I don't talk a lot about how to keep kids entertained at a wedding (which is funny, considering I work as an educational consultant and am going back into the classroom as a 1st-3rd grade teacher at a public Montessori school this fall!).One tried and true strategy is coloring books. Although it might be easier to go to the Dollar Store, buy some coloring books, and use an x-acto knife to cut out loose pages (so it's easier for the kids to take them home), I thought I would go ahead and provide a list of some more progressive coloring pages that can be printed for free:
- Gandhi
- I Have a Dream
- Montgomery Bus Boycott
- Safety (like don't put your finger in an electrical socket)
- Teamwork
- Save the Earth
20 comments:
Yeah. About the bouncy house. That one got vetoed by my fiance. Only because he knew he wouldn't see me for the rest of the wedding... (we're planning a street party for September though, and for that there will be one)
That is a great idea. And with that, you could also make crayons like these: http://zakkalife.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-to-recycle-old-crayons-into-new.html
Another couple made crayons for little guests at their wedding using these trays: http://www.amazon.com/Silicone-Alphabet-Letter-Bake-Tray/dp/B001CJGM1E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1247751805&sr=8-2. I can't seem to find the post now with the instructions (they baked the crayons), but the crayons turned out amazing!
In addition to just coloring, we're planning a whole craft table for the kids with construction paper, pipe cleaners, glue sticks, etc.
We're using butcher block paper to cover ALL of the tables instead of linens. We're then adding crayons around, a'la Macaroni Grill, so that all of our guests, big and small, can be entertained!
what about kids that are like 10 and 11 and are too "cool" to color?
I'm not near planning a wedding yet, but it's always been my idea to have a pinata, especially at the part where the bride throws her bouquet. What a great way to keep kids distracted and a lot less messy. Glue near a wedding dress...that thought is to scary for me.
great post. thanks for sharing
Wow - great ideas here!
i'm lucky - I have an upstairs area where the kiddies are going to dine (with hired supervision). That particular room has a drop down screen and video projector, so I'm renting a few kid friendly DVD's to keep them occupied, like Wall-E and Kung-Fu Panda. Stuff the older kids will like as well as the young ones.
Those fuzzy bendable pipe cleaners from craft stores! These would always be in the kids bags at church when I was younger and it definitely kept me occupied.
For those too "cool" to color, maybe some seek and find puzzles and the like...
The nature center where we are getting married already has a great activity room for kids, plus cool exhibits. There is also a really big lawn, so I think we're gonna set up croquet or something else out there for the kids to do. (And yeah, bouncy house if it fits in the budget.)
My boyfriend's sister-in-law made a coloring book that told the happy couple's story (and explained some parts of the ceremony)for the kids. Ushers passed copies out with programs to families attending the wedding. Sadly, there were no spares for this twenty-one-year old bridesmaid.
We are probably going to have about 20 kids at our wedding. We encouraged all our our friends and family to bring their children to celelbrate with us no matter what the age. I ordered some really cute twig colored pencils (basically they look like sticks) from someone on ebay. I'm making little notepads for kids to color on and doodle and for the front cover I'm going to 'cartoon-ize" a photo of my Fiance and I. They are tied together with some vintage looking ribbon. During the reception we are going to have a 'kid food' table with chicken nuggets, goldfish (the crackers), juice boxes, cut up fruit, and a fun cake.
After dinner I am going to throw my bouquet to the little girls (not into embarrassing my single friends), and my Fiance is going to throw an Ugly Doll (with a cute little bow tie that I made) to the little boys.
Then we have a pinata that the kids will break open, and then cut the cake. We are also going to do what many others have done, and have some outdoor games and an indoor game room with kid and adult games.
We are hoping it will make for a fun experience for the kids. And I always enjoy watching kids have fun, so I think that will be fun for the adults. AND i will not have to be the center of attention all of that time. :)
-Melissa
We're planning on having a summertime outdoor wedding on a ranch. I'm looking into a bounce house and a s'mores or cotton candy area. If the budget allows, I might just hire a babysitter/entertainer to monitor a kids area. The oriental trading company also has some kits with coloring books, placemats, activities, etc.
We're not having many kids at the wedding--five under age 5 and two mid-size ones. I'm hoping that all our wedding activities will be fun for all ages. We've got dancing, yo-yos, hula hoops, a talent show, root beer floats, sparklers, and a lot of people who enjoy hanging out with kids. I would be kind of sad if I saw the kids sitting in a corner coloring, honestly, although no judgement towards people who go that route. It probably depends on what kind of kids you've got attending--ours are pretty active and social, and will probably have more fun running around playing tag or something. ;)
The biggest hit at my wedding (where we had about 20 kids under 10) was the activity table we set up for them. I made wedding coloring books with info. about our wedding party and bought a bunch of crayons on sale during back to school sales. I also bought glow bracelets, jewelry and cars, bulk pads of paper, stickers, and play dough at the dollar store. I spent less than $20 and the kids LOVED IT, even the older ones. We sent the kids home with leftover supplies so nothing went to waste.
You only really need to entertain them until the dancing starts, if you're having any, once the music started they were all on the dance floor having a ball!
A Gandhi and MLK colouring book! What a great idea.
I'd been planning to make favor bags for the kids after a run to the dollar store - coloring, bubbles, puzzles, etc. And since it's outside, I'm hoping they'll take advantage of the yard to run.
We've made it clear that while children are very welcome, we aren't providing childcare. My sister and sister-in-law have decided to pay for two high school girls to come to take care of childcare so that they can enjoy the party a bit more. If there's a number of parents coming, maybe they could share the expense?
@ Marina -
dang girl! your wedding sounds F.U.N. !!!
I'm currently up to 25 kids and so nervous about it. We are having a backyard wedding with a bouncy house. Has anybody ever had that many kids at their wedding?
fingers crossed on no rain or we are up a creek)
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