Grab your picnic basket because any meal can be a picnic with these simple and cute picnic ideas! Learn what to bring to a picnic with cute picnic ideas from picnic food to picnic snacks and even fun breakfast picnic ideas. What to bring to a picnic has never been easier than with these easy ideas to inspire you to go picnic!
Easy Picnic Ideas
Throughout the spring and summer seasons we picnic everyday meaning my family eats at least one meal a day outside…sometimes all three! Picnics don’t have to be fancy and as a mom of three, I love that picnics are easy to clean up! These are our favorite easy picnic food ideas for kids…oh, and the picnic basket is optional {giggle}.
While daydreaming of warmer days, we are planning and scheming for our next picnic. We are going to have the best picnic season this year with these amazing picnic ideas for kids!
Fun Picnic Ideas that are Actually Doable
Don’t get bogged down with the vision of the perfect picnic…
The red checked cloth laid out on the beach (sand!) or the middle of a field of daisies(ants! snakes!). The perfect wicker picnic basket filled with perfectly chilled potato salad, a selection of pasta salad and fruit salad (how do you perfectly chill those in a wicker picnic basket?). Fancy cut sandwiches stuffed into mason jars (I just made that up) and a complete cherry pie for dessert (because your wicker picnic basket resembles Mary Poppins bag).
Don’t worry about the details…memories are made because you did it not because it was picture-perfect!
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Best Kids Picnic Ideas…Ever!
When is the best time to picnic? Anytime! In fact, with these genius picnic ideas you will have an excuse to picnic every day of the year.
1. Try a Winter Picnic
Don’t let the weather stop you from enjoying a festive picnic outside! I love how Mooky Chick had a picnic in the snow!
2. Bring Your Furry Friends to a Teddy Bear Picnic
Invite all the stuffed animals to the living room blanket with picnic basket for what is sure to be a great way to host the best indoor picnic, ever! This cute idea is from Kitchen Counter Chronicles.
3. Create a Permanent Picnic Area in Your Yard
What about setting up an area in your yard that is a permanent picnic location? What a lovely thing to share all year long and there will be no excuses to NOT have a picnic!
4. Easy Hotel Picnic While Traveling with Kids
Traveling? Save money on restaurants and have a Picnic at the Hotel with this easy way from Peanut Blossom!
5. Host a Family Movie Night Picnic
Move the movie outside! Have a picnic of popcorn and pizza with a projector and a sheet for a night of memories and less time cleaning up.
6. Tailgate in the Trunk of Your Car or SUV
One of our favorite picnic ideas is parking near the near the airport so the kids can watch the airplanes while we eat summer picnics. This is a good idea for the evening of July 4 before fireworks which you can see in the picture above that when the rain comes on our picnic, we are ready!
7. Have a Silly Bathtub Picnic
Your kids will giggle and have a good time while thinking it’s hysterical. Plus, you can rinse out the mess when you are done!
8. Host a Fort Picnic in Your Living Room
Have a Picnic Inside a Fort for a great picnic option.
Ways to Pack a Picnic with Kids & Entire Family
What to take on a picnic is always at the top of the list of need to knows. Here are some creative picnic packing tips along with just the right thing to put inside.
9. Pack Picnic Food in a Jar
Pack Chili in a Jar for your next park picnic with the kids, with this idea from Living Locurto! I love how it is contained – all you need is the jar and a spoon and a picnic table at your local park. And they fit into your picnic basket if you are making one for each participant. This is one of my favorite picnic food ideas.
10. Pack Your Picnic in a Bag
Bring your Meal in a Bag! Paper bags make a great “buffet” for your kids to pick a meal of snacks from even on beach days.
11. Pack Your Picnic in Eggs?
Plastic Easter Eggs make terrific snack containers. Your kids will love discovering a new snack in each egg with this picnic hack from A Kailo Chic Life which makes the most amazing picnic spread taking picnic food to the next level.
12. Upcycle a Soda Bottle for Your Next Picnic
Are you looking for a disposable sippy cup? Grab an old soda bottle! We transformed one for our outing using a screwdriver to punch a hole in the lid. It was the perfect width for a straw to fit in tightly with no extra cost.
13. Upcycle Cans for Your Next Picnic
Upcycle cans into pretty outdoor cup holders for your drinks. This brilliant tip is from Positively Splendid and I need it for more than just picnics!
14. Perfect Picnic Food: Try a Muffin Tin Picnic
Muffin Tin Meal – Pack little bites of this and that in a muffin tin, and cover with tin foil for transport. It becomes an open and ready summer season buffet!
15. Pack Your Picnic in Wax Paper
Package sandwiches for a group in wax paper. Wax paper helps keep sandwiches fresh and works as a great sandwich handle to keep hands clean (and to keep food clean!) when eating picnic sandwiches!
Perfect Picnic Lunch Ideas
We often overlook all the good lunch ideas we have when it comes to picnicking, but many of the smart lunchbox ideas also make great picnic ideas.
16. Bring Picnic Salad in a Jar
Grab some favorite veggies ingredients and create single serving salads to take on the go in a mason jar, with this genius idea from Bless This Mess!
17. Picnic Food: Try a Sandwich Idea
Is it a roll? Is it a Sandwich? It’s a Meatball Sandwich and boy, it’s yummy! This sandwich is a good choice for a picnic.
18. Roll Up Your Food
These roll-up sandwiches from Lessons Learnt Journal are super easy to make. And the good news is you only need 2 ingredients for the dough!
19. Serve Boats at Your Picnic
Egg Bread Boats, from Tbsp., are high in protein, easy to transport, and super tasty making it a delicious kid-friendly picnic idea!
20. Try Making Lasagna Cupcakes
We like to make big batches of these lasagna cupcakes, with this recipe from tbsp.! They freeze well, made of common ingredients and are perfect for road-side picnics while traveling.
21. Unusual Picnic Food: Sushi at Your Picnic
Not all sushi is… well, sushi! Make your picnic lunch more fun with these Sushi great recipe variations.
22. Hand Pies are Perfect for Picnicking
Operation Lunchbox‘s Hand pies take time to make, but they are super easy to bring on a picnic! I am loving these delicious picnic food ideas to fill my picnic basket…keep them coming!
23. Savory Entree Muffins
Our absolute favorite picnic “lunch” is when I make a batch of Macaroni & Cheesecake‘s Corndog Muffins. The kids go berserk for them, and I never have enough! Ours never look as pretty as the ones from Macaroni and Cheesecake, but they are tasty!
Power Picnic Snacks Ideas
Taking a picnic snack to the park is a great way to keep the kids refreshed and playing while squeezing in a little picnic fun for kids.
24. Fruit Salad Ice Cream Cone
Take all the makings of this lovely dessert packed with fresh fruits from Bakers Royale.
25. Make a Fruity Quesadilla
All you need to make this yummy treat from Budget Bytes is a tortilla shell, bananas, and Nutella – yum! My picnic basket just giggled.
26. Don’t Forget the Ants at Your Picnic!
Ants on a log and other ant-themed items from Tipp “Ins and Outs” puts a giggle into the thought of bugs at your family summer picnic.
27. Stack Snacks in a Cup
Use cupcake liners to separate the “foods”. This tip from I Can Teach My Child is perfect for eating out-and-about.
Picnic Breakfast Ideas
If you live in a warm climate like I do (Howdy from Texas), you may find that the best time of day to picnic in the summer is early. I would pack up the kids as soon as they woke up and drive to our local park for playtime and a breakfast picnic.
28. Host a PJ Picnic
Who says you need to “go” to picnic? Surprise your kids with a silly Pajama Breakfast Picnic from Inner Fun Child.
29. AM Picnic Waffle Sandwiches
Instead of using bread for your sandwich, make a batch of waffles! Spread on peanut butter or cream cheese, and add some fruit for a tasty breakfast.
30. Take Egg Muffins to Your Breakfast Picnic
Mini-Omelets or what we like to call egg muffins– These are made with a muffin-tin with eggs, onions, ham, fresh vegetables: green pepper (throw in a little red pepper for color), mushrooms and cheddar cheese.
31. Portable Eggs in a Jar Breakfast
Egg-in-a-Jar – This yummy and portable breakfast from Paleo Leap is gluten-free!
32. Host a Breakfast Picnic at the Park
Have a fun Outdoor Breakfast with a collection of fruit and waffle sticks!
33. French Toast Sticks is a go-to Picnic Food!
This delicious idea from Fox Hollow Cottage is an easy breakfast the whole family will love! Instead of syrup, which can leave a sticky mess, try using a little cup of yogurt or almond butter.
Fun Kids Picnic Activities and Tips
Above all, have picnic fun!
34. Find a Great Picnic Blanket & Bag
How adorable is this Skip Hop Outdoor Picnic Blanket and Cooler bag (pictured above)?! Not only is it a stylish picnic basket, it is perfect for outings with kids from picnics to the beach!
35. Read a Picnic Book
Here are a list of a bunch of kids books about picnics from What Do We Do All Day.
36. Faux Picnic Food
Anytime is picnic time with these really adorable DIY felt foods from Red Ted Art.
37. Make Your Doll a Lunchbox
Now your dolls scan enjoy a picnic with you! All you need is a mint tin to make this fun DIY from Inner Child Fun.
38. Easy Picnic Ice Pack Doubles as Clean Up
Keep your food cool with a DIY Icepack – Grab a wet sponge, place it into a ziplock baggie, freeze it and viola – you have an icepack that is ready to go when you are packing your picnic basket.
Sweet Picnic Treats & Picnic Dessert Ideas
There isn’t anything better than eating a sweet picnic treat!
39. Rocky Road for the Road!
This yummy treat from Nurture Store is the perfect thing to pack up and take with you to the picnic.
40. Watermelon Krispie Treats
These are precious from Glorious Treats and would make any picnic (indoor or outdoor) much more festive!
41. Watermelon Sticks
Not only are they a fun way to cut watermelon, they’re also easier for young tots to pick up and eat.
42. Serve Pie-in-a-Cup
This idea from Inspired Camping is to layer the various ingredients, starting with crust on the bottom, and then add levels of filling, ending with a pie topping.
43. Every Picnic Needs a Monster
Monster Apple Faces are easy to make…slice a section out of the side of an apple, layer with peanut butter or cream cheese, and decorate! Your kids will love these silly faces.
Fun Picnic Games for Kids
44. Make a Big Board Game
Try these sidewalk chalk games idea to make a really big board game for the entire family to play.
45. Make a Traditional Solo Catching Game
You can easily make a cup and ball game – ball on a string game – that you catch in the cup for each of your picnickers.
46. Try this Dinosaur Ice Game
A warm summer afternoon is the perfect time to play this game with ice. It will cool everyone down while having so much dino fun.
47. Host a Paper Airplane Challenge
This game works great either indoors or outdoors. First, everyone can make their paper airplane and then take it to the picnic for a series of paper airplane flying challenges.
48. Blow Bubbles!
There are so many reasons to blow bubbles and a picnic is definitely at the top of the list! Take along your favorite homemade bubble solution for some bouncing bubbles or try making giant bubbles!
Pssst…you could even do some bubble painting!
49. Go On a Nature Scavenger Hunt
Before you head out to the picnic, download and print this free outdoor scavenger hunt for kids. It is a big adventure for kids of all ages.
50. Try Outdoor Art!
We have the coolest outdoor crafts for kids that will turn a little picnic time into some pretty cool art projects.
Oh so many ways to picnic!
Outdoor Fun for the Family
What are some easy and delicious picnic food ideas?
When it comes to picnic ideas, there are plenty of easy and yummy foods you can bring. Sandwiches like ham and cheese or peanut butter and jelly, are perfect picnic food. Fruits like grapes or sliced watermelon are refreshing and perfect for a picnic. Carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes make great healthy snacks. Don’t forget to pack some crunchy treats like chips or crackers. Cheese cubes or string cheese are also tasty picnic foods. For something sweet, you can bring cookies or brownies to enjoy.
How can I plan a fun and memorable picnic?
The most important thing is to just DO IT! Kids do not get enough outside time – so anything that gets them outdoors is a win! So don’t overcomplicate it.
- Choose an outdoor location, like a park or beach or even your backyard, for your picnic.
- Pack a blanket or picnic mat to sit on and enjoy your meal.
- Prepare delicious and easy-to-eat foods like sandwiches, fruits, and snacks.
- Don’t forget to bring drinks and water to stay hydrated.
- Bring some games or toys to play with, like a frisbee or a ball, for extra fun.
- Bring a camera or smartphone to take pictures.
- Make sure to clean up and leave the area as you found it, respecting nature and the environment.
With these picnic ideas, you’ll be able to plan a fantastic and memorable picnic that everyone will enjoy!
What are the essential items I should bring for a picnic?
It’s important to stay hydrated, so remember to bring something to drink for everyone. To keep your food fresh, bring a cooler with ice packs. Toss bug spray, sunscreen, and a small first aid kit in your bag just in case you need them. We also like to bring hand wipes or baby wipes for messy hands just in case.
I waited all winter for warmer weather and fun in the sun with my family! Here are some fun crafts, activities, and recipes to celebrate spring and summer:
What is your favorite picnic idea?
