 3 or 4. You’ll also want to provide some large spoons or small shovels to dig with.  

This is a great party for warm days and provides a lot of entertainment for school aged kids.

Set Up: You will obviously need a collection of squirt guns, balloons and a way to fill them with water. You should set up targets at one end of the yard. Some can be made of colored construction paper that will change color as soon as they get wet so kids can tell if they hit the target. Others can be made of tissue paper stretched over the open end of a box, with the object being to squirt enough water on it to break through the paper. Targets for the water balloons can be buckets or barrels, or holes in containers to aim the balloons at. You should also put marks of some kind at different distances away from the target to offer more challenges. 

Kids of all ages will have fun at a snow party. The main disadvantage is that the weather can be a problem. It it’s too cold, everyone is miserable and if it’s too warm, the snow will melt, but a nice winter day is perfect.  

Kids of all ages will have fun with this one as long as they have some sort of riding toy. Even toddlers who just push on the ground with their feet can join in 

Set Up: You will need to find a large open field that is smooth enough to ride on for this gathering. You may be able to get permission to use a school or church parking lot at a time when the facility is not busy. Before the party starts you need to establish a start and finish line for several races of different lengths. Bring some chairs or buckets to use for a barrel race and an obstacle course would be fun too. It will also help if you have a stopwatch and some kind of loudspeaker. 

Skating, whether on ice or with roller blades, is great exercise and lots of fun for kids. Many ice rinks and roller skating parks will rent their facility for a party, or you can take your group and join with kids already there. 

 If you do go to a public rink, give your guests colorful stocking caps or scarves to wear that will identify them as part of your group. Before turning the kids loose on their skates, tell them you will be judging them for prizes to be awarded at the end of the party.

Every child loves playing in the sand and in the water, especially smaller children who love building with sand and splashing in water. This type of party will keep little ones happy for hours. 

You can have a day of sand and water even if you live miles from a beach. You can even have it if the weather is not good enough to go outside (that is, if you are not too worried about your carpet or furniture.) A sand and water play area can be created fairly easily and will provide hours of fun for toddlers.

The safari is a party where your little boy or girl gets to go out and explore the jungles of your backyard with her friends, finding exotic beasties and finding fame and fortune at her party. 

Your little kid will love the girl safari party, in this party you give each kid a net, a safari hat and a critter cage and send them in search of insects. Create a picture of 5 or more Beasties that you want them to look for. Put each critter card behind a prize, and let the kids compete to see which big game hunter finds the right exotic insect on their backyard safari.

Do you remember playing Candy Land as a child? Many of us parents do and that was a game that was so much fun! Now imagine how much fun it would be to actually be active in the game! This birthday party will need a creative parent but it will be well worth it! 

What you will need: 

Invite each girl to come and bring her pet, which can be a toy or real-live animal. If you decide to include living pets, you may want to keep your guest list small to avoid problems. One or two adult helpers who are good with animals will make things easier as well. Ask the kids to bring their real pets in a kennel, cage, or aquarium, or on a leash. 

You might also ask guests to bring a wagon or stroller to show off her pet during the parade, or consider borrowing such items from around the neighborhood.