Having a party in your backyard is a fun option year-round, unless you get a lot of snow during the winter! But at other times of the year a backyard get-together can be a good choice for kids’ outdoor birthday parties, family reunions, or a low-key at-home wedding reception.
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Outdoor party games.
Get customized cornhole sets on Zazzle,
where they come in designs ranging from birthday themed to wedding-appropriate. People like to play lawn games at outdoor parties, and if you get one that’s themed to your family or an annual event, you can use it every year.
Welcome signs.
Get welcome signs to put on the lawn outside the party to let people know they’re in the right place! Choose from a wide variety of templates that you can customize with your own details.
Picnic plates.
For a general picnic-themed party, you can get these cute red gingham strawberry plates. They have matching cups and napkins if you want to continue the theme.
Custom can cooler party favors.
If you’re having an outdoor party in the summer, get custom can coolers to use during the party and for guests to take home as party favors. There are thousands of designs to choose from on Zazzle, where you can customize them with your party information or name.
Click here for first birthday party theme ideas.
Bubbles for the kids.
Give people (kids and adults!) bubble wands and let them make bubbles. Everyone loves this and if you get some big sets you can have a bubble-making competition to see who can make the biggest one. You can see bubble sets on Amazon (ad)
Barbecue and food.
Set up a barbecue and cook your food there to give people something interactive to do. People will gravitate to the grill to hang out, and it gives them something to chat about as they compare grilling experience. You can check out this article on Cook For Folks to see how much hamburger meat you should buy for the number of guests that you’ve invited.
Plan on adding drinks and sides like chips, or set up a picnic buffet and do a potluck party.
Outdoor party cakes.
If you’re going to have a cake outside for a wedding or birthday party, you should take some precautions to keep it from melting if it’s a hot day! I used to do wedding cakes, and the first thing I’d suggest is to keep the cake inside until it’s time to serve, but if you can’t do that, I’d say to use fondant and not buttercream on the cake. Fondant will protect the cake from the heat better than regular icing will.
You could also get a cake tent if you’ll have the cake displayed outside. Here’s an article that I wrote about that on my cake decorating website: How to make a cake tent
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Patriotic plates for the 4th of July.
These paper plates have the preamble to the Constitution on them, and are perfect for a Fourth of July party.
Anti-Insect supplies.
Please, please, please get some anti-insect candles or a bug light or something! For people like me who get eaten alive by mosquitoes, they’re the only thing that lets us go to a party that’s outdoors! Here are a few things to consider when you’re looking for this kind of thing, you can get them on Amazon (all are affiliate links)
Giant fast four game.
This giant-sized game stands three feet tall and is fun to have outside on the lawn. Get it personalized, or choose another template that’s available on Zazzle.
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Pool party invitations.
Get customized pool party invitations on Zazzle for a birthday or any other occasion. You can change the text with your details.
Tropical tablecloth.
Get tropical tablecloths from Spoonflower that you can use year-round after the party is over.
BBQ party invitations.
Barbecue party invitations featuring some of the food that your guests will be treated to…You can customize these with your name and party details on Zazzle.
Party banner.
Get a banner to hang on the fence outside or inside the party area to welcome your guests. Zazzle has a wide range of styles for different events that can be customized, ranging from birthdays to baby showers to weddings, and everything in between.
Party games.
Set up some outdoor games that people can participate in. These don’t have to be competitive, but they definitely can be! Go traditional with a three-legged race, egg race, horseshoes, beanbag toss games, or lawn bowling. Or set up some creativity stations where guests can do face painting, make paper airplanes to see whose will fly the farthest, or make a giant tic tac toe board on the grass with spray paint (it will grow out!) and make X and O shapes out of posterboard for people to play with.
- Cornhole (Bean Bag Toss)
- Horseshoes
- Giant Jenga
- Tug-of-War
- Sack Races
- Water Balloon Toss
- Limbo Contest
- Three-Legged Races
- Capture the Flag
- Scavenger Hunt
- Backyard Volleyball
- Kickball Game
- Backyard Mini Golf
- Lawn Bowling
- Frisbee Golf (using DIY targets)
- Bubble Station
- DIY Face Painting
- Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest
- Sprinkler Run
- Ring Toss
- Obstacle Course
- Piñata
- Hula Hoop Contest
- Kiddie Pool Fishing (magnet or hook style)
- Parachute Games (with a large play parachute)
If you’re up for including water in the activities, these are some ideas:
- Slip ‘n Slide
- Water Gun Fight
- Sponge Relay
- Duck Pond Game (floating rubber ducks with prizes)
- Inflatable Pool Lounge
If your party is going to go into the evening, here are some activities that would work well after dark:
- Outdoor Movie Screening
- Glow Stick Dance Party
- Campfire with S’mores
- Stargazing with Blankets
- Lantern or Fairy Light Walk