Teddy Bear Picnic Birthday Party Ideas on a Budget

Plan a magical teddy bear picnic birthday party with sweet DIY decor, activities, and budget-friendly ideas for an unforgettable outdoor celebration.

Our son’s favorite book right now is a sweet little board book that brings the Teddy Bear Picnic song to life—and it inspired his entire birthday party! I found the cutest printable invitation on Etsy that matched the theme perfectly, and the rest of the party came together from there.

We had such a wonderful time celebrating our little guy turning four with a cozy backyard picnic. It was my kind of party—stress-free, simple to pull together, and so much fun! I wanted to share a few ideas from the day in case you’re thinking about this theme for your own little one. (This post contains affiliate links—thank you for supporting my site!)

Simple Teddy Bear Picnic Food Ideas

I love picnic themes, because they lend themselves to easy food that can be made ahead!

Teddy Bear Sandwiches

For our picnic, we had teddy bear shaped sandwiches that I cut using a teddy bear cookie cutter set from Amazon. The medium sized cutter made for a small sandwich with our bread, so I used the top half of the largest cutter to create teddy bear “faces” that were super cute. If you are using a larger size bread, you can also squeeze two medium size bears from one sandwich.

Teddy Bear Trail Mix

Then we mixed up a teddy bear trail mix with teddy grahams. I also made a “woodland berry” fruit salad with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries to have some fun with the teddy bear theme.

Watermelon on a Stick

I found an adorable idea on Pinterest to make watermelon “popsicles”. They were easy to do, and the kids loved them.

To finish off the food, we had a veggie, cheese, and cracker tray. Drinks were simple as well with just bottled water, lemonade, and juice boxes.

Teddy Bear Picnic Birthday Cake

For dessert, we had cupcakes decorated with teddy grahams, and of course a chocolate teddy bear cake! I have pretty much zero cake decorating experience, but this cake really wasn’t too much trouble to make! The cake is just a simple two layer cake, and the ears are made from rice crispy treats, which makes them super simple to mold! I added texture to the icing with a simple piping tip. I found my inspiration and a great tutorial for the cake at My Three Tiny Things.

DIY Decorations for a Teddy Bear Picnic

To kick off the teddy bear fun, we put together a few simple DIY decorations!

DIY Low Picnic Table

We all sat down with our teddy bears for our at home picnic at a homemade low picnic table. I made it in just a few minutes with wooden crates and wood boards placed on top of blankets from the house. We covered the table with a roll of kraft paper and a gingham tablecloth, and set out colored pencils. The little ones colored on the table while they ate lunch.

Beehive Pinata

I made a simple beehive pinata out of a balloon and newspaper with crepe paper and little wooden stick on bees, which made for a fun decoration, and was a huge hit for our rough and tumble boy!

The highlight was probably when the kids made honey bee slime complete with the same little wooden bees to stick inside. I just pulled the little adhesive stickers off the remaining bees from the pinata and decor to use in the slime.

Unfortunately this was about the time I really forgot to take pictures without all the kids in them! I am definitely glad we covered the table with kraft paper, because clean up was easy. It was some seriously messy fun!

In between eating lunch, pinata and slime making, the kids played on the swing set and jumped in our little bounce house, and there was actually time to sit and chat with the other Mamas. I call that a win!

Do you have any low key birthday party ideas or themes to share? If you enjoy outdoor party fun, you might also enjoy this camping party or this DIY glamping party guide!

Teddy Bear Picnic Party FAQs

What do you serve at a teddy bear picnic party? Simple kid-friendly picnic foods like ham and cheese sandwiches or PB&J, fruit kabobs, lemonade, and cupcakes work great.
How do you decorate for a teddy bear birthday? Use gingham blankets, plush teddy bears, picnic baskets, and DIY or printable nature-themed signs and favors.
What age is best for a teddy bear picnic party? This theme is perfect for toddlers to early elementary-aged children, especially ages 1–6.