PARTYGAMES
As the nights draw in and autumn arrives, thoughts turn to the two main social events in a child’s social calendar: Halloween and Bonfire Night!
Banish the dreary evenings by getting friends together and indulge in some indoor fun that everyone can join in! Tweak traditional ideas according to the theme of your party.
Halloween take on pass the parcel - pass the pumpkin! Cover a large deep plastic bowl in orange paper with a black pen draw on the face. Fill with small prizes and pass round!
Pin the tail on the black cat - Who needs a donkey anyway?
Apple bobbing - Rather than apple bobbing with the mess (and risk) of water, try tying apples securely on string, suspended from a broom between two chairs and (under supervision) see who can bite their apple first! For a sugary version try doughnut rings!
Hunt high and low - Hide cardboard cut-outs around the house for children to seek and find. Or why not go further with a buried treasure chest from a sunken ship containing mysterious treasure...?
Feeling Messy - Take a bag of flour, tip into a bowl and stir in jelly sweets or smarties. Press firmly into bowl and turn out onto a plate (think sandcastles!) children have to dig through the flour to find the sweeties. Older children love doing this with their teeth!
Feeling Creative - Why not get everyone dressed up? Use a paper plate and some imagination to make masks (scary or otherwise). Punch a hole in each side and secure over each ear with a rubber band. Theme according to event: Cats for Halloween with pipe cleaner whiskers; Glitter for bonfire night is a timeless, simple yet effective start!
Devilish Disco - Every child loves to dance, and so do the grown ups if we are honest! Alongside toddler favourites why not teach them The Time Warp / Hop, Hop, Slide / YMCA?
Remember that, while we find it cute to dress our children as pumpkins, some find it scary and do respect that many people do not acknowledge these events at all. Remember if you do hit the streets trick or treating, follow the guide that if a house has a pumpkin visible from the street they are willing to be visited! Otherwise walk on by!
On Bonfire night, gauge whether your child is ready for attending an event by watching their reaction to the premature fireworks that go off a few days before! If in doubt, wait a year rather than terrify them for life - however keen you may be! Bonfire night is loud and dark so consider small ears and little bodies in cold crowded fields!
Author, Laura Anderson-Smith, Managing Director, Tiny Acorns Ltd, Tel. 07949 086259
Editor, Helen McClorry, Babies on board Magazine.
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