Planning a summer party for your kids? Make it super fun while staying within a realistic budget with these kid-friendly crafts and activities.
It doesn’t take much to throw an extra-special summer party as long as you do a little pre-planning before your little guests arrive! Think: Keep their hands busy, encourage laughter and make food fun!
When the kids arrive, have them make their own party favors! Every kid goes home with a party favor they made themselves.
1. Party favor chalk
Supplies:
- Plaster of Paris
- Water
- Washable paint
- Plastic spoons for stirring
- 2-ounce plastic cups with lids
Directions:
- Scoop out 1/2 cup of plaster and divide it up equally into about 3-4 small plastic cups.
- Have the children put a drop or two of their favorite paint color over the plaster.
- Slowly add in 1/4 cup of water equally into the the plastic cups (it’s easy to do with a plastic spoon).
- Have the kids stir the plaster, paint and water until the texture is creamy, not runny. The colored plaster will instantly start to harden! If it’s too runny, just add more plaster until it reaches the right consistency.
- Set aside and let the party favors dry while the party goes on!
- When the kids go home the chalk can be removed from the plastic containers (parents can help cut the container and the chalk will pop out!).
2. Personalized pizza
Kids get hungry quickly, so it’s best to have their lunch or dinner ready as soon as possible. We had a mini pizza bar so that the kids could create their own dinner! Can you tell I like to get the kids involved with as much as possible? It helps pass the time while keeping them entertained 100 percent of the time! Everybody can make their own perfect pizza with a mini pizza bar.
Supplies:
- Mini pizza crusts
- Pizza pans
- Silicone pastry brushes
- Small plastic containers
- Condiments: cheese, pepperoni, pineapple, etc.
Directions:
- Let the kids “paint” on their pizza sauce with the silicone pastry brushes.
- Put the pizza sauce in small containers to keep things cleaner.
- Allow the kids to dress up their pizza crusts however they want.
- Bake the pizzas according to the directions of the pizza crust and they will be ready just after the kids have had a chance to play outside for a bit!
- While the pizzas are cooking, have the kids make some special shoes to enjoy all summer long.
3. Sandle Sand Stamps
These are especially great if you have any sand or dirt in the backyard or happen to be at the park. Throughout the summer, the kids can take these sandal sand stamps down to the beach and leave a long path of high-fives made by footprints! This not only makes the kids giggle, but it catches everybody’s attention too!
Supplies:
- Sandals (I got all of ours from the dollar store!)
- Foam stickers of hands (or whatever shape you like) from the craft store
- Tacky glue
Directions:
- Have the kids plan where they would like to place each sticker before removing the backing. This concentration and planning encourages extra thinking and calms kids down.
- To help foam stickers stay attached to the bottom of the sandals, have the kids apply a thin layer of tacky glue on their sticky side.
- Slip on the sandals and stamp up the sand at the beach or park!
4. Glow in the dark wiffle balls
Just before the sun is about to set, make a glow-in-the-dark game! No summer party is complete without something that glows in the dark! We made these extra-cool glow-in-the-dark Wiffle balls that are perfect for warm summer nights!
Supplies:
- Wiffle balls
- Glow stick bracelets and necklaces
Directions:
- Have the kids activate the glow stick bracelets and necklaces. They will not need the small plastic connectors for this craft.
- Have them insert 2-3 glow sticks into a Wiffle ball.
- When the sun is about to set, play games with the glow-in-the-dark Wiffle balls!
For more ideas on what to do with your kids this summer, see some outdoor activity ideas!
More Stories from Parenting
Leave a Comment