20 Unique Kids Party Entertainment Ideas For All Ages

These unique kids party entertainment ideas will guarantee fun for all the guests… and the guest of honour! These fun ideas for kids’ birthday parties bring exciting experiences and creative ideas to your party planning.

When it comes to kids’ party entertainment, the options can seem endless. How do you choose the right type of entertainment for your child’s birthday party or special event?

We’ve put together a list of 20 fun and unique ideas that will entertain kids of all ages! From magicians to petting zoos, there is something for everyone on this list. Keep reading to find the perfect idea for your next children’s party!

kids celebrating a birthday party

Unique Kid’s Party Entertainment Ideas

We all want our kids to have a memorable birthday party experience since each birthday only rolls around once.

And of course, they want their party to be something their friends are talking about well after the day is over.

Bonus points if you can find entertainment that allows you to sit back and relax for most of the party while someone else entertains the kids!

The best thing about organising fun entertainment for kids’ parties is the fact it usually means less time for you spent trying to keep them occupied or stressing that there isn’t enough to do before it’s time for their parents to come collect them.

With any luck, you can sit back and relax while the kids have a blast… or even join in the fun too!

As a way to make your next children’s birthday party stand out, how about considering some unique party entertainment to come and delight the kids.


Stress-Free Kids’ Party Tips

Now that you have some great ideas for kids’ party entertainment, it’s time to start planning your child’s next birthday party.

But before you get too ahead of yourself, here are a few stress-free tips for throwing the perfect children’s party:

  • Don’t over invite – smaller events are easier to manage so give your child a limit
  • Have simple party snacks and food on offer so you don’t spend all day in the kitchen
  • Recruit your big kids or a couple of other parents as helpers on the day
  • Set your budget before the party and stick to it
  • Avoid the comparison game – a great kids’ party is about the memories, not the fancy decorations & gourmet party food
  • Minimise the sugar crash later with these non-treat party bag alternatives.
  • Set a start & end time – A 2-3 hour party block is usually more than enough to fit in loads of fun before kids end up tired and you’ve had enough.

Find 200 different party theme ideas for kids if you need some ideas for your next kid’s party celebration!

Magician or Magic Show Party

magician holding hat

Magicians are magical whether you are a kid or an adult, performing impressive tricks that leave us guessing.

There are plenty of magicians available to hire for kid’s parties, who will come to you and host a fun show, bringing all their own props and magic tricks.

Many magician shows are full of laughs and sure to be a hit.

Outdoor Cinema

Hire or purchase a home projector or borrow one from a friend, hang a sheet or find a white wall and project a movie on the big screen right from your backyard!

You can even get inflatable projector screens for the backyard!

This is a fun way to keep the kids settled during a slumber party in the warmer months. Heat up a few bags of microwave popcorn and lay out some beanbags, air mattresses or chairs and let the kids enjoy a movie night.

This can often be far more affordable than a trip to the cinemas with a group of kids, plus it’s better for your sanity too!

Water Balloon Battle

close up of balloons

If the weather is hot enough, there can be much fun with water for kids’ birthday parties!

Break out the super soakers and fill up a few buckets of water balloons and have the kids battle it out in the backyard.

You will have to make sure they are prepared to get wet though so let the parents know to bring a change of clothes or swimmers!

It can be a bit of a mess throwing water balloons so if you don’t want the clean up afterwards or want to go for a more environmentally friendly option, get lots of mini water pistols for them to use instead.

Set up a few buckets around the backyard for quick refilling.

Another environmentally friendly alternative is to create sponge water bombs that they can reuse over and over again.

Balloon Clown

balloon animals

Balloon artists are impressive to young children, with their ability to create almost anything from a few twists and turns of balloons.

Many balloon artists or clowns come with a few other tricks up their sleeve too or offer fun services such as face painting for parties. Check online for local listings near you.

Alternatively, if you or any of your friends or family are willing to learn, follow some tutorials online to learn how to create your own balloon animals and balloon sculptures for the kids.

And a few adults or older teen siblings to play the role of face painters too for a thrifty alternative to hiring a professional entertainer!

Fairy Parties

fairy garden in a green bucket

Fairy parties are becoming increasingly popular and many little girls love the idea of having their own fairy garden to take home after the party ends!

Have party guests dress as a fairy and have fairy-themed craft stations to make their own fairy wand, decorate a pair of wings or make their own fairy garden.

A perfect way to make a fairy party really structured to ensure kids are entertained from start to finish is to make scavenger hunts with clues leading to each set of items the kids need for their fairy garden.

At each clue, they will find the next thing they need – their garden base, coloured pebbles, ornaments, potted flowers and soil.

An adult helper can come to collect each item to take back to the fairy garden-making station.

My youngest daughter has attended two fairy garden parties and they were so much fun! Best of all, you can get most of the supplies quite inexpensively yet still send the kids home with a growing garden that lasts well beyond the day of the party.

Music Jamboree

Grab a heap of kid-suitable instruments either from the toy store or using real instruments, and let them go wild making their own music at home.

Or have a proper kids music group come for the party so the kids can learn how to use and play the instruments.

For extra fun, you can get them to learn a song on their musical instrument and make their own video clip at the end that you can send to the other parents after the party.

Need a simple birthday cake idea? Try this Easy DIY Mermaid Cake Tutorial

Mobile Petting Farm

We have all seen the mini petting farms in shopping centres or at local fairs, however many are also available to come to you for a kid’s party package.

They bring the temporary fencing, animal feed, and of course the cute farm animals with them, and set up so the kids can have a great time feeding and petting their favourite farmyard animals. So fun!

There are also some options with animals that kids might not normally see so often, such as a petting zoo with reptiles and other wild animals.

All you need is a little space in your backyard where it can be set up and this will easily entertain the kids for the duration of the petting farm visit.

Make sure you let the parents know before the day in case of allergies though. And for an added bit of fun, have the kids dress in farm clothes (that they won’t mind getting a little dirty)!

Circus Party

child dressed as a clown with a loud speaker

A circus birthday party is another great entertainment option for kids of all ages.

If you have a backyard, you can easily turn it into your own big top circus complete with clowns, magicians, face painters and more!

Or hire a mobile circus troop to teach kids basic circus performance skills such as hula hooping, juggling and magic tricks.

Add some carnival games to your party activities for even more entertainment if needed.

Scavenger Hunt or Treasure Hunt Party

scavenger hunt map for a party

This is a classic kids’ party activity that can be easily tailored to any age group, theme and can even be done indoors or outdoors, depending on the location or weather of your party.

Prepare a list of items for the kids to find or clues leading them to the next item on the list, and hide them around your house or backyard.

A basic scavenger hunt doesn’t require clues and you can just let the kids go searching for whatever treasure or candy you hide.

Adding a map or clues to your treasure hunt will ensure it takes them longer.

If you want to ensure it is fair, consider using different colours bags or plastic eggs for each child so everyone gets the same amount of ‘treasure’ at the end.

Pamper Party

little girls in pink robes at pamper party with face mask on

Little girls love to get pampered so why not set up a pamper station with nail polish, hand creams, foot spas and other pamper items for them to enjoy.

They can even come dressed in their bathrobe as part of the theme.

The best way to avoid any spills is to have a couple of adults or teens help out with painting nails and applying lotions, especially if entertaining younger kids.

Go a step further and have them make their own homemade beauty products, such as lip balm or hand cream as a fun take-home gift and the perfect alternative to party bags.

Dance Party Or Disco Party

A home dance party or disco party is so much fun! It does not need to be a nighttime party to enjoy this theme, although a nighttime disco with neon lights and glow sticks is extra fun for older kids!

Instead, use block out curtains in a large room or hang tarps around your patio to create that nighttime vibe any time of the day.

Turn the music on and have the kids do their best dance moves, or actually teach them some cool new dances they don’t know. Hello, chicken dance!

Creative Classes

paint party set up with canvas and paints

For older kids, try a class aimed at teaching them a new creative skill as a unique idea for keeping little guests busy!

There are services around Australia and around the world offering drama workshops, drawing and painting or other creative skills as a children’s party entertainment package.

The workshops are created with the fun atmosphere of a birthday party, often taking breaks for snacks and party games, so kids can have a great time while learning a new skill.

Or you can save some money and do your own craft party with some fun kids craft ideas at home.

This is a good option for younger children who might not be ready for a sit-down class experience.

This is an inexpensive party theme when you DIY, plus the kids will get to take home their creations so you won’t need favour bags!

We recently did a paint party for my youngest daughter. I used my Silhouette Cameo to create unicorn stickers and had the kids paint small canvases. Once they were dry, we peeled off the unicorn stickers for a cool inverted art design they each took home with them.

Puppet Show

Puppets can be a lot of fun, so a mobile puppet show for your next child’s birthday party entertainment may be perfect for your audience.

Many performers offer different shows to suit the different children’s age groups, bringing with them a mobile puppet theatre and all the characters the kids will fall in love with.

Not keen on hiring a mobile puppet shows entertainer?

Set up your own stage from cardboard boxes and have the kids create their puppets and perform their own show at the end. This can be a really easy craft project the kids will love.

Find some easy puppet tutorials.

Jumping Castle

child upsidedown on jumping castle

Most young kids adore bouncy castles, and the great thing is you can hire one for home as the highlight of your next hosted birthday party.

Kids can bounce to their heart’s content, in between filling their tummy with delicious party food. Hopefully not too much party food between jumps though. Eeek!

Most cities have a local party hire company that you can hire through.

Or if you’re really keen, you can get your own jumping castle and use it in between the birthday parties too! It can sometimes work out cheaper than hiring surprisingly, especially if you get to use it for a few special events over the years.

Superhero Party

avengers party ideas 2

This is a great party theme for boys or girls and can be as simple or complicated as you want to make it, but best of all, a superhero theme party gives you plenty of DIY entertainment ideas!

You can go all out with homemade superhero capes, masks, and accessories that kids can decorate as part of the party activities, or buy a few inexpensive items from the local dollar store.

Set up a superhero training circuit with fun games to challenge their skills such as Thor’s hammer toss (using a toy hammer… not a real one), Captain America Shield launching (using a frisbee) or Hulk Smash balloon popping.

Give out prizes for the mightiest superheroes for a little good-natured competitiveness.

Princess Party or Character Party

There are entertainers for hire (or willing family members) who can dress up as a favourite Disney princess to entertain the party guests.

In fact, this theme isn’t limited just to princess parties.

It could be a pirate party with Captain Jack Sparrow hosting the fun or a Harry Potter party with a Hogwarts professor making a special appearance.

You could even hire character costumes for a Bluey themed birthday party!

Many party entertainers come with a lot of their own entertainment, such as face painting, party games and balloon twisting.

But if you are doing your own costumed host theme party, create activities and party games relating to your theme to keep the fun going.

Hair Braiding Party

girl getting her hair braided with purple extensions

This is a great idea for girls who love to have beautiful hairstyles! You can either hire a professional to come and braid all the girls’ hair or get mum or an auntie to help out.

If you want to do it yourself, there are plenty of hair braiding tutorials online.

Make the braids extra special by braiding coloured ribbons or rainbow hair extensions through them for a stylish look that will last for several days after the party.

This works well even for kids who don’t have long hair, as the hair extensions give the look of long braids.

Be sure to let parents know this is the plan before the party though, to make sure they are okay with their child’s hair getting braided.

Sport Party

kids playing soccer

Theme your child’s birthday party entertainment around the birthday boy or birthday girl’s favourite sports hobby with a chance for their friends to learn the skills they use in their hobby.

You might have a soccer or tennis party with kids learning the basic skills needed to play these sports.

Or a kid’s martial arts party, with a mix of learning stretches, basic moves and playing fun games.

My daughters attended a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu birthday party at their friend’s dojo one year, with fun games, basic moves and loads of activities. They loved it so much that we enrolled them into a local dojo afterwards.

Minute to Win It Party

Based on the popular TV game show, you can easily create your own Minute to Win It party games with common household items.

There are plenty of ideas online for fun and challenging Minute to Win It games that will have kids laughing and cheering each other on.

To make it extra special, create a leaderboard with everyone’s names and the points they earn for each game, just like on the TV show.

This party entertainment idea is one you can easily DIY and do on a budget!

Themed Karaoke Party

kids doing karaoke

This is a great party entertainment idea for kids who love to sing and perform. Choose a theme such as Disney songs, pop hits, Broadway musicals or 80s classics, or simply let kids choose what they feel like singing on the day.

You can either hire karaoke machines or use one that you already have at home.

If you don’t have a karaoke machine, there are apps that you can download onto your computer or phone that will allow you to create your own, or use a console game such as Singstar.

Science Party

This is a great option for kids who love science experiments! You can either hire a professional to come and do some fun science experiments with the kids or set up your own DIY science station.

There are plenty of easy and safe science experiments that you can do at home with common household items. Or do some make and take projects such as making your own slime or chalk.

You could also have a treasure hunt with clues that kids have to solve using scientific principles.

This is a great way to get kids interested in science and learning while they’re having fun!

Party Games For Kids Party Entertainment

If you need a few more children’s party entertainment ideas, here are some classic party games that are always a hit with kids:

  • Piñata
  • Pass the parcel
  • Musical statues
  • Hot potato
  • Simon says
  • Egg and spoon race
  • Sack race
  • Three-legged race
  • Musical chairs

Find 50 more party game and party activity ideas along with some super fun balloon party games too!

Hiring Professional Entertainers

Hiring professional children’s party entertainers is a great way to take the stress out of entertaining a group of kids, whether it’s for a birthday party, christening or another special event.

They will often have a range of entertainment options to choose from and can tailor the party to suit the age group and interests of the children.

When hiring professional entertainers, be sure to check their references and reviews to ensure that they are reliable and will provide a high level of service.

As you can see, there are plenty of kids’ party entertainment ideas to choose from, whether you DIY or hire professional help.

With a little planning and creativity, you can easily keep kids entertained at your next event!


NEED AN EASY NO BAKE PARTY TREAT? THESE WHITE CHOCOLATE CRACKLES ARE ALWAYS A HIT! 

Kid’s parties are so much fun, and at least once, you are allowed to go all out and make it a total blast with something unique and extra special, but remember… the thing kids love most about celebrating is the simple fact that it is a day all about them to spend with their favourite people and that doesn’t have to cost a thing!

Coming up with unique party entertainment for kids is the perfect way to create fun party memories for their special celebration!

These seasonal party games for Christmas parties and Halloween parties can easily be adapted to suit most party themes.

Want to avoid the stress of making cupcakes for your child’s school celebration? Check out these 50 ideas for birthday snacks for school, including healthy treats, non-food treats and some sugary snacks too.

I hope one of these unique children’s party ideas is the perfect way to keep your child and their friends entertained!

What is the most unique kids birthday party entertainment you’ve ever organised?? Leave a comment below. I would love to hear it! And share this post to Pinterest via the image below! Be sure to follow me on Facebook or YouTube for more kid’s party ideas like these!

Check out these fun theme party ideas:

Or check out 200 theme party ideas for endless inspiration for your next kids’ birthday party event!

Unique kids party entertainment ideas

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2 Comments

  1. Thanks for all of the unique birthday party ideas for kids. My cousin turns ten in a few months, and her parents want to do something special for her. Maybe it would help for them to look into what activities she’s interested in. They could then research local venues to see if they can find something she’ll love and which will give her a memorable day.

  2. My daughter is going to celebrate her 6th birthday. Going online to find ideas was fun. I particularly liked your magician idea and knowing there are plenty of magicians available to hire was a consideration. The outdoor cinema was great too, Ultimately, I decided to hire a birthday party entertainment company with video games. There is such versatility in this decision!

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