Kids Entertainment At A Wedding! Tips on How Kids can Enjoy a Wedding! Baby Shark DooDoo. Planning for a kid-friendly wedding reception ideas? Or maybe how to keep toddlers entertained during the wedding? Wedding games for kids? A wedding kids’ table perhaps? Toddlers at weddings? Kids at weddings? In this guide, we are sharing ideas and activities on how to keep kids entertained during your wedding!
- Outdoor Games
- Fun at the Reception
- Categorize the table for the kids
- Movie Option
- Professional Babysitters
- Photo & Props Fun
- Mini Art Club
- Cute Presents
You might probably be wondering, especially those who have “OK’d” having children at their wedding, how to entertain and keep them from getting cranky.
One of the keys to having a stress-free reception while having kids around is preparing and providing plenty of kid-friendly fun, anticipating possible scenarios, and facilitating them. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of ways to help entertain children at weddings because a happy crew of kids will make your ‘one fab day’ so much easier.
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Kids Entertainment At A Wedding
1. Outdoor Games
If you have planned an outdoor wedding, why not have old-fashioned outdoor games? Hopscotch, Lawn bowling, Twister, outdoor Jenga, and Connect4 will keep them entertained for hours. Simple kites, skip ropes, and hula hoops are all excellent as well.
PRO TIP: Create a section specifically for the ‘kids’ to enjoy these outdoor games. Avoid placing all these things beside the tables and chairs. This will give your guests without kids enjoyment without distractions. You can also introduce or bring up the idea to your guests with kids to a kid’s wedding caregiving service (similar to this) while at a wedding to help them out.
2. Fun at the Reception
Set up an area (roll out a soft carpet and some pillows!) full of board games or jigsaws and retro favorites such as Guess Who, Monopoly, Operation, or Hungry Hippos, which will keep them busy and encourage them to mingle, especially for indoor weddings.
For much younger kids, you can consider puzzles, coloring sets, and the like.
You can also set this up in the lounge or lobby area so the kids won’t be hearing banger music while the party is going!
PRO TIP: Choose games and activities that will keep them occupied but not loud. Remember that there is still a reception going on, and the last thing you want to hear are the kids screaming or suddenly reacting to whichever game they chose to play.
GAME ROOM: You can allocate a game space/room, especially if you expect more than 6-8 kids at your wedding. This room doesn’t mean that they will hang in there the whole night!
But this is a space/room where their parents can take them to keep them occupied once they start feeling uncomfortable or uneasy at the reception!
3. Categorize the table for the kids
If several children of the same age attend, make it more enjoyable for them by seating them all together and allowing them to have fun during dinner. You can, of course, ask their parents if this is something that works for them – as they would know their children better.
You can also consider preparing a specific menu for them and a few games and entertainment – some of which were mentioned earlier.
4. Movie Option (one of our fave kids’ entertainment at a wedding!)
Set up a peaceful place for a movie to keep the kids entertained.
Put some comfy pillows and cushions, beanbags, or kiddie chairs on the floor and switch on a movie. You can also give out mini bags of popcorn!
This is still a super cute idea for winding downtime before getting the kids to bed later in the evening.
There are some movies and cartoons that they can still watch even without the volume on! Masha and Pink Panther are some examples!
PRO TIP: It can help to remind the parents to bring noise protection earmuffs for the little ones! For the most part, parents will always have these handy, but it will not hurt to send a reminder!
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5. Professional Babysitters
Well-trained babysitters (similar to this) may be hired to care for the children during the wedding. They entertain and supervise children in a specified location in or around the wedding reception before and after the wedding dinner.
It will allow you and your guests to relax and enjoy the wedding reception knowing that the children are safe and, most importantly, having fun!
PRO TIP: You can have them for a few hours. The parents can still supervise the babysitter and their kids, but what these babysitters can help with is freeing their hands and giving them a chance to mingle and enjoy – at least some parts of the wedding.
6. Photo & Props Fun
Provide cute dress-up pieces and portrait props for your photo booth. This can also be easily DIY-ed. As a matter of fact, this does not even need to be a real photo booth, but a space where they can play around with pieces, props, and accessories!
7. Mini Art Club (one of the easiest kids entertainment at a wedding!)
Kids love to create things, so a mini area full of crayon pots and art products like markers, pipe cleaners, and the like. Will keep their artistic juice flowings, hence, keeping them occupied.
Sticker painting activity books will also help to keep the mess of tons of crayons and art products on the table!
Wedding-themed crafts such as decorating a cake or a cupcake will be great!
PRO TIP: Kids can easily be stimulated with the crafts you put out! If you put out cakes and cupcakes as ‘activity’, they might want to have it in real life!
And you know what sugar can do to kids (or to anyone for that matter!). Consider the timings of the activities accordingly to make them more effective.
8. Cute Presents
Fill in little goody bags with age-appropriate gifts for each of your little visitors. Put one at each child’s place setting at the reception desk to keep the little ones entertained.
This doesn’t have to be expensive; you can find many fun items in the stores, even at your local discount craft stores. Here’s a brief list of some of the things you could include:
- crayon sets (choose washable!)
- mini-puzzles
- activity books
TAKE AWAY:
Kids can range in age. Consider the kids’ age that you are catering to, as this will help you decide the right placement and entertainment for them; essentially, have a better idea of how the kids can enjoy your wedding!
You also don’t have to go too far in terms of what you can provide, but the gesture is definitely a nice touch! Chat with their parents and see if there is anything that you can help them with!
Remember that you can also bring home all these games, toys, and props for you to use at your next party! Because adults can totally enjoy children’s games as well!
