How to Host a Wild and Crazy Summer Children's Birthday Party

Make the most out of the outdoors during summer and host a wild and crazy summer birthday party. This is the perfect time to let children be themselves . They will thoroughly enjoy this wild birthday party. It will be one of the few times they are allowed to get this messy, with parental approval that is.

Even though this is a wild and crazy party, it is still a good idea to have adult or older sibling supervising. Do the games and activities one after another. Include every child in each game. Even the most hesitant ones will find themselves enjoying the wackiness. Definitely have someone taking pictures or videos of each event. There will be some great photo opportunities.

When you invite the children, tell them to come wearing really old play clothes or swimsuits, bring a towel and a change of clothes. Warn the parents this will be a messy and wet event. They need to be able to get dirty and sticky, then wash off easily. Keep the hoses ready for cleaning up. Some of these activities really make a gooey mess, but they are a blast!

Here are the games and activities:

Jell-O Walk and Footprints:

Supplies:

3 or 4 boxes of Jell-O or other brand gelatin

Bowls for making Jell-O

3 or 4 bins to set on the ground

Sheets of white paper. These need to be large enough to make a footprint on.

Make large bowls of solidified Jell-O, the night before the birthday party.

Fill two or three flat plastic dish or storage type bins with pre-made Jell-O in different colours. It doesn't matter what flavour you use, because this is not for eating.

Line the bins up spaced apart. Put plain pieces of white paper on the ground on the opposite side from where the child stepped into the Jell-O filled bin. Each bin will hold a different colour Jell-O or gelatin.

Have each child take their shoes off. One at a time have them step into the bin of cold Jell-O with both feet. Then tell them to really squish it around between their toes and all over their feet. This is a really odd sensation, but lots of messy cool fun.

After their feet are really nice and gooey, have them step carefully on to the white sheet of paper and stand still for a few seconds to make sure the impression stays on the paper. Then have them step off carefully and set the Jell-O footprint picture aside to dry. They may want to try making another one or two with other colours.

Licorice Shoestring and Lifesavers Game:

Supplies needed:

Licorice shoestrings. You will need about four or five feet of licorice shoestrings. For every two children.

Rolls of Life Savers candies. You need one life saver for every two children.

Have each pair of children stand far enough apart to keep the licorice shoestrings stretched out.

Thread the licorice through one lifesaver. Put the lifesaver in the middle of the licorice shoestring.

Stand two children facing each other and hand them each one end of the licorice.

Tell them to put it between their teeth and hold it there. Have them put both their hands behind their backs and they aren't allowed to use their hands at all. Count down from five backwards and say GO! The first person to eat his or her way to the Lifesaver, in the middle of the licorice shoestring wins. It is fun to cheer people on.

Whipped Cream Pie in the Face:

Supplies needed:

Cans of whipped cream or bowls of fresh made whipped cream The spray can kind works the best.

Metal pie pans Use either the tin foil kind or the cheap kind of aluminum ones you get from pie restaurants.

A small bowl with numbered pieces of folded up paper to pick from

Have the children line up and count down the line telling each one to remember their own number. Have one numbered folded paper for each child present. Then have someone pull two folded numbered pieces of paper from the bowl of numbers.

The first number opened is the person who will receive the whipped cream pie in the face. The second number picked is the person who gets to pie the first one. The receiver has to stand still while they get pied in the face.

Do tell the kids not to slam the pie pan too hard while they are smashing the pie in the other person face.

Throw the paper numbers back in the bowl and have two more numbers picked to repeat the process with a new whipped cream pie. It is fun to see if one person keeps getting pied.

When you are ready to stop the game, ask anybody who has not been pied in the face if they would like to be. Give someone new a chance to be the pie tosser , if someone didn't have a chance yet.

Watermelon Eating Contest:

Supplies needed:

Enough watermelon to make one large thick slice for each child,

Paper plates One paper plate for each child.

Put one slice of watermelon on a paper plate in front of each child on the ground or at an outdoor table. Tell the children they may not use their hands, only parts of their faces, to move and manipulate the slice of watermelon. Then give them a countdown, to all begin eating at the same time. The first person done eating, including swallowing what is in their mouth, wins.

Cracked Eggs:

Supplies needed:

Eggs. One for each child.

A Bowl to hold the eggs in

Prepare one egg for each child. Make half the eggs hard boiled and leave half the eggs raw. Don't tell the children anything about the eggs before you start. Then put them all in a bowl.

Line the children up side by side. Beginning at one side of the line, have the first child point at one egg in the bowl without touching any of the eggs. Take that egg from the bowl.

Tell the child to close their eyes. Then stand by the child and say something like, "Crack once, crack twice, crack three times." Then gently crack the egg on the top of their head, but hard enough so it breaks open.

Every child participates. They won't know who will get egged with a raw egg and who won't. This one gets a lot of "ewww gross" kinds of comments, but it is quite funny.

Frosting Face Painting:

Supplies needed:

Bowls of frosting in different colours. You can easily put food colours in white frosting.

Clean new popsicle sticks These will be the paint brushes.

Put the bowls of premixed and colored frosting either at an outdoor table or in the ground. Have the children pair off. Then have them "paint" each others faces. Tell them not to put the frosting in any orifices. Sampling is allowed, which is part of the fun. Tell them to be creative. Tell them to try and come up with an interesting face, not just glob it on any which way.

These are just a few games for a wild and crazy summer children's birthday party. You could also add water games like water balloon tosses or water spray bottle battles.

After all the messy games are done, hose them down to rinse off all the goo and sticky mess. Let them swim if you have a pool or turn on the sprinklers for them to run through. By then it will be time to fill those hungry bellies, all that activity has caused. After they have eaten, if you have videotaped the party, gather them around to watch the show. It is guaranteed to get some laughs. This is a wild and crazy summer children's birthday party, they will remember long after it is over.