Outdoor party games

I'm looking for suggestions for outdoor party games for 4 and 5 year olds. Jacob's birthday party is Sunday, and the weatherman says it will be 84 degrees (where is the sweaty emoticon?). I'm almost ready to just turn on the sprinkler and call it a party.

[DCJenn]

Sprinkler sounds good to me! I saw this super cool thing in Red Envelope that's a ball - you put ice and rock salt in one part and ice cream makings in the center and then you play with the ball and voila- 20 minutes later you get ice cream

It might be a little late for that, but if you have enough kids coming- or some grown-ups around to help- an old-fashioned ice cream churner is way cool- half and hour of effort and you get fantastic results. It was a requirement of all summer family reunions for everyone under 15 to help. (and everyone ended up pitching in because if you didn't, you didn't get any ice cream)

Smore's over the grill? Too scary? if it's hot enough you won't need to met the marshmellows!!!

water balloons are always fun but the parents may hate you

One of the kids on our street had an Olympics birthday one year- long jump, pogo stick, hula hoops, basketball free throws, etc and everyone got 'gold' medals.

Jenn

[SuzySunshine]

Are they too young at that age for a pinata? That is what I always wanted at my parties when I was a kid!

[Vanquisher]

Ideas from a website:

We played Star Wars Candy Walk. This game was created by printing out some Star Wars characters and taping them to the seat part of a chair. Put the chairs in a circle. Put the names of the characters in a hat and play the music. The children walk around the chairs (on the inside of the circle) and when the music stops, they sit down. No one is out. There are enough chairs for all players. Then have the birthday boy/girl pick a name from the hat and whoever is sitting on that character wins some candy.

I needed the Jedis to destroy the Death Star (a star-shaped pinata). After they did the pinata, it was time for cake/ ice cream and then presents. We finished up by playing "light, light, saber" (duck, duck goose) and free play. The party favor bags had a glow stick, a glow-in-the-dark star, a moon pie, Star Bursts, Star Wars stickers and Pop Rocks.

You can use glow sticks from the dollar store with some tape to make light sabers.

I still like the water balloon idea and pinatas.

Good luck!

we have that ball thing, and I used it at our NYE party ... I made the kids roll it from one to another. the ice cream was pretty gross, but the kids liked it.

[Sheherezade]

My favorite is "What Time Is it Mr. Wolf?"

You line up all the kids and then go to the other side of the yard. The group of kids ask "What time is it Mr. Wolf?" You answer something like "4 o'clock". The kids take 4 steps towards you. You continue this with different answers until the kids get close to you. Then when they ask "What time is it Mr. Wolf?" you yell "Dinnertime!" and chase them back across the yard. If you catch one, they become a wolf. Easy and always a crowd pleaser.

I also like to do "Color Tag" with little kids. Basically chase, but they are safe if they touch whatever color you name. "You are only safe if you are touching green!" That sort of thing. Kids love to be chased.

Have fun!

[mommax3]

I had several bday parties in my backyard when we lived in San Antonio, and the thing that was always the most successful was the water balloon toss, hands down. (OR we would have the kids stand in a line and do an over the head/through the legs pass with the water balloons......little kids are not very good catchers, so depending on the age, the toss didn't work well.) I also did relay races and obstacle course races, and usually some version of pin the body part/piece on the __________. That, and just letting all the kids (all little boys) play their hearts out on the swingset. (We didn't have any neighborhood kids, so most of the kids hadn't been in our backyard before.....the swingset was no big deal, but it was a novelty.) We always had a pinata, because it was San Antonio and everyone had them for every single kid event I ever attended.

Check out
http://www.familyfun.com for more ideas!

Sally

It could just be because I grew up surrounded by girls -- non-outdoorsy girls, but how is water balloon toss supposed to work ? I want to do water balloons -- but I keep picturing the kids hurling them at each other and lots of tears.

I'm so lame.

[mommax3]

You will probably have to demonstrate this to them......

Two lines of kids facing each other, not very far apart to start. It is okay if at the beginning, they are actually handing the water balloons to each other. After each successful transfer, they move further apart until they are having to toss the balloons. I always mandated the "granny toss" (underhanded throw originating between their legs, almost at ground level) to lessen the chances that someone would get beaned.

The over/under thing that I posted earlier is nice, too, because the water balloons get slippery, and usually what happens is that someone loses control and the balloon crashes to the ground and breaks there, so the kids get splashed, but not soaked.

Just keep in mind that it will be very "organic" meaning that the games will change and take different shapes due to the ages of the kids. Try to have lots of options in mind in case something isn't working, so you can quickly switch to something else.

Have fun!

Sally

[SueC]

As much as I don't want to come home with a bunch of candy, I second the pinata idea. My kids just assume there will be one at every birthday party that takes place at home. You'll probably find you don't have to plan all that much, you have a great backyard and I'll bet the kids will have fun just running wild for awhile!

On the agenda for DS1's 6th birthday party:
Mom dressed like Ms. Frizzle from the Magic School Bus.
Rainforest themed scavenger hunt for plastic bugs, gummy worms, stickers, etc.
Some sort of relay race, "centipede" would fit the theme.
Cake
Gifts
Pinata
ladybug release

[Sheherezade]

My daughter wants pony rides. At least I got her to limit the guest list to 8 girls. (In her defense, she is horse crazy. Lessons and all. )

I want to come to your birthday parties!!!!