DIY Baseball & Softball Birthday Ideas
One of the best ideas for a baseball or softball birthday party is plastic bat taping. Kids can't stop designing their own baseball bat. They love writing their name on it, doing different patterns on it and calling it their own. Kore Baseball offers a set of plastic bats and tape that can let the kids make whatever bats they want. Check out this link to see the custom bat kit that they sell. If you are looking for bulk pricing message us because we can work something out on bulk pricing. This makes the party a way for kids to all make their own bat, and then play a game with it afterwards. Here are some photos of the kids making their custom bats so you can see:
These kids get lost in designing their bats to make it exactly the design they want. It's the best kids' craft, and having so many colors of tape to pick from makes it extremely fun for them. This also allows everyone to take home a party favor. 
After they are done designing their bat, if you want to make it extra fun, you can do a home run derby or set up different skills competitions. At our party we did a home run durby and set up a fence. The winner got some big league chew. This gives them the opportunity to use their new bat in action! The Kore Baseball also allows the ball to go far and is soft so it won't break anything if a kid accidently hits a car or house window.
After the skills competitions we just did a scrimmage. If you are using these plastic bats you are going to want to play with a Kore Baseball or a wiffle ball. This is also nice because then the kids dont have to bring their mitts to the party, they can just play and you dont have to worry about any of them breaking their nose from a real baseball. This party is ideal because then these kids can have a good time and a safe time as well.
Other Ideas
If you are wanting to add to this party something I think that would be really fun is a baseball game with a slip n slide if you are doing it in the summer. Playing Kore Ball but with a slip n slide would be extremely fun. It definitely might not be as safe but the kids would have a blast sliding everywhere.
Baseball Party Favors That Aren't Junk
The bat is the party favor. That is honestly the main reason we like doing it this way. Every kid leaves with something they made themselves and put their own name on, and it's something they will actually use in the backyard instead of something that ends up in a drawer by Tuesday.
If you have ever done a party where you hand out a bag of little plastic stuff, you know exactly what happens to it. Half of it is broken before the kids get to the car. The Bat makes so the kids will want to get together again and play outside.
If you want to add a few more things to send home, here is what has worked for us:
- A Kore Baseball for each kid. They can play catch with it at home, throw it inside, and it goes with the bat they just made.
- Big League Chew. This is a classic and the kids lose their minds over it.
- Sunflower seeds. Older kids especially. Just know they are going to spit them everywhere.
- A pack of the tape in their color so they can redo their bat later or fix it up.
- Baseball cards. You can get a big box of them pretty cheap and let each kid pick a few.
You really don't need much more than that. The bat is doing the work.
One thing I would say is to skip the goodie bag itself if you are doing bats. Trying to carry a bat and a bag of stuff at the same time is a lot for a six year old. We just hand things out at the end.
Easy Baseball Party Decorations
You can spend a lot of money on baseball party decorations or you can use stuff you already have. We have done it both ways and honestly nobody notices the difference except the parents.
Here is the cheap version that looks great:
Chalk the baselines. If you have a driveway or a flat spot in the yard, draw the diamond with sidewalk chalk. It costs about four dollars and it instantly makes the whole thing feel like a real field. Kids will follow the lines without you telling them to.
Use your actual gear as decorations. Hang mitts on the fence. Lean bats against the table. Put a helmet in the middle of the food table. It looks intentional and it costs nothing because you already own it.
Paper plates and a red tablecloth. That is genuinely it for the table. If you want to get fancy, red and white striped anything reads as baseball immediately.
A "field" sign. We made a piece of poster board that said the kid's name and Field and stuck it at the entrance to the backyard. It took five minutes and the birthday kid thought it was the greatest thing ever.
The decorations matter way less than you think. The kids are there to hit stuff.
Baseball Birthday Party Food
Lean into the concession stand thing. It is the easiest theme in the world to pull off because ballpark food is already kid food.
- Hot dogs. Obviously.
- Popcorn in the paper bags or cones.
- Peanuts, if nobody at the party has an allergy. Check first, always.
- Cracker Jack or any caramel popcorn.
- Nachos with the cheese pump if you are feeling ambitious.
- Slushies or lemonade in a drink dispenser.
- Cupcakes with a baseball on top, or just a sheet cake with the diamond drawn on it in frosting.
If you want one thing that makes it feel real, set up a little table as the concession stand and let a couple of the kids run it for a while. They love being in charge of something.
We do the food after the bat decorating and before the games. If you feed them right before they hit, you are asking for trouble.
What Games Work at What Age
This is the part people get wrong. A game that is perfect for a nine year old will make a five year old cry, and a game a five year old loves will bore a ten year old in about four minutes.
Ages 4 to 6. Keep it simple and keep everybody moving. Tee ball off a cone works great. Run the bases as fast as you can while somebody times you. Knock over a stack of cups with a thrown ball. Do not try to play an actual game with innings and outs, it will not work and that is fine.
Ages 7 and up . This is the sweet spot for a home run derby. Set up a fence or just mark a line and see who can hit past it. Skills stations also work really well here. Set up three or four stations, throwing accuracy, base running, hitting for distance, and let them rotate through. Give out something small for each one. They also can scrimmage and they love it.
Whatever age, a soft ball changes what you can do. You can set up in a smaller yard, you don't have to worry about windows, and nobody needs a mitt.
What To Do If It Rains
This is worth having a plan for because it happens constantly and it ruins a lot of parties.
The good news is bat decorating is an indoor activity. If it is pouring, you do that inside at the kitchen table and it is exactly as fun as it would have been outside. That alone can carry a whole party.
For games, if you have a garage or a basement, you can play with a Kore Baseball indoors. That is the whole reason we made a ball that doesn't break things. Set up a hitting station, do a throwing accuracy game against a wall, play catch in a hallway.
We have also just moved everything to the garage with the door open and it worked fine.
If you are planning a party in the spring, I would decide ahead of time what your rain plan is instead of figuring it out at nine in the morning while it is raining.
A Rough Timeline
For a two hour party, here is what has worked for us:
- First 20 minutes. Kids arrive, get everybody a bat and let them start taping. Some kids will be fast and some will take the entire time. That is fine.
- Next 30 minutes. Finish bats, take pictures of everybody holding theirs.
- Next 20 minutes. Food.
- Next 60 minutes. Games. Home run derby, skills stations, or a scrimmage depending on age.
- Last 10 minutes. Cake, hand out anything else going home, done.
The bat decorating always takes longer than you think it will and that is a good thing. It is the part they remember.
If you're doing a team party
Same principles, bigger scale. End-of-season parties and banquets are a good fit for the bat decorating, because every kid gets something with their name on it and it costs less than trophies.
We put together a Custom Bat Kit with four bats and tape for this. If you need enough for a whole roster, message us — we'll work something out on bulk pricing.