The Ultimate Fall Festival Themed Kid’s Birthday Party

Party and event planning is one of my absolute favorite things to do. My youngest child’s birthday is in early November and she is an outdoorsy kid. She is very active and loves interactive games and crafts.

So, this last year I decided to throw her The ULTIMATE Fall Festival Themed Birthday Party. Most of the items used for games, crafts and entertainment were from repurposed items I either found around the house or from a local repurpose/reuse store. I love to mix creativity and originality when party planning.

Fall Festival Themed Birthday Parties are best held outdoors so that you can have all of the activities available that you see at an actual festival. If you can’t have it at your own home, maybe another alternative would be to have it at a relatives or friends house or a rented space available to the public.

So, let’s talk about what made this party so amazing that all of the moms and dads who brought their kids were just raving about how cool it was for weeks!

DECOR & SETUP

Color schemes with warm oranges, yellows, deep reds and browns will definitely bring that Autumn feel to the party! Use Fall-Inspired decorations like hay bales, pumpkins, cornstalks, scarecrows and string lights. Create a cute table-scape using a plaid tablecloth or runner, mini pumpkins and mason jars with flowers. I also used candy dishes filled with fall colored candies and lollipops for the kids.

ACTIVITIES & GAMES

This was my favorite part. We picked activities that would keep the kids busy and highly entertained. My personal favorite was the HOMEMADE OBSTACLE COURSE. We created it using hula-hoops, old pool noodles, small square hay bales, old bicycle tires, extra large boxes and a giant pumpkin.

The bicycle tires were laid on the ground and the kids had to hop through them one foot at a time. We broke the hula hoops and stuck them into the ground so the kids had to army crawl through a hula hoop tunnel.

Then we got old plastic pipes and stuck them in the ground to stick the pool noodles on and the kids had to run zig zag through them. The square hay bales were used to jump over and then they had to crawl through the large box tunnel.

We got 4 extra large boxes from our local Lowe’s and taped them together to create a large tunnel. Once they got to the other side, they had to run around the giant pumpkin and go back through the obstacle course back to the starting point.

We have a local repurpose store and they had a large bin full of old 5k Medals so I bought them for the kids to win after they completed the obstacle course. Everyone got to choose one that they liked. I especially loved the 5k ribbons because they are very large, good quality and colorful. It made the kids feel like they had really won something amazing!

Have a PICTURE BASED SCAVENGER HUNT. I printed out pictures of fall themed items and taped them around the yard and then gave each child a sheet of paper that had all of the pictures on it that they can go find and check off as they went. The party we had was for a very young group of kids that didn’t yet know how to read so the picture scavenger hunt was easy enough for them to do confidently and independently.

Another activity we did was PUMPKIN BOWLING! We ordered a kids plastic bowling set from Amazon and got small pie pumpkins from our local grocery chain and used the pumpkins instead of the bowling ball.

We own a SMALL BOUNCE HOUSE that we ordered on Amazon some years ago. I highly encourage one if you have small children. We have had ours for about 5 years now and it’s great to have for a party like this and for any old Saturday. I often set it up for my kids after they get home from school to make sure they are entertained, outside, and nice and tired for bed that night!

YARD CUP PONG is a fun game for all ages. We had if set up and the kids had a great time with that.

POTATO SACK RACING is a classic game that has been enjoyed for generations. Some games never go out of style. Who says the adults can’t have their own tournament, too??

Take a bunch of scrap fabric that are very brightly colored and cut it to measure around 6 inches long and 1 inch wide. Then cut 24 inch long strands of jute twine that so the kids can tie the fabric bits on to create their very own DIY FABRIC GARLAND that they could take home and hang in their bedrooms. This was a big hit!

FREE CHILDREN’S BOOKS! I set up a nice large blanket in the corner of the yard and placed stacks of children’s books on it for all ages. Each child was welcomed to pick one, two or even three or four books to bring home. The books were from our very own collection that my kids had agreed to donate as a take-home gift for our party guests.

PUMPKIN PAINTING. I feel like this one is a no-brainer! Pumpkin painting is always a good idea. Kids love to create and get messy and this activity allows both! PUMPKIN CARVING is also a great idea but can be super messy so be sure to have a water hose, soap and towels ready for the aftermath.

CUPCAKE DECORATING. We made a couple of different flavor cupcakes and then supplied a couple options for the icing and a multitude of options for decorations. I think most kids enjoyed the decorating of the cupcakes more than the activity of actually eating them!

FACE PAINTING is always fun with kids. It is something that they all enjoy and adds a fun twist to any party.

CHOOSING FOOD

There are so many options when choosing what food to have at a birthday party. A big difference is if the party is at home or at another location. I personally like picnic style foods because I feel like they are easier to prepare ahead of time so that I am not stuck behind a grill or in the kitchen when I could be spending more time at the party and hostessing. More importantly to match the fall festival theme, I would like to dive into what snacks are a good choice to make the ultimate party.

Here is a list of different types of snacks to have at a Fall Festival Themed Birthday Party:

1. Caramel Apples
2. Pumpkin flavored foods like muffins, pies, and cakes
3. Popcorn
4. S’mores
5. Hot apple cider
6. Cocoa
7. Spiced Punch

You can even have a “Build Your Own” station like a caramel apple bar, hot cocoa bar or DIY mini pies!

Having The ULTIMATE Fall Festival Themed Birthday Party for a child that loves these types of activities will bring lasting memories for a lifetime!

Feel free to personalize your child’s party with the ideas and inspiration that were delivered to you here with your own favorite fall traditions.

Don’t forget to share your own fall party ideas below in the comments!