Summer Birthday Party Theme Ideas

There are all kinds of possibilities for summer birthday themes! Your child’s age, the weather, and your budget are all factors, but in this list you’re sure to find something that will work for your child’s birthday. Here are some ideas.

Beach Party

This theme can be adapted to various ages. For toddlers and preschoolers, guests can wear their swimsuits and play in a sandbox and kids’ pool. Older kids can dress in swimwear as well, but they may like to bring beach towels, wear big hats, and play beach music.

Rather than a sandbox, older kids may enjoy sand spread out on a tarp and a sprinkler set up nearby. Decorations could include beach balls, plastic shovels and buckets, shells, and sea life figures and shapes such as starfish and octopi. Guests can have a sandcastle building contest.

For favors, guests can make a craft using shells and sand glued to picture frames. Or they can make mini beach scenes inside clam shells: mix together glue and sand to use as a base for mini umbrellas, tiny shells, strips of fabric that look like mini beach towels, and so forth.

Bubbles

Toddlers and preschoolers especially seem to love bubbles. This theme works best outdoors. Fill a wading pool with some bubble solution, and set out hula hoops and bubble wands of various sizes for everyone. Set up other “bubble stations,” too, with smaller pans of bubble solution and other shapes of bubble wand.

Clear beach balls and white or clear balloons make theme-appropriate decorations. Clear balls could also make good favors for guests.

Cookout/Campout

In your local park or backyard, build a bonfire and let guests roast marshmallows and hotdogs. Older kids will really enjoy this “campout” experience. If space and budget allow, you could make it an overnight with tents and so forth. Younger kids, with appropriate adult supervision, may also enjoy this outdoor theme. Guests can hike, sing songs, and play games like Frisbee and badminton.

Luau

Summer birthdays lend themselves to a luau theme, which can work for young and older kids alike. For toddlers and preschoolers, a luau theme could be something like the beach party above, with “grass” skirts and leis which can function as costumes and favors. They can usually be purchased for very little, too.

Serve drinks in novelty containers with mini paper umbrellas, and of course have hula dancing. Rather than a wading pool, older kids might enjoy this theme around an actual pool.