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.

Give cornhole a splashy, summer twist for your next kids’ party. Swap your standard corn feed bags for a set of colorful soaked sponges, and voila! You have a kid-approved summer lawn game that will keep your kiddos cooled off and laughing all afternoon.

Any event planner will tell you that the key to planning an unforgettable party is all in the details, friend. Drive home your party theme and guide your littlest guests to their snacks and drinks in one fell swoop with festive labels like this whimsical unicorn number. Pro tip: Print out your labels at home on card stock and adhere them to coolers, serving trays and buffet tables with pretty, removable washi tape.

Create your childhood favorite in a larger-than-life format for your next kids’ party with our DIY Kerplunk Game. The oversized reimagining will be a splash with guests of all generations because a pile of ready-to-pop water balloons replaces the standard marbles. Our advice? Ask guests to bring their swimsuits and a towel because no one comes out of our version of Kerplunk dry.

No pool? No problem. Cool off your party peeps with a larger-than-life inflatable sprinkler like this waving cactus. There’s an inflatable sprinkler for every party theme imaginable, so you’re guaranteed to find the perfect fit for your fête. Our top picks include the unicorn, rainbow arch or smiling shark.

What's a summertime kid party without some ice-cold lemonade? Whip up a few big batches of your favorite lemonade recipes ahead of time and serve the zesty drinks from shatterproof dispensers. And, yes, bonus points are up for grabs if you select drink dispensers that feature festive patterns like the fruity cuties pictured above.

(Psst! Go ahead and make a batch of our famous boozy berry lemonade for the adults while you're at it. Linked below.)

In the middle of planning a low-key get-together for your favorite little bookworms? Add this outdoor reading nook to your to-do list, stat. All you need to recreate the cozy space in your backyard is a few all-weather pillows or floor cushions, a lightweight play table and a wide variety of summery age-appropriate reads. Keep drawing pads and crayons on hand for more creative fun between stories.

Invite your guests to embrace their creativity with an outdoor painting party. Grab plain, oversized T-shirts from your favorite dollar shop to keep their party frocks stain-free. Oh, and snag some budget-friendly brushes while you’re at it. Set up stations on the lawn (where spills mow away like magic) with easels, water pails, a set of primary and secondary paint colors and individual paint palettes. Throw on some festive summer tunes, and let the little pint-sized Picassos take it from there.

Keep your guests entertained for hours with a custom pool noodle obstacle course. For the first challenge, shape five to 10 pool noodles into arches and secure them to your lawn with dowels for kids to crawl through to get to the next phase. Follow that up with a path of noodle circles to put their agility to the ultimate test before ending the course with a classic run-and-slide.

Greet guests at your door for your outdoor summer party with these adorable, easy-to-make paracord citronella-infused bracelets. The little ones will love wearing the same colorful cord bracelets while at play all day. Even better? Parents will appreciate their kids being bite-free at the end of the party.

Don't forget the grown-ups! Treat the adults to a chic beaded mosquito-repelling bracelet at your door, too. They are easier to make than you think and will keep your fellow parents comfortable and itch-free throughout your event.

If you can’t take your party to the beach, bring the beach to your party with our kid-approved kinetic sand recipe. The moldable sand combines play sand with DIY slime, glitter and food coloring to create endless fun. Not only will your pint-sized party peeps enjoy playing with the sand at the event, but your little ones will be eager to help you prepare the summery sand ahead of time. Follow the link below to read our easy-to-follow guide and materials list to make kinetic sand at home.

Parents, you have a limited number of years in which your child will indulge you in throwing them a birthday party. Our advice? Don’t miss the boat! Host a dreamy under-the-sea party for your mermaid-obsessed kiddo. Make this splashy soirée your party muse and outfit your patio with a whimsical balloon banner tail, scale-clad pillows, paper lanterns and pastel piñatas. Serve beachy treats like seashell and sand dollar cookies, aqua ombré cupcakes and cheddar fish crackers.

Skip the post-piñata sugar crash and set your party up for an afternoon of fun with our easy-to-make water balloon alternative. This splash-tastic twist on the classic candy-filled piñata provides an exciting way for kids, parents and pets to cool off on a hot summer day. To make our water balloon piñata at home: Fill at least a dozen balloons with water, bundle them together with a net and hang from a tree. Let the kids take their best swings with a stick or baseball bat and prepare to get soaked.

Your little one may not be very little anymore, but it's not time to retire your baby pool yet, friend. Put that kiddie pool to work as an easy-to-access beverage cooler for juice boxes, seltzer and bottled waters. Inflate the pool, then fill it with copious ice before adding your kid-friendly bevvies. Pro tip: Arrange the drinks by color to create a tidy and cohesive presentation for the beginning of the party. Will that tidiness last longer than five minutes once the kiddos dig in? Not a chance. But it's worth the photo op to give it a go before they do.

Let’s be honest: If there was ever a reason to savor a glass of rosé or bottle of brew, it’s attending a three-hour party with 15 children aged 10 years or younger. Treat your fellow parents to the spirited sip they deserve with an out-of-bounds beverage station. Our upcycled charcoal grill-turned-bar tutorial is perfect for any outdoor summer soirée and guaranteed to earn compliments aplenty from your peers. Find our in-depth guide and materials list to upcycle your old grill into a grown-ups-only beverage station for your next kid party in the link below.

Appeal to parents and kiddos alike with this irresistible summer treat. Serve a rainbow bundle of classic freeze pops in a glass or tin can for guests to grab and enjoy throughout your event. Another idea? Pick and choose freeze pops that match your event color theme for a cohesive, pulled-together look on your dessert table. Best part? You can snag a box of 100 freeze treats on Amazon for $12.12, for 12¢ a pop. (Pun intended.)

Keep your summer party snack menu crisp, colorful and healthy with a vibrant fruit and veggie board. This rainbow spread features nutrient-packed pickings, including dragon fruit, raspberries, mango, pineapple, kiwi, cucumbers, blackberries and grapes. Recreate the refreshing selection and use it as a vibrant centerpiece on your outdoor dining table.

Here’s the roadmap to hosting a crowd-pleasing summer party: Use your ice cream maker to make homemade vanilla or strawberry scoops for the kids. Then clean it out and make our prize-worthy frozen piña coladas for the parents. It's a win-win, friend.

Are you searching for a budget-friendly summer party activity for all ages? You’ve found it. Everyone loves bubbles, so make sure you’ve got plenty of suds, bowls and wands ready to go around. Use our top two bubble solution recipes, below, to make your own at home, then store the soapy solution in a repurposed beverage dispenser for guests to refill their bowls throughout the event.

If standard bubbles aren't going to cut it for your crew, you can always crank it up a notch with this larger-than-life bubble station. All you need to keep the bubble enthusiasts at your party happy is our extra-sudsy solution, a hula hoop and a baby pool.

Serve up tasty wraps with plenty of protein to avoid sugar crash meltdowns later in the day. We’re fans of party wraps because they're simple to make and easy to customize to suit everyone. Whip up a batch of classic savory flavor combos like turkey-bacon-ranch or chicken salad wraps. Appeal to kids' sweeter side with tasty almond butter, blueberry and banana, or Nutella and strawberry wraps.

Whip up healthy frozen treats packed with vitamins and minerals to keep kids cool and hydrated. To make these crave-worthy summer treats: blend watermelon chunks, pulse, strain and pour into small paper cups. Top each cup with a thick slice of kiwi. Place the popsicle stick through the center of the fruit, then freeze. Once frozen, remove the paper cup and enjoy.

If your kids love water balloons, they're sure to like this game, too. Cut sponges into long strips, then gather the strips together and secure using zip-ties or twine to create a ball. Soak the sponge balls in ice-cold water, then let the kids start playing. The one that gets the most balls into the bucket, wins!

These colorful, chilly necklaces are a perfect party favor, plus a fun way to keep kids cool all summer. Make these accessories at home with cut-up kitchen sponges in alternating shades, strung on floral wire. Soak the sponges and toss the necklace into the freezer for a few hours before pulling it out for the guests at your sunny summer event. Pro tip: Select sponges in hues that match your party color palette to achieve a cute and cohesive result.

Little messes and boo-boos are bound to happen during a party, so be prepared with a "situation station." Keep it stocked with hand sanitizer, bandages, ointment, sunscreen, bug spray and wipes. Our top tip? Be sure to check expiration dates at the end and beginning of each summer season to ensure your stock is up to date and prepared to keep your family and guests safe.

A sun protection kit is as crucial to your outdoor event as your first aid goodies. Invest in an array of mineral and chemical sunscreens with broad-spectrum protection from SPF 30 and above. These products are essential to keep your kiddos and adults shielded from the harmful UVA and UVB rays and free from painful burns the next day.