Throw the Ultimate Summer Party for Kids With These Tips

School's out for summer and a kid-friendly celebration is in order. Plan an unforgettable summer party to ring in the season of fun in the sun with your little ones and their friends. We’re sharing our favorite summer party recipes, themes, DIY decor ideas and outdoor activities for kids that will keep your pint-sized partiers (and their parents!) entertained for hours.

Beat the heat at your next summer party and look cool doing it with a chic-and-shady backyard tent. This bohemian set-up is easy to recreate at home using an outdoor-friendly tarp or fabric for the tent, a pile of all-weather pillows from your patio set and a jute rug underfoot. Add a play table for snacks and toys and dangle a paper lantern (with a battery-operated tealight inside) overhead for an extra-festive final touch.

Party foods and trends come and go, but the one theme that will never go out of style? The classic and crowd-pleasing pizza party. Invite kiddos and their parents over for a build-your-own pizza night on your back deck or patio. Provide guests with personal-sized pre-rolled pizza dough and a buffet of savory toppings like mozzarella, pepperoni, peppers, onions, rotisserie chicken or fresh basil. After dinner, treat the crowd to a build-your-own dessert pizza buffet. Serve oversized sugar cookies (chilled) as the base, whipped cream for the sauce and fresh fruit toppings like kiwi, blueberries, pineapple and strawberries.

Roll out all the stops for your children’s party with a fun-for-all banner drawing station. Supply the little artists with a long sheet of banner paper on the patio or garage with every color crayon, marker or watercolor finger paint in your arsenal. Give the kids a summery drawing prompt or let their creativity soar with ideas of their own.