Are you planning a birthday party this summer and want to make it super fun and memorable for your kiddo? At the same time… you aren’t about to spend hundreds of dollars at the water park or laser tag. Don’t worry, I’ve got a few summer birthday ideas up my sleeves that are super fun, low-stress, and incredibly budget-friendly. Here’s my short list of incredible party ideas for summer fun – all under $100!
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Summer Birthday Ideas to Plan a $100 Party
There’s so much pressure to plan a Pinterest-Perfect party these days, but it doesn’t have to be overly complicated (OR expensive!). All your child wants is to have a blast with their besties. So, skip the Pinterest boards, and the complicated, time-intensive DIYs and give them exactly what they want for their birthday bash!
Here are 10 summer birthday ideas that won’t break the bank, or cost you hours of planning time, that your kiddo will love.
All of these supplies cost $100 or LESS! Just add cake (and maybe a pizza).
1. Field Day Fun
Remember field days? They were the BEST. Recreate that fun, carefree experience (in birthday form!).
Here’s what you’ll need to pull off this fun summer birthday idea in your own backyard:
- Rope for tug-o-war – this one is super cute, and the kit comes with medals and everything!
- Parachute for playing games like parachute tag, mushroom, merry-go-round, and more. Here’s a great list of parachute games to pick from.
- DIY obstacle course supplies like these cones and rings. Don’t forget to grab some spoons and eggs for the egg-on-a-spoon race!
And of course…a potato sack race kit for this classic field day fun!
2. Night at the Movies
A trip to the movie theater for 5+ kids really adds up – heck it adds up for just two people!
Create a night at the movies in your own backyard by grabbing these supplies:
- This movie projector and stand. You could also DIY your own outdoor movie projector stand by following this outdoor movie screen tutorial.
- A bunch of blankets and pillows to set up around your lawn for cozy viewing. Just grab what you have around your home – no need to spend extra!
- Lots of snacks and popcorn! Grab these fun movie popcorn tubs to make it super festive!
Want to know how you could REALLY push this summer birthday idea over the top? Make it a sleepover!
3. Garden Tea Party
Have a kiddo who loves to dress up? Pretends she’s a super sophisticated adult? I know I did!
Plan an adorable and budget-friendly tea party in the garden by grabbing these affordable supplies:
- This adorable vintage-style tea set. Alternatively, consider thrifting real vintage tea sets to save a ton and get that authentic mismatched vintage look.
- Fancy-tiered displays for miniature treats, like biscuits, cookies, and finger sandwiches.
- Gorgeous coordinating floral or lace tablecloth to set the scene
Here’s a bonus idea for this summer’s birthday party idea! If you have an extra budget and decide to thrift your tea sets – grab these adorable tea party hat and glove sets for your party guests to play dress-up while sipping their tea!
4. DIY Water Park Party
The waterpark is such a memorable experience, but let’s face it… it’s PRICEY. Especially if your kiddo wants to invite all of their classmates to their birthday bash. Instead, this summer birthday idea is a great way to bring the waterpark to YOU.
Here’s what you need:
- 20-foot slip and slide-with inflatable body boards for side-by-side water-slide-like racing. Partygoers can compete in head-to-head races all afternoon long.
- Inflatable Palm Tree Sprinkler to create that beachy splash park fun!
- 6-Pack of Super Soakers for some team-based water-play action games! Or, is it every boy or girl for themselves?!
By snagging this awesome slip and slide, water-park style sprinkler, and super soakers, you can recreate the water park experience right in your backyard for under $100.
5. Park Scavenger Hunt
Next up on our list of summer birthday ideas is a Park Scavenger Hunt Party. And, when I say park, this can also be done right in your own backyard if it’s big enough!
Parks offer ample space to spread out and they are super budget-friendly; either free, or around $100 if you rent a pavilion. And, in that case, you should also go check out my ideas for decorating park shelters while you’re at it!
Here’s what you need to create a fun, adventure-themed scavenger hunt birthday party.
- Mini drawstring backpack for each of your little adventurers. A bonus activity idea is to let the kids customize their own with paint pens before they set out on their scavenger hunt adventure (and don’t worry, we’ll still be WELL under the $100 budget for this one!)
- Next, grab some binoculars for your little explorers to make it easier for them to search the park setting for clues.
- Scavenger hunt bingo cards and magnifying glass sets. Snagging these will make your job so, so easy. And any kid that completes their Bingo Card, wins!
If you’re feeling ambitious, you could DIY your own scavenger hunt cards and turn this into more of a treasure hunt with one big prize at the end – whoever finds it first wins! Here are some ideas for handmade scavenger hunt clues if that’s your jam.
Last but not least, don’t forget your prize(s)! Depending on how you set up your game will dictate if you need multiple smaller prizes to award Bingo winners or one larger prize for the treasure hunt finder.
6. Epic Pool Party
Next up on this list of summer birthday ideas is a poolside party. This idea obviously only works if you have access to a pool (sorry to burst your bubble for those hoping for a pool party for under $100 with NO pool – I’m not a magician!).
If you ARE blessed by the pool gods, then you’ve got an instant party set-up that just needs a few accessories to make it a celebration. Here are some ideas to pick and choose from for your $100 budget!
- Every kid loves a goofy pool floaty – they are irresistible. Here are a few fun floaties I found to suit your party theme:
- What pool party is complete without games? This range of game ideas for the pool will fit any age range. Just pick out what fits your kids’ interests and budget.
If you REALLY want to go all out, you could consider adding an inflatable pool slide. This almost creates a water park experience at your own pool! This would eat up most of your $100 budget… but you could also consider this a gift for your kiddo!
7. Under the Sea Party
OK, next up on our summer birthday ideas list of celebration themes… Under the Sea! This idea could be combined with the pool party ideas above, but here are some additional mermaid-specific elements to up the “under the sea” theme.
For Pool Owners:
- Of course, you need fun mermaid pool floats, diving treasure games, and mermaid beach balls for an under-the-sea party if you’re sporting a backyard pool.
- This mermaid tail swimsuit would also be PERFECT for the birthday girl.
No-Pool Activity Ideas:
- Don’t fret if you aren’t a pool owner though (I’m with ya there!). Set up a mermaid bracelet-making station where your party guests can craft their own treasures using this bracelet-making kit.
- You can also create a buried treasure experience with sand instead of water! Just buy an under the bed storage bin, fill it with sand and buried treasure linked above for the kids to dig through with their sand tools.
- Another fun under-the-sea party activity is a mermaid slime-making station. Here’s what you’ll need to make Ocean slime.
8. Outdoor Art Party
The biggest downside to art parties is the mess. But, it’s summer! Take the party (and the mess!) outdoors and have fun with it! Especially if you have a kid with a love for creativity, maybe a budding Picasso, give them the art party they’ll never stop talking about.
Here’s what you need:
- Giant canvas! Just roll her out right on your lawn and put down cardboard underneath if you want to protect it from paint splatter. Alternatively, you could grab individual canvases, but they’ll be more expensive and not as much fun, in my opinion.
- Get a variety of acrylic paints and fun brushes, tools, and sponges that your party guests can use to let their creativity fly.
- Don’t forget your artist smocks! These can also be painted and customized for take-home party favors.
Let the birthday girl or boy keep the completed work of art or cut it up into sections for each guest to take home as a memento of the day.
9. Superhero Training Camp
This summer birthday idea is perfect for the active boy or girl obsessed with the Marvel Universe. Let them channel their inner superhero with a training academy birthday party. This one involves a little DIY action if you’re game! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Capes (duh). Here are a few options depending on your group.
- Pool noodles (I recommend grabbing some from the Dollar Tree!) and yard stakes to create your DIY obstacle course for Superhero training. This will hone their agility!
- Zipline kit (if you have the space and extra budget!), because every Superhero needs to know how to fly!
Feel free to add more activities to make this your own – the whole idea is to create activities that tie in with skills a Superhero might need. Consider also awarding their capes after the kids complete all of their skills. Then of course… it’s cake time!
10. Backyard Birthday Carnival
A backyard birthday carnival is such a fun summer birthday party theme and there’s a wealth of supplies you can find to really pull this together.
To keep the party supplies under $100 I’ve picked out a selection of classic carnival games and activities and some DIY options to extend your budget.
- Set up fun carnival games around your yard for the kids to take turns playing. I recommend three to five to provide enough variety with additional activities like balloon animals or face painting for kids waiting to play the games.
- Knockdown can game is a super cute classic carnival-style game you can set up on a picnic table or counter.
- Carnival clown bean bag toss banner is easy to set-up from a tree or your garage awning.
- Duck matching pond kit comes with the pool and 20 plastic ducks with pairs of matching numbers printed at the bottom.
- Balloon Dart DIY kit comes with everything you need to create this fun carnival game.
- DIY Carnival Games – We Are Teachers has a fantastic curated list of DIY carnival games that are super budget-friendly and easy to execute if you’re looking for more.
- Feeling ambitious? Try your hand at face painting to give every child a fun carnival experience. Or, have the kids paint each other’s faces as an activity!
- What carnival is complete without balloon animals?! Here’s a little balloon and pump kit with great reviews, noted as a good “starter kit.” Customers have suggested heading to YouTube or TikTok and watching videos to learn how to make a few animals.
What would really put this over the top (if your party budget still allows) is COTTON CANDY!
Summer Birthday Ideas & Planning Support
I hope these ideas have inspired you to plan an incredible bash that’s friendly to the wallet. And I know planning an event can be super stressful. Are there any questions I can help answer?
- A party timeline to keep things running smoothly?
- The best place to make and print your own invites?
- Budget-friendly decoration ideas?
I’m here to help! Simply leave a comment below, or send me a message on Instagram: I’m always sharing tips and ideas for savvy party planning.
Happy planning, and let me know which party theme you go with!
Kels