Big fun, small budget: 50 affordable birthday party ideas

Birthdays are special, but they don’t have to be expensive! With a little creativity, you can throw a memorable party for your child without draining your wallet. Even for teens, it doesn’t have to be extravagant — check out our teen birthday party ideas for more inspiration. From DIY decorations to free activities, here are 50 budget-friendly birthday party ideas to help you celebrate in style for less. 

Low-cost party themes

1. Backyard camping – Set up tents in your backyard, bring out sleeping bags, and tell stories under the stars. Add a fire pit or grill for s’mores to complete the experience.

2. DIY carnival – Use homemade games like ring toss and bean bag toss, and set up different activity stations with simple prizes. Kids can rotate through games, making it feel like a real carnival.

3. Classic pajama party – Have the kids wear their favorite PJs, set up a cozy movie area with popcorn, and plan simple games like pillow fights or storytelling for a night of fun.

4. Treasure hunt adventure – Hide clues around the house or yard leading to a final treasure, like a small gift or treat bag. Theme the clues based on pirates, detectives, or favorite storybook characters.

5. Superhero training camp – Create DIY capes from old T-shirts and set up obstacle courses for kids to complete “training” missions like jumping, crawling, and dodging obstacles.

6. Outdoor movie night – Hang a white sheet as a screen and use a projector or laptop to show a favorite movie. Provide blankets, cushions, and simple snacks like popcorn for a drive-in experience at home.

7. DIY art party – Give everyone a mini canvas or large piece of paper, brushes, and paint. Set up a painting station with aprons and let kids create masterpieces to take home.

8. Science party – Conduct fun, easy experiments at home, like making slime, baking soda volcanoes, or color-changing liquids. Have kids rotate through different experiment stations. Over cake, challenge them to fun science trivia questions to keep the laughs rolling.

9. Garden Party – Set up small potted plants and let kids decorate them with paints, stickers, or ribbons before taking them home. Add a nature scavenger hunt to keep them engaged.

10. Dinosaur Dig – Hide plastic dinosaurs in a sandbox or small dirt area and give kids little shovels and brushes to excavate their findings like real paleontologists.

Be a financially smart family!

Be a financially smart family!

From saving for the future to understanding credit, see how families are thriving with Greenlight.

Try Greenlight today

Affordable activities & games

11. Obstacle course – Use household items like chairs, ropes, and cones to create a fun challenge course. Let kids crawl under, jump over, and race to the finish line.

12. Bubble station – Make a DIY bubble solution using dish soap and water, and create wands from pipe cleaners or straws. Set up a bubble-blowing competition for extra fun.

13. Freeze dance – Play music and have kids dance, pausing the music randomly. When the music stops, they must freeze in place—anyone who moves is out!

14. Pin the tail on the donkey – A classic favorite where kids take turns pinning a tail (or another themed item) on a poster while blindfolded. Use sticky notes or Velcro for easy cleanup.

15. DIY escape room – Create a themed escape challenge with puzzles and clues hidden around the house. Kids must solve riddles and complete tasks to “escape” in time.

16. Chalk art contest – Hand out sidewalk chalk and let kids decorate the driveway with creative designs. Offer a small prize for the most artistic or colorful creation.

17. Balloon pop challenge – Fill balloons with fun challenges written on paper, like “do 10 jumping jacks” or “sing a song.” Each child pops a balloon and completes the challenge inside.

18. Sack races – Use old pillowcases for a hopping race across the yard. Line up the kids, have them jump to the finish line, and hand out small prizes for the winners.

19. Scavenger hunt – Hide small treasures around the yard or house and give kids a list of items to find. You can even make it themed (nature, pirates, animals). Here’s how to plan a scavenger hunt.

20. Water balloon fight – Fill balloons with water and let kids have a blast in a supervised water battle. Set up a “refill station” with buckets for extra fun.

Food on a budget

21. DIY cupcake bar – Bake simple cupcakes in advance and provide a variety of toppings like sprinkles, frosting, and fruit so kids can decorate their own.

22. Mini pizzas – Use English muffins or tortillas as pizza bases, and let kids add their favorite toppings before baking.

23. Popcorn buffet – Offer plain popcorn with different seasonings like cheese, cinnamon sugar, or caramel drizzle so kids can customize their snacks.

24. Homemade ice cream – Make simple no-churn ice cream by mixing heavy cream, condensed milk, and vanilla, then freezing overnight.

25. Fruit kabobs – Provide sliced fruit and let kids assemble their own skewers. Drizzle with chocolate or honey for a fun treat.

26. Hot dog bar – Cook up a batch of hot dogs and set out a variety of toppings like ketchup, mustard, relish, and shredded cheese. Let kids build their perfect hot dog.

27. Pasta party – Cook up different pasta shapes and let kids pick their toppings, such as marinara sauce, cheese, or veggies. Simple and crowd-pleasing!

28. Build-your-own sandwiches – Lay out a spread of bread, deli meats, cheeses, and condiments for a sandwich-making station where kids can create their own meals.

29. DIY nacho bar – Provide tortilla chips and toppings like melted cheese, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole for a hands-on snack that everyone can customize.

30. Pancake breakfast party – Whip up a batch of pancakes and set out toppings like syrup, fruit, and chocolate chips. This works great for a morning or brunch-themed party.

Budget-friendly decorations

31. DIY balloon arch – Use tape and fishing line to attach balloons to an archway for a festive entryway or backdrop.

32. Paper banners – Cut out letters from colored paper to spell out birthday wishes and string them together with ribbon.

33. Mason jar centerpieces – Fill mason jars with flowers, fairy lights, or even colored sand to create elegant yet inexpensive decorations.

34. Streamer backdrop – Hang colorful streamers from a wall to create a fun, photo-ready background for the party.

35. DIY piñata – Use cardboard and tissue paper to create a homemade piñata filled with small treats or toys.

36. Recycled bottle vases – Paint old bottles in bright colors and fill them with fresh or faux flowers for a stylish touch.

37. Photo booth area – Hang a bedsheet or use a decorated wall as a backdrop and provide fun props for kids to take pictures.

38. Fairy lights – Repurpose holiday string lights to add a magical glow to the party space.

39. DIY confetti – Use a hole punch to make confetti from colorful paper for an eco-friendly decoration.

40. Handmade signs – Use poster boards and markers to create fun, personalized signs with the birthday child's name and theme.

Frugal party favors

41. Personalized bookmarks – Cut out sturdy cardstock and decorate it with stickers, drawings, or messages for kids to take home.

42. DIY friendship bracelets – Provide kids with beads and string to create their own bracelets as keepsakes.

43. Mini coloring books – Print free coloring pages online and staple them together to make custom mini books.

44. Seed packets – Give kids small envelopes with flower or vegetable seeds to plant at home.

45. Bubble bottles – Fill tiny bottles with homemade bubble solution and hand them out as fun take-home gifts.

46. Homemade playdough – Make a batch of colorful playdough and package small portions in containers for guests.

47. Decorated rocks – Have kids paint small rocks with fun designs to keep as paperweights or decorations.

48. Origami animals – Provide origami paper and show kids how to fold simple animals as a fun, interactive favor.

49. Sticker packs – Buy sticker sheets and cut them into smaller packs for an easy, enjoyable favor.

50. DIY puzzle games – Print out simple maze or word search puzzles and staple them into booklets for kids to enjoy at home.

Create a memorable experience

With these 50 ideas, you can create a memorable celebration without overspending. Whether it's an exciting outdoor adventure or DIY activities, your child and their friends will have a fantastic time doing what matters most—creating joyful experiences and memories.

Want more parenting wins? From budgeting to spending wisely, Greenlight’s family money app teaches money lessons for life. Try Greenlight, one month, risk-free.†

This blog post is provided "as is" and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice. Some content in this post may have been created using artificial intelligence; however, every blog post is reviewed by at least two human editors.

†Valid for new customers only. Subject to identity verification and minimum load requirements. Your first monthly fee will be billed to your parent wallet seven days after successful registration. To receive a refund of your first monthly fee, you must request to close your account on or before the day immediately preceding your first Monthly Billing Date. See the ‘Account’ tab of Settings by tapping the gear icon on the Greenlight app home page to confirm when your risk-free trial ends. See Terms for details.