Creative 7-Year-Old Birthday Party Ideas That Won't Break the Bank

Your 7-year-old may want to invite 20 of their friends to a trampoline park, but if that doesn’t fit in the budget, there are still plenty of ways to entertain all your kiddos’ friends. Here are creative 7-year-old birthday party ideas that’ll help you stick to a modest budget.

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Movie Night

Throw down some blankets, make some popcorn, and include some “movie theatre” treats like boxes of candy if you’d like. Print your own tickets and use these paper popcorn bags to create a movie theatre experience for your child’s guests. Have the kids wear pajamas to make the party even more of a hit!

Game Party

Plan a party that’s all about games. You could set up different stations with board games or cards the kids could play all together or in smaller groups. If you don’t have enough games, ask family members or friends to borrow some. Provide snacks and drinks and let the kids play to their heart’s content.

Here are some fun games that are perfect for 7-year-olds:

DIY Craft Party

Kids love to create! Set up a craft table with a variety of materials like markers, stickers, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, construction paper, glue, and scissors, and let the kids create their own masterpieces.

You can even provide materials for a specific project, like making bracelets or decorating a picture frame, but if you cringe at crafts, you can keep it simple and let the kids go to town!

Outdoor Scavenger Hunt

Plan a scavenger hunt in your backyard or a park nearby. Create a list of items for the kids to find, and offer prizes for whoever gathers the most items.

If you have a party theme, you could create a scavenger hunt that goes along with it. You could also have the kids find objects that go along with some of your child’s favorite colors or items.

Dress-up Party

What child doesn’t love to dress up?! Guests could come in dress-up clothes of their own or you can set up a costume station with a variety of dress-up clothes and accessories (ask neighbors or friends to borrow dress-up items if you don’t have enough). Have the kids put on a fashion show or let them pose for pictures.

Cupcake Decorating Party

Is there anything kids love more than cupcakes? Bake cupcakes beforehand (remember that cupcakes freeze great!) and then set out all the tools, frosting, sprinkles, and other decorations for guests to create their cupcake masterpieces. You could make this a competition and give out a variety of awards (i.e. most original cupcake, brightest cupcake, etc.).

DIY Pizza Party

Here’s another idea that combines the party food with an activity (win-win!). Set out a variety of toppings and have the kids make their own pizzas. Let them get creative and make faces or other fun creations, but remind them they will be eating what they make.

Outdoor Game Party

Take yourself back to your PE days and play some old-fashioned outdoor games! The kids will go crazy for tug-of-war, kickball, dodgeball, soccer, relay races, and capture the flag. This would be a great option if you don’t have space at your home to host a party and could celebrate at a local park.

Check out this post from Party, Play, Plan for more fun and creative outdoor games to play!

Karaoke & Dance Party

Kids just wanna have fun! Cue up the music and have a fun dance and karaoke party! The kids can sing as a group or individually if they’d rather. No need for a karaoke machine like when we were kids – you can find almost any available karaoke song on YouTube and use a Bluetooth microphone. Throw in some glow sticks for an extra fun touch.

DIY Photo Booth

No need to get fancy with a DIY photo booth. Pull out some dress-up clothes and accessories like masks, leis, and more to start. You and your kiddo can make props or guests could create props to pose with. You can also buy photo booth props that go along with your theme, like these superhero photo booth props or unicorn props.

Here are some fun and easy backdrops you could create for your DIY photo booth.

Art Party

Is your child a little artist? Throw an art party to play to their interests. You can provide canvases and paint, or set out a variety of mess-free art supplies like crayons, colored pencils, paint markers, and more (search your local dollar store for cheap supplies). Let the kids go to town and see what they create or provide a theme or simple tutorial for the kids to follow.

Water Party

If your child’s birthday is in the warm months, host a water party! You can provide water balloons and water guns (or have guests bring water guns) and let the kids go wild! Provide popsicles as a refreshment, and your guests couldn’t be more pleased.

Check out these fun water activities for more creative ideas.

DIY Obstacle Course

Use items you have at home or raid the dollar store to create a DIY obstacle course. Your child’s pals will love this fun, physical challenge! Happy Toddler Playtime has awesome ideas for how to create your own backyard obstacle course.

Here are some materials that are great for a DIY kids’ obstacle course:

Science Experiment Party

If you don’t mind a bit of a mess, a science experiment party would be a blast for a group of 7-year-old kids. Set up a variety of science experiments and let the kids have a good time while also learning a little bit.

It may sound intimidating if science is not your thing (it’s not mine), but there are lots of projects that are a piece of cake to put together.

Here are some ideas of easy and low-cost experiments that would be perfect for a kid’s science party: