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Patriotic Party Season is upon us! We live on a lake, so between my nephew and the neighbor kids, there are quite a few kids to keep occupied when the adults are done with “lake time” and need a water break! I thought I would turn to my favorite friend, Pinterest, for some fun, cheap, quick to put together ideas for some summertime fun to keep the kids occupied…at least for a little while! And don’t worry, none of these are noisemakers or excessively messy- I’m all about not creating more work than necessary! In addition to frog catching, turtle hunting, fishing, playing in the sand and good old-fashioned whiffle ball, I think these activities look like a sure hit with the Kid Crowd.
These painted rocks are so cute! I love that kids of all ages can participate. Rocks are so easy to come by and craft paint is around $1 a bottle. You could have half the kids use blue paint for the background and the other half use red and make a patriotic tic-tac-toe board using these rocks and a chalked tic-tac-toe board! Once tic-tac-toe is over, these would be cute little garden accents.
This game is always a hit with the kids! If you’re making the corn & black bean salsa from our BBQ menu (which you totally should because it is soooo good!) you’ll have plenty of cans, lol! Covered in craft paper, this is one easy game to set up in no time. If you don’t have Wiffle balls you can get some here.
Who remembers Bozo Buckets? This game reminds me of that! The Dollar Tree has pie tins and if you make the can game above, you could use leftover scrapbook paper to line the tins. These bean bags are perfect for tiny hands, too! If you order using Prime they should be here in time for the 4th.
Oh my goodness! Kids would go nuts for this donut eating race! How fun does this look? You could start the day off with this fun game for breakfast with patriotic donuts. Too cute!
Kids will keep coming back to this DIY Bubble Refill Station from Kitchen Fun with My Three Sons! What a great idea! I swear, Amazon has everything you could ever need, including packages of bubble wands for your crowd of kids. How cute are those?
Everyone loves a scavenger hunt, and this one is editable so you can customize it to your home and yard! (Or even add “find grandma” who may very well be hiding from all of the squealing kids!)
I love this idea instead of playing with sparklers. (I will confess, I do NOT like fireworks. They make me very nervous so we avoid them whenever possible.) Dollar Tree has necklaces – I think they are two per pack- or for a better deal you can buy them on Amazon with free fast shipping through Prime. This looks super fun and would occupy kids after dark, while keeping them contained to one area!
If you’re lucky enough to live in an area that still has fireflies, your kids are pretty lucky! DIY lightning bug jars are fun to make and will then keep the kiddos occupied while they catch their new critters. (Just be sure to give them some ventilation and set them free at bedtime.) Mason jars and buggy embellishments (aka foam craft stickers) can be found pretty cheap online, making this an inexpensive and fun craft that will last more than 5 minutes. 😉
Kids of all ages will enjoy a good old watermelon eating contest! If you have a wide range of ages, you can divide into age brackets. Winner gets their own watermelon to take home!
One of our favorite party games is Jenga. Not your typical Jenga with blank tiles. No, we prefer next level Jenga, which involves a Sharpie and some double dog dares, like “take a shot,” “speak with an accent until your next turn,” and “sing ‘Labamba’ to the player to your left.” Trust me, hilarity ensues. This DIY GIANT Jenga looks like a blast and would be great for tweens and teens, with dares like “do a cartwheel,” “sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to the person whose birthday is next,” and “cast a Harry Potter spell on the person across from you.” So. Much. Fun! Nothing is better than getting teens to put their phones down and engage with the group. Instructions can be found here. Not into DIY? No worries- you can buy a Jenga set on Amazon. Better use Prime though- I would think this is pretty heavy to ship!
These games are sure to keep kids of all ages busy and having fun at your next BBQ! Whether it’s for the 4th of July or your neighborhood block party, have a blast this summer!
Happy playing!
Allison
Related:
Take Your BBQ to the Next Level with this Awesome Menu
10 Easy Patriotic Desserts to Wow the Crowd at Your Next BBQ!
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