We all grow up, and new memories take the place of older ones. But we never forget our beautiful childhood memories. Reminiscing about our childhood can always put a smile on our faces. And, if we look carefully, all of these good memories are usually about a special event like a birthday party.
A birthday party is usually an occasion full of colour, vibrance, and joy. And if it’s for a kid, a birthday is more like a magical day. So, while planning a birthday for a kid, you need to keep a few things in mind, including the kid, budget, place, time, number of guests, food, decoration, and birthday theme.
Therefore, planning a fantastic birthday party for a toddler or a child can be an exceptionally challenging task. This article is all about coming up with fun and epic backyard birthday party ideas for kids.
Planning A Fun and Epic Backyard Birthday Party for Kids
The first step in arranging any birthday party for a kid is knowing the requirements to implement that plan. This whole process can be very overwhelming. But you can sort out everything easily if you break the entire procedure into smaller steps.
To make your work easier, you can organize the steps based on priority and Wishlist. So, grab a notebook and pen and start planning. The points mentioned below will help you to make your plans with ease.
- Number of Guests
- Menu Planning
- Budget
- Grocery shopping
- Cake and cookies
- Time, place, and weather
- Games
- Party theme
- Camera quality and cameraman
- Babysitter
Keeping these points in mind, you can proceed to the next step with more ease. In addition, by breaking your plans into smaller steps, you can make your work easier and pay more attention to detail.
Here are a few pointers about some of the core elements in the list. The rest will be covered in subsequent sections.
Time and Weather
After breaking the steps into smaller parts, next, you need to consider is time and weather. For a backyard party, event time and estimating weather that day are the most important.
Usually, a birthday party for kids is scheduled for the daytime. Make use of a fair amount of daylight and keep updated with the weather. For unpredictable weather, keep a plan B ready.
Budget
To plan a budget, at first, you have to sort out the priorities. For example, to schedule a birthday party for a child, you must have food, games and record the event. Invitation cost, guest number, decoration cost, and others are easily manageable.
It’s not necessary to actually buy every essential element. Instead, you can rent them and give them back after fulfilling the purpose. And you can also rely on helpful neighbours and friends.
You can also cut extra money from decoration and costumes. Papercraft and origami will certainly win children’s hearts every time. And decorating an event place with such handmade designs will give your venue a simple yet vibrant look, which is always welcomed.
Menu Planning
A child is always devoted to chocolates and cookies. So, keeping these snacks on the menu is a brilliant idea. Colourful soft drinks, ice cream, pizza, milkshakes are also welcomed at a birthday party for kids.
Any menu will do good as long as children and guests are not allergic to that food. Keeping that in mind, you can easily plan a very delicious yet budget-friendly menu.
For crazy yummy meal tips, check out the BBC Good Food blog, which has some delicious recipes for toddlers.
Backyard Birthday Party Ideas for Toddlers
A backyard is a place that is closer to nature. Therefore, any birthday party in the backyard should be delightful to kids. With abundant sunlight and air, the day will seem more magical. Any birthday theme and little decoration will boost these magical feelings to the max.
A centrepiece is a must for any kid’s birthday party. There is no way to skip it. While choosing a theme, you should prioritize the birthday kid’s favourite colour, favourite character, and favourite game. Examples of a few backyard birthday themes for toddlers and kids are given below.
● An Underwater Theme
Age three to five is the perfect age to be familiar with the water kingdom. A theme-based solely on the seas and oceans will wildly enhance the party’s aesthetes. It’ll also acquaint the kids with various types of fishes and underwater beings.
● An Animal Kingdom Theme
Which kid doesn’t like to play with stuffed animal toys? So, making a birthday theme based on animal kingdom is a very bright idea. This way, the party will be livelier, both for adult guests and children.
Not to mention, through this, you can teach your child to be kind towards animals.
● To the Wild
Trees are our friends and our saviour. Nothing is better than letting your child know that. If your kid likes Tarzan, then this is the best theme for them. Through these, you can make your backyard livelier with bright green trees and give your party a whole new swag.
● Tour to The Dinosaur Kingdom
Every Kid loves dinosaurs. And for more giant dinosaurs, their obsessions know no bound. T-rex is usually their most favourite. Of course, a dinosaur-themed birthday party is always welcomed.
To make these themes more believable, the family member can dress up in dinosaur costumes and mascots.
● Lego Themed Party
Children like to build things and have a world of their own. A Lego-themed birthday party will be an excellent idea complementing that fact.
● Coloured Theme
You can always make your backyard birthday party into a colour-themed birthday party. Choose your child’s favourite colour and make the whole decoration based on that.
● Camping Theme
How about turning your backyard into a huge tent and mountain made of foams and cushions? A camping theme is an excellent idea for a fun and epic birthday party for kids.
You can pretend that your kid is Edmund Hillary, and the guests are his companions on this epic adventure to Mount Everest.
● Paint and Tint Birthday Theme
Kids love to colour. Kids love to make a mess. So, throw them a birthday party based on paint and colour. Let them create whatever they want to create and use those to decorate the party venue.
You can ensure this theme with overall safety by using food colours instead of acrylic.
● Fruit Themed Birthday
Introduce kids to fruits through this birthday theme. Get a fruit cake decorated in the shape of a fruit basket or any fruit. Maybe even dress them up like fruits. Little kids dressing up like fruits are the cutest thing possible!
● Fairytale and Disney Themed Birthday
Snow white and little dwarfs, Mulan, Cinderella, Moana, Beauty, and the beast are fantastic fairy tales. You can use them for your kid’s birthday theme. Dress up as characters, or keep the mascot and poster around. A Fairytale-themed birthday is a classic and never gets old.
● Tea Party Themed Birthday
If the party is only between close friends and relatives, a tea party theme is a great theme to go with for a kid’s birthday party. Playing house and tea parties with your child will deepen your intimacy with your kid.
● Police Robber and Thief Theme
Dress your kids in uniforms and make a fiction story out of it. Even after many years, this fantastic creation of yours collaborating with your kids will last. Not to mention your kids can play games like these with your fellow guests.
● Planning Theme Based on Special Moment for Your Family
Having a child is a big responsibility, but it’s also a blessing. You can throw your kid a birthday party based on a theme that is important to your family. A piece that only you, your family, and your child can relate to. By doing this will make this birthday for your family more memorable.
How Can I Decorate My Backyard for A Party?
Decorating a birthday party requires patience and creativity but what one needs most is props. You can decorate the party with a themed balloon and ribbons. As a kid’s birthday party has to be theme-based, you can look for specific decoration materials or props,
You can also try paper origami. Paper-made dinosaurs, cranes, turtles, swan, swallow, butterflies are all excellent choices for birthday party décor.
You can turn the birthday party into a mini-exhibition for your kid using his artworks as display material. And, if you are out of decoration ideas, then Pinterest can always assist you.
Nowadays, many birthday decorations services take customized orders. With their help, you can decorate your backyard just like you planned for your kid’s birthday.
The must-have in any birthday is the birthday kid’s name printed on paper or the name made out of alphabet-shaped balloons. Choose whichever is most convenient for you. And for customized decorations, you can always look them up online.
Music can light up any festival. Keeping that in mind, make a dynamic playlist. But for any embellishment and game throughout the party, safety has to be the top priority!
What Do You Do at A Backyard Birthday Party?
A birthday party for kids and no game there? Then it is a birthday, but not a party!
To plan a proper birthday party, you must include games for toddlers and kids alike. A birthday party for kids is never a pleasant one if there is no game. Let us discuss a few of them.
● Find the Gummy Bear
To make this game possible, you have to make a platter hiding gummy bears in them. You can replace gummy bears with stuffed toys or origami crafts or whatever goes with your theme. You can hide the toys in some specific place and make a competition out of it.
● Water Balloon Toss
Water balloon toss is not only an entertaining game but also a safe one. So, feel free to include this game at your kid’s birthday party and watch everyone have a great time.
● Treasure Hunting
Treasure hunting is the most entertaining game for kids. First, hide some treasures in few places, then give your kids a clue about finding them.
Teams make this event more fun—divide participants into two groups. A treasure-hunting is even more interesting if you add a scouter to help kids find out their treasure. That way, even adults can participate in their treasure hunting.
● Musical Patio Chair
A birthday party must have some music. And you can convert music into games. Place little cushions or chairs in your backyard and play some music.
Make sure that kids like the playlist you chose. It’s their day, so they get to decide. If every child invited is happy, the party will be a hit!
● Messy Art Exhibition
Give them colour, give them paper, and see them turn into Picasso. That’s an exciting game to have and will be fun and creative for anyone!
● Bubble Game
Homemade Bubbles has been trendy among kids of all ages. You can make a competition out of who can blow the most bubbles.
● Trampoline Game
Every kid loves a trampoline. Bringing it in for a game is a very entertaining idea. But safety needs to be ensured first.
● DIY Escape Room
Escaping a room is a delightful game. Almost every action movie includes a scene where protagonists try to escape from a cave or run off somewhere. This game can recreate that scene and make it into reality. Children will love this game!
● Hide Run and Seek
Hide and seek is the most accessible game that children can play without any props. Consider keeping this on the list.
● Paper Plane Game
Paper plane competition is top-rated among kids. This one goes with origami pretty well too. So, design this game in your own way and give your kid’s birthday party a unique flavour.
How Do I Set Up A Backyard Party?
Planning will never be fruitful if you don’t know how to set up the great plan you have in your mind.
The first tip here for you is never to be hasty. Get grocery shopping and guest list ready before time. To set up a whole birthday party for your kid, you need to plan the setup too.
Before the Party
Your plan comes into action weeks before the party actually has to take place. Here are a few of the things you should get out of the way long before the party to lessen your workload.
- Invite everyone at least six weeks before the party.
- Order a designed cake (if you want) at least four weeks before the party date.
- Get your camera or cam-recorder adequately charged. Assign someone only to record videos and capture photos.
- Get grocery shopping done at least two days before the party.
On the Day of the Party
Put on your action suit and gear up for a stressful day. You’ll have to be on top of everything to manage a successful birthday party. But don’t let fear get in your way. Seeing your toddler having the time of his life will surely make your day!
- Call the caterer first thing in the morning to ensure they are delivering everything on time.
- Buy or rent one-time plates and glasses.
- Bring your kid to a relative or babysitter on the morning of the birthday party. That way, you will get extra time to decorate your backyard.
- Clean the whole place.
- Choose a corner to keep Buffet self-service food items.
- Keep a table where guests can keep their gifts.
- Place garbage cans within the guest’s reach.
- Make your backyard as accident-proof as possible.
- Set up tables at the corner away from the children’s play area.
- You can also keep tables indoors and keep the backyard free only for parties and games.
- Determine a game map in your mind so that you can secure that place well enough.
- Schedule the birthday party and make sure, time doesn’t exceed the planned schedule.
After the Party Is Over
Now that it’s all done and dusted, it’s time to pack everything up and get back to your routine. But before that, here are a few steps to follow before calling the party over.
- After the party ends, collect the dishes and make sure everything is placed correctly.
- Differentiate between items you rented and items you own. Thus, you will know which items are not yours. Then let your guest know about the stuff they might have left behind.
That’s pretty much every way you can plan your kid’s birthday. Stick by your plan and try not to stress much about it. Everything will fall in place if you have a solid plan.
Conclusion
The memory of a fun birthday party is something both family and kids will cherish forever. Therefore, any parent with a kid must brainstorm fun and epic backyard birthday party ideas for kids to ensure this day is as magical as possible for their child.
If you’re having trouble coming up with creative ideas to have the entire family involved in the party, check out this page. Best Backyard Games For Families to add a further topic to support, particularly if you have a few rubber bands remaining, check out some rubber band activities for Toddlers?
Nothing helps to enlighten the festive mood more than putting in all your best efforts. So may every kid and their family have a birthday blast!
As my grandson birthday is coming, my son asked me to think about ideas for his birthday party, as the weather is nice now, we were talking about having the party in our backyard, and after reading your article, it will be fun to plan the party as a camping day, I think both kids and parents will love this idea, I will forward your website to my son and his wife as you share valuable tips that I’m sure they will love to read!
A bit of invasion a bit of DIY goes along way these are just a few ideas to help, Alejandra. Thank you so much for your feedback I would love to know how it all goes with the party. Good luck with the planning
Many Blessings THE FUN HUB
Congratulations on covering so many angles of this subject including the all-important planning aspects. I have to confess that we have gone overboard in throwing birthday parties for our daughter in our own backyard. Most of her friends have had their parties at commercial DFY birthday party venues. Of all the themes we have had, I think the unicorn theme was the big winner. We rented a unicorn with a handler, yes a very friendly painted pony. And our daughter and her guests took it in turns to have unicorn rides. They were all dressed as princesses of course. The theme has to be age-appropriate of course and whatever you do one year there will always be pressure to do something more ambitious the next year. Good luck to all those other parents out there. Go for it I say. Best regards, Andy
Superb comment, Andy! I will have to do more posts around specific themes like unicorns and for specific genders ages. Planning is important as it makes the event a lot smoother and should be with our little angels. Love how you think of these things too that no one else does in their planning stages.”
Superb comment from you again, Andy; I will need to post about certain unicorns or other new ideas soon enough if we want them up here first! Big fan over your creative thinking there- thank you!”
well, it has to be said that in light of the events of the past year and a half, the idea of any sort of event in the garden should most probably be an every day occurence to anyone with a garden and a spot of good weather around them over the past couple of summers. Its cewrtainly a great time for it.
A birthday for a child deserves a little more thought, Kawidzin. You right with disastrous events gone on the time is perfect to start planing that kids birthday party and make a lasting memory.
Thank You for the feedback greatly appreciated.