Having a Summer Birthday party means the likelihood of being able to have it outside is high.  I realize there are no guarantees especially given the crazy weather the past few years – but generally an outside party is doable in the summer in most areas in the US.

I love being able to plan activities outside!  Here are a few outdoor party game ideas.

Obstacle Course

I created a Ninja training obstacle course for my son’s Ninjago birthday party.  It was so much fun!  I created several stations to take the kiddos through a Ninja Training Course.  You could create different stations matching the party theme or just basic obstacle course activities – like running through tires/circles, jumping over a barrier or really anything the kids can run through.  For all the details on the Ninja obstacle course – check out the party post HERE!

Airplane Toss (or Meatballs or Water Balloons…)

This is an easy and fun idea!  Cut holes in a piece of cardboard or poster board and throw something through the holes!  For my nephew’s 1st birthday Aviator themed party, we had the kiddos fold their own paper airplanes and then toss them through the holes in the poster.  Which I designed and printed at Office Depot (an architecture print for about $8 or so).

For my son’s Teen Titans Go birthday party we did another version of this game. Throw the Meatball in the Titans mouth! I found the images online and printed a giant paper poster at Staples.  You can create a game like this with any theme.

Box Car Races

For my son’s 3rd birthday we had a Monster Truck party.  An activity that was a total hit was Monster Truck Races!  I created fun monster trucks out of boxes and the kids raced around the back yard in them!  You could make simple box cars or make them as fancy as you like! The kids will have a blast no matter what they look like!

Pin the X Game*

These are my favorite of course!  They can be played outside or inside and accommodate a lot of kids!  Pin the X Games!  Kind of like Pin the Tail on the Donkey!  Here is a recent post all about these fun games!

Simon Says*

Back to the Ninjago party for this one!  Simon Says is an easy game that can be played inside or outside.  For the Ninjago party, my husband “dressed” up as Sensei Wu and let a game of Sensei Says with the kids and their bamboo staffs!

Car Races*

Hot wheel car races are super fun!  For my son’s 5th birthday he had a Race car themed birthday party!  For this game I taped together 2 Hot Wheels tracks to a pool noodle and the kids raced the cars down the tracks.  You can do this with pool noodles cut in half as well!

Games with * can be played inside too! Hope this list of outdoor party games makes planning your next party a little bit easier!