Family gatherings are fun and memorable for adults, but not so much for the young ones – unless you know how to keep them busy and entertained! Here are a few suggestions for the next time you will have to keep kids down at an event:
Books and Movies
Some kids are visual learners. They enjoy seeing and watching colorful books and movies. Before the day of your event, you can prepare fun and interesting books and movies for them to read and watch. Once the party starts, you can assign some of the older teens to read to the kids, or to facilitate the movies to watch. While they are being entertained, provide mugs of hot chocolate or glasses of iced tea and some snacks for them to munch on. Popcorn is the best snack for these young ones!
Arts and Crafts
If you have an extra space in your backyard to have a corner for crafts and activities where the kids can happily work on, this is a great idea! You can have them work on puzzles, coloring books, crafts, building blocks and other activities that require them to use their creativity. Similar to the movies and books, you can assign an older teen or an adult to supervise them as they go about these activities. If you want a no-supervision corner, you can keep your materials kid-friendly – plastic scissors for crafting, jumbo crayons and coloring books, plastic blocks, jumbo puzzle pieces, etc. Whatever activity you would have them do, just make sure you have enough supplies at hand so they don’t fight over the materials.
Fun Games
A game or two are sure to keep the young ones busy and easily entertained while the adults are having their own fun. Depending on the space you have, you can have as many interactive games such as Simon Says, Pin the Tail on the Donkey, and so on. You can also involve the children in relay races, poolside games, hide-and-seek, and Stop Dances. Keep the ages of the kids in mind as you plan these games. For this activity, you should also have an adult facilitate the different games. To make things more interesting, you can also provide prizes for the winners. Sweets and small trinkets do the trick!
Fun Worksheets
There might be children who do not enjoy physical games so much. If you would encounter these kids, it’s best to be prepared with mind-stimulating activities such as coloring sheets, connect-the-dots sheets, reading materials, etc. There are several printable worksheets that you can find online. Preschool worksheets can both be fun and educative – make sure you print a variety to keep them going.
For these activities, you will surely need outdoor tables, chairs and sofas. Head over Palm Casual for stackable chairs and tables made from recyclable plastic. Even if the kids spill their drinks on your outdoor furniture, rest assured it won’t be a problem!
Keep Kids Busy During a Party
