Keeping Kids Entertained

This is a guest post by the talented Olivia Nicholas of Storkie. Please share your feedback in the comments!

Keeping Kids Entertained at a WeddingThere are many fun and festive ways for you to keep your littlest guests occupied on your big day.  Here are few thoughts on how to keep them entertained and occupied while still making them a part of your celebration.

Ask if your wedding venue has a space where a group of kids would have room to play.  Many facilities have a dining hall, basement or other large space that could work.  Put a friend or family member in charge of decorating this space with streamers and balloons in order to set a festive mood.  Order plenty of pizzas and have ice cream bars handy for dessert (while this seems a bit casual for a wedding, the kids would really prefer this to the tuna tartare and lemon coconut cake with fruit compote that the adults will be eating).  Hire a group of teenage babysitters to help keep them entertained and both the kids and their parents will thank you for it!

If you are not able to have a separate kids party, do what you can to accommodate the kids at the reception.  Make sure you have kid friendly foods available and consider having a dessert station where they can decorate their own cupcakes or assemble their own ice cream sundaes.  You could also have a designated area of the hall (or even a hallway where the music is a bit quieter) reserved for little dancers.  Hang streamers four or five feet up off of the floor and create a “kids only” dance floor.  The kids will be more comfortable dancing without adults towering over them and the adults won’t have to keep a look out for children underfoot!

Older kids are generally less of a concern at the reception, but you can keep them busy by giving them a task such as documenting the reception on video.  Sure you have your videographer on the job, but kids will ask your guests more entertaining questions!  Be sure to have an adult supervise their activities and help run the camera.  Once the reception is over, you can upload an edited version online for your guests to see!

Listed below are a handful of ideas to help occupy and entertain kids at the reception.  While a separate room (with a babysitter, of course) works best, these activities could also be set up in an out of the way spot of the larger reception as well:

Keep Children Entertained at Weddings and Parties

  •  Have an artistic friend draw pictures of you and your new spouse on the wedding day.  Photocopy the images and put out cups full of crayons and let the kids color away!  If you don’t have an artsy friend, regular coloring  books will do just fine.

 

  •  Have a large bin of dress-up clothes and accessories (wigs, hats, jewelry, etc.).  Garage sales and second-hand stores are the perfect place to find outrageous outfits for the kids to play in (just be sure to give them a good wash first!).  And don’t forget to provide a full-length mirror for the kids to admire themselves in!  This will provide hours of entertainment!

 

  • Have a few video game stations set up with games appropriate for younger kids as well as older kids.  (You can rent a wide variety of these from your local video store.)  This will likely be one of the more popular activities, so be sure that the babysitters set a 10 minute timer in order to avoid fights.

 

  •  Set up a movie to play in a corner of the room for the sleepy kids.  Have lots of pillows, blankets, sleeping bags and even camping pads for them to lounge on.  After a busy day, they will appreciate having a space where they can veg out a bit.

 

  •  Have a crafting station with materials to make friendship bracelets, bead necklaces or other crafts.  You can pick up some kid-sized picnic tables/benches so they can sit comfortably.

 

  • Get a sturdy piece of poster board and write “congratulations” on it in big block letters.  Then set a craft table up with markers, glitter, craft feathers, jewels and other adornments for the kids to decorate it with.  This would make a fabulous piece of framed art to hang in your home!  (You could also have them decorate the matting of a large picture frame.  Pop in a picture of you with the kids at the reception and hang it in the den after the big day.)

 

  • Have one of the babysitters in charge of playing games.  Circle games such as “honey, if you love me won’t you please smile” or theater games such as “charades” or “freeze” are good ones to consider (directions for these and plenty of other games can be easily found online).

Regardless of the specific activities you decide to do, it is thoughtful to recommend (perhaps on your wedding website) that kids bring a change of clothes for the reception.  The kids will feel more relaxed and will have more fun playing if they are in comfortable clothes.

A child-friendly reception can be fun and stress-free with just a little bit of planning.  Parents will appreciate the opportunity to include their children in the festivities and the kids will have the time of their lives!  Don’t for get to request that the photographer get some pictures of the children at the reception.  You (and the rest of your family and friends) will have fun looking through them after the big day!

Olivia Nicholas

 

 

Olivia Nicholas is a writer and blogger.  She has been writing wedding related articles and blogging for over 10 years and is a freelance writer for Storkie.

 

 

 

 

 

Want to write a guest blog for the West Palm Beach Event Hall’s Event & Party Planning Blog? Apply now!

 

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