Coolest Outdoor Birthday Party Games

Silly Outdoor Scavenger Hunt

by Rachel T.
(Plain City, OH)

Items needed: various dress up items (the funnier, the better!). Set up just like a normal scavenger hunt with clues at each destination (at least 2 routes, so teams aren’t just following each other). Each team will select one player to be captain and do as the clues say. Each destination will have an item that the captain will need to wear. Great examples to keep it fun are billybob teeth, wigs, gigantic sunglasses, etc. The first team done wins.

note: for older teens, get neighbors/friends involved and make some of the clues instruct teams to ask certain houses for items.

An example: Stop at a house with a (give clue). Instruct team to knock on door and ask “Does my hair look alright?” That house will tell them NO and give them a wig.

I set this type of hunt up for a neighbor’s daughter’s 14th birthday, and it was a riot. They were laughing hysterically all the way till the finish.

Mummy Wrap Party Game

by Sandy Nowlin
(Commerce, OK)

You will need A LOT of toilet paper!

Have people pair up. One will be the Mummy and one will be the wrapper.

Choose 3 pairs to compete (more or less depending on how many prizes you want to give). All wrappers will have 1 roll of toilet paper. The wrapper will begin wrapping when you say “GO”. The mummy must stand with arms stretched out and may not move. The first wrapper with an empty toilet paper roll is the winner.

You can apply your own rules. But to make it a little more challenging we require the mummy to be wrapped in some fashion around the head, arms, legs and trunk!

Also another little twist is after the mummy is wrapped they switch places and the mummy wraps the wrapper.

Hilarious and a ton of fun at Halloween parties!

Chin To Chin Cold Water Balloon Party Game

by Jennifer Owen
(Splendora, TX, USA)

Played exactly like pass the orange, but in the summer only.

You use water balloons filled with really cold water. Everyone sits/stands in a circle and the game starts when someone starts passing the cold water balloon – but with no hands! They have the water balloon under their chin and pass it to the next person who takes it with their chin (the water balloon is held between the chin and the front of the neck).

The two people who drop the water balloon are both out and the game continues until there are only two people playing. They keep passing one to another until the water balloon falls and then everyone judges who dropped the water balloon. The person who didn’t drop is the winner!

Cup Blowing Party Game

by Sandy Nowlin
(Commerce, OK)

You will need a length of string or yarn and a paper or Styrofoam cup. Punch a hole in the center of the bottom of the cup. Run the string or yarn through the hole.

Ask 4 people who are not participating to lend a hand (we usually ask the elders of the group). Each person will hold an end of the string and stretch it out tight.

Form two teams. Each participant must place hands behind their backs and blow the cup from the start to the end. Once they get to the end, they grab the cup and run it back down the string to the starting line and the next person will continue. The team finishing first is the winning team.

Rather than hand out prizes, we hand out play money and have a general store where near the end of the party everyone can go and buy prizes.

Guide Race Outdoor Party Game

by Grace

The game is played in pairs. One of the people in each pair is blindfolded, the other guides them around, over, or under obstacles.

(For younger kids I suggest no obstacles)

They go 1 pair at a time so there should be a person timing each pair and writing their time down on a piece of paper. Which ever pair has the fastest time wins.

Running Relay Outdoor Party Game

by Sam
(Australia)

Very simple.

All the members of the team run till they get to the finish line and the first person to get to the finish line wins! :)

The rules are no shoving or pushing.
The starting line and the finishing line must be pretty far from each other.

Balloon Stomp Outdoor Party Game

by John
(Southlake)

All of the players tie balloons to their ankles using string. On the mark of “GO”, everyone tries to stomp on other people’s balloons in order to pop them. The person who stays the last with an un-popped balloon wins!

Limbo Party Game

by Samantha
(Huntsville, Alabama, USA)

Get two people to hold a long stick or pole (starting pretty high). Then turn on music and have everyone try walking under the pole without touching it. Once everyone has had a go, have the two people lower the stick a little bit more. Whoever is the last person to make it under the smallest notch wins.

The Donut Outdoor Party Game

by Kate
(Australia)

You need to have one donut (usually cinnamon) for every player. Tie one end of a piece of string to a clothesline or tree and the other end to the donut and repeat this for all the donuts. All the players line up in front of their own donut and with their hands behind their back, have to eat the donut. It can be quite tricky with the donut swinging around, but it’s really great fun for both children and adults! Whoever finishes their donut first wins!

Ball Toss Up Outdoor Party Game

by Jessie Temple
(Plant City, Florida, USA)

This game is really simple and a lot of fun!

One and more people can play it, all you need is a light ball. You throw it up in the air and you form your hands locked together (as if you’re hitting a volley ball). If you have teams, whoever keeps there ball bouncing in the air longer – wins!

Basically you keep hitting the ball up and up.

Apple Bobbing Outdoor Party Game

by Grace Dailey
(California)

Get a barrel full of ice cold water. Then get 5-12 apples and put them in the barrel. They will then float. Form a line behind the barrel. The first person in line comes up to the barrel, gets down on there hands and knees (it all really depends on the height of the barrel), puts their face in the cold water and tries to pick up an apple, only using their teeth.

Once the person in line is done, either they have gotten an apple, or their face is too cold to do it any longer, it is the turn of the next person in line. If a person gets an apple they get a point and they can eat the apple (if of course they’d like to). At the end of the game, whoever gets the most apples wins.

Sponge Outdoor Party Race

by Moo
(Michigan 49103)

All you need is for this outdoor sponge race is 4 buckets and 2 sponges.

Fill the 2 buckets with water and put them in one spot.

Take the other 2 buckets and put them in front of the bucket filled with water but put it far away.

How to play:

You divide the groups into 2 and tell them to line up. Give the 2 groups each a sponge and they have to soak the sponge and run to the other bucket that doesn’t have water and squeeze the water out. They then need to run back to their teammates and give them the sponge, each teammate repeats this.

This goes on and on until all the water in the bucket is gone, the first team to finish up all their water is the winning team!

Balloon Pop Party Activity

by Nery L
(Paramount CA USA)

Tie a ballon on every childs right foot leaving like two feet of sting. Then everyone need to pop each others balloons and the one with the last balloon wins. It’s so much fun kids love this game but not for really young children.

Jail Wave Outdoor Party Game

by Avery Groufanguiser
(Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania )

This game is a mixture of Hide-n-Seek with a twist.

Pick someone to be IT. Let them set the timer for 3 to 4 minutes while the rest of the people hide. After the time is up IT has to try and find the hiders. After IT has found them they are sent to “jail” (any high elevated place will do, we used a trampoline). The person found has to stay in jail till a person who is still in hiding waves at them then they are free to go. But… if IT sees them getting away they are allowed to call them back to jail.

The game ends when IT has all the people in jail.
NO PUPPY GUARDING! (when a person guards a “safe” or “base” spot during a game of tag, forcing the person at the base to get tagged when they come out).

Egg Race

by Jenna Griffith
(Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA)

In this game you will need spoons and eggs. Divide the kids into two groups. Make a start line and finish line. Take an egg and put it on a spoon and race to the finish line. The first team to get all of their teammates across the finish line with out dropping the egg wins.

Color me

Get a big role of paper and markers or paint (washable).
Have kids lay on the paper and trace them.
Then they get to color themselves and decorate!

Boot Camp Outdoor Activity

by The kids of P.L.E
(Wanye County )

Anywhere you live there are physical obstacles logs, walls, rocks and man-made obstacles (buckets, lawn chairs, etc.). You choose the Drill instructor who will set up and choose the obstacles, then tell the “soldiers” what order or sequence to go through the course. You time each person and determine who is the winner.

Water Baseball

by Paulette Thomas
(North Chicago, Ill.)

Start out with four teams. With five kids per team. Each team has the same amount of water ballons in a bucket, filled with a little water to prevent balloons from popping. We use about 120 water balloons divided equally amoung teams. (made ahead of time) You will also need four tennis rackets or plastic bats. I like using tennis rackets, because even small kids can hit the balloons. Each team has an adult tosser. The adult tosses the balloon to the first hitter. The hitter bats at the water balloon tring to hit it and score. Then he/she passes the racket to the next player, who tries to score. The team that finishes first and with the most hits wins. The adult tosser keeps score. Of course eveyone is soaked!

Colors

by Nicole D.
(Sacramento, CA)

in the pool one person has to be it. they stand on the edge of the pool (or diving board). the other people then float with their hand on the wall and think of a color. when all the players are ready then the person who is it names colors. if the person who is it says one of the players color, then they have to swim to the other side of the pool. if the person who is it turns around and sees them swimming then he/she tries to get them before they touch the other side of the pool. if the person who is it taggs the person who was swimming then that person is it and the game resets.

D O N K E Y

by Inika
(Melbourne, Victoria Australia)

You will need a Ball, 2 or more people and a place where nothing can get broken or damaged.

You have a person who is IT with the ball the person who is IT turns away for 3 seconds while the people who are not IT run as far as they can.

When the person who is IT turns around the people who ran away stop and the person who is IT tries to hit someone with the ball. If he hits someone that person is on D. Pass the ball to the person who got hit, now he tries to throw it at someone so on so fourth.

If IT missed, he’s on D the first person who spells out DONKEY loses and you keep on playing until other people spell donkey and they last person left is the winner!

I would definitely recommend this game for all ages!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Frozen Shirt Outdoor Party Game

What you will need is two t-shirts, or one for each team, that have been frozen in buckets over night. You will have a referee for each team, and one will yell “GO!” The players then must break the ice out of the bucket. Then they must thaw the ice to get the t-shirt out. The first team to put their t-shirt on one of the players, is the winning team.

Wax Museum Party Game

by Lotus L.
(United states)

One person is the ‘night guard’ of the wax museum. The rest of the kids or people are the wax statues. They are not allowed to move unless the night guard or night watcher of the wax museum is not looking. If you get caught moving, then you’re out. The last person (‘wax figure’) in is the winner and gets to be the night guard or night watcher of the wax museum for the next round.

Mummy Run Party Game

by The Hunger Games Fan

Each team has 2 players, one has to be wrapped in toilet paper or paper towels and has to run like a mummy to the finish line and back, then switch with the other player. The first team done wins!

Hat And Ball Tag Outdoor Party Game

by Luke
(Canada)

Generally like the game of Tag, but instead of touching each other you have to throw a hat, ball, etc. to tag someone.

Dragon Tail Tag Birthday Game

by Shannon W.
(Portland, OR )

The object of this fun kid game is for the person in the front of the line to catch the “tail” of the dragon (chain of kids), while the dragon tries to get away! The only things required are flags for each team (you can use a scarf, a lightweight towel, or a handkerchief). Make small chains of about four to six kids. Either have team members hold on to eachother’s waists or link elbows. Members of the chains can’t let go! The end person has a flag or tail (bandanna) hanging behind them or tucked in their back pocket. The object is to have the head of each chain (the dragon’s head) get the flag, scarf or whatever from the other team while the dragon stays linked. Both teams attempt to do this at the same time. When one team manages to get the flag, the losing team rotates and the head moves to the back while everyone else moves forward.

Neighborhood Scavenger Hunt Outdoor Party Game

by Jennifer
(Schererville)

You divide the kids into two teams and have one or two adults go with each team. One team gets one side of the neighborhood and the other team gets the other side. Make a list of things each team has to find. Whatever team finishes first wins.

British Bulldog Outdoor Party Game

by Michelle

This games is best played in a large, open area such as a backyard, and with a lot of players.

Designate 1-5 players to be the bulldog(s). Then have all the other players line up on one side of the playing area.

The bulldog(s) shouts “1,2,3, British Bulldog!” That is the signal to run. The players try to run all the way across the playing area without being caught by the bulldog(s).

There are several ways to be tagged.

You can be tagged by being simply touched by the bulldog (best if only one bulldog), by having two bulldogs grab your wrists and say “1,2,3, british bulldog” or by being picked up by the bulldog.

If you are tagged by a bulldog, you become a bulldog.

Game continues running back and forth across the playing area, until the number of people that aren’t tagged, equals the original number of bulldogs. Then those players become the bulldog(s).

Down-Down Birthday Party Game

by Rebecca N.
(Sault Ste Marie, Canada )

This is a game of catch with a unique twist. The only thing needed is a tennis ball. You throw the ball continuously back and forth until somebody drops it. When someone drops the ball you say “Down on one knee”. That person has to drop to one knee. Then the ball is thrown back and forth again, if the same person drops it a second time, you say “Down on two knees”. If the same person drops the ball again you say “Down on one elbow”, “Down on two elbows” and finally “Down on your chin.” If you drop it after that, you are out. But remember, the kids have to stay in the position they’re in to catch and throw the ball.

Soaked Soft Drink Party Game

by Bayan
(Adelaide, Australia)

Well this is fun.. all the kids sit in a circle and each receive a can of soft drink. Then we decide half of these people to shake their can vigorously for about a minute while the rest of the kids watch. After that, everyone places there can in the middle and mix the cans up so that the kids can’t tell which one was theirs. Each person then picks one can from the middle and holds it just over their nose. This is the fun part.. the kids then open the cans of soft drink when they are above their noses. Half of the kids will get soaked and the other half will be nice and dry… enjoy!

Super Big Ball Outdoor Party Game

You’ll need a super big ball and a super big bucket (make sure the ball fits into the bucket). Split the kids into groups of 2; the groups go one at a time. One person throws the ball and the other holds the bucket and tries to catch the super big ball. The team who catches the most in a minute, wins.

Dont Touch The Ground Tag Outdoor Party Game

by Ellen

This is almost a version of “sandman”. All you need is a swing set, and more than three players. Designate one person to be “it”. They will be at the bottom of the swing set with their eyes closed, while the other kids find a spot on the swing set to sit. Then, “it” runs up the slide, and tries to tag the other kids. You can move around the swing set as much as you want, BUT if you’re not ‘it’ and you touch the ground, then you become “it”. If you are “it” and you touch the ground, then you have to start over. It’s really easy and fun once you get how to play!! Probably not for little kids (like some 3 year olds might be able to.)

Outdoor Ship Party Game

by Neva
( California, USA)

This is a great game to play outdoors!

Materials needed:
Get two refrigerator, or washer/dryer cardboard packing boxes and cut in half to form two ships. If you can’t find them, you can use plastic tubs. Decorate them into two separate ships, or have the kids decorate them. Purchase a can or two of ping-pong balls or other soft lightweight non injuring type balls.

Directions:
Set the ships far enough apart, but yet close enough for the children to land some of the ping-pong balls inside the ships.

To Play:
Form two teams. Each team gets into their selected ships. At the command of the leader, they shoot their “guns”/”cannons” by hand throwing ping-pong balls at the opponents’ ship until they run out of ping-pong balls. The ship with the most ping-pong balls found in it, is the ship that has been sunk.

For Ages: 2-10

This is great for these theme parties: Beach Theme, Pirate Party Theme, Titanic Theme, Ship/Boat Party Theme, Gilligan’s Island Team, etc. Just change the ships decoration and the language used to fit the theme.

Can be played indoors or outdoors depending on available room space (but definitely a party game that is most fun to play outdoors!)

Kid Birthday Parties › Kid Activities › Outdoor Birthday Party Games