Summer is a great time to throw a birthday party for your child - or just a party, it doesn’t even need to be their birthday. Here are some great summer party ideas. The weather is great, which means cheap, easy outdoor entertainment.
1. Wet and Wild! Break out the garden hoses and sprinklers. Lay down the slip ‘n slide. Borrow kiddie pools and fill them up around the yard. Put out lots of buckets for filling and dumping. Let the kids soak sponges then squeeze out the water or use them for a game of toss. Enlist a few other adults as ‘lifeguards’ to be on duty at all times. And don’t forget the waterproof sunscreen.
2. Farmers’ Market. Give older kids $5 each and take them to a local Farmers’Market. Encourage them to purchase something they’ve never tried before with their cash. Head to the park (or back to your place) to share the bounty. Bring the taste test to your back yard for smaller children. Purchase a variety of produce and other goodies. Allow the kids to take turns playing farmer, cashier and shopper. Then slice up the feast for sampling.
3. Fairy Hunt. Give each child a shoebox and instruct them to turn it into a shelter for fairies using items they find in nature (flowers, leaves, sticks, rocks, etc.). Let each child create a sweet fairy treat by spreading icing on a graham cracker square and topping it with sprinkles, cookie crumbs or cereal. The children should put their treat in their house and find a nice spot for it in the yard. Take the children on a walk around the neighborhood to call out to the fairies that they are welcome at your place. Meanwhile, have another adult (or older sibling) snatch all of the treats out of the boxes so it appears the fairies have already come when the children return to your home.
4. Pool Party. It wouldn’t be a complete list of summer activities without mentioning a pool party! If you don’t have a pool, host the party at a community pool. All you need is some pool toys, waterproof sunscreen and adults to help you keep an eye on all the swimmers.
5. Back Yard Barbecue. It doesn’t get much better than an old-fashioned summer barbeque. Invite the families of your children’s friends. Grill up some hot dogs and burgers. Put out balls, jump ropes, hula-hoops and bubbles for the kids and let them do what kids do best: play!
The other parents will be singing your praises for getting their kid out of the house and ending the cries of ‘I’m bored!’Your kids might beg for it to be an annual tradition - how great for building memories to last a lifetime.
Rachael is a mom and freelance writer who loves celebrating birthdays!
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