If you’re looking for a few fun ideas for little kids, here what we’ll be doing in my son’s classroom:
The Snack. The snack is, of course, all-important. However, the Healthy Police have arrived at our school and sweet treats are strongly discouraged. Let me just tell you right up front that I will not be the Room Mom who brings apples. Sorry. If that’s what you’re looking for, then you can be the Room Mom.
Still, I want to respect the school rules so this year we won’t be decorating a really yummy pumpkin-shaped cookie with icing and sprinkles. (You can come over later, though, if you want to make some at my house.) At the party, we’ll be having ice cream cones (no ice cream) filled with a tasty mix of cheerios and pretzels (healthy) and m&ms and mini-marshmallows (not so healthy, but fun). If the kids stage a revolt, I’ll let you know.
The Funny Game. Years and years ago a mom brought this game to my older son’s class party. I have used it at birthday parties (using football shapes) and class parties ever since. I wish I knew the real name, so I could link to some great instructions, but I don’t, so I’ll try my best to describe it. Cut shapes out of paper—for this party we made a ghost shape—that can be folded over like a notecard. On the inside, write something the child must do. “Quack like a duck,” or “Walk backwards” or “‘moo’ like a cow,” for example. Make lots of these. Other ideas:
Split the kids into two lines. The person at the front of each line runs down the hall, chooses an instruction from the bowl, and acts/sounds out the instructions all the way back to the front of the line. Then, the next person goes. The group to finish first wins. The kids love this. They want to play this game over and over, and they howl the entire time. (I usually slip everyone a piece of candy at the end but I guess we’ll skip that this year.)
Mr. Bones Relay. I’ve been a Room Parent a few times now and games are my favorite activity. It keeps the kids engaged and moving, and any parent can help run the station. This idea came straight from Family Fun. The gist of the game is that the kids are split into two lines & each line has the makings of an entire skeleton (in pieces) in a bowl across the room. The child at the front of the line runs down and chooses a bone from their bowl, sticks it on the wall, and runs to the end of the line. The next child does the same thing. The first team to correctly complete their skeleton wins. The only change we made is that the mom in charge of this game went out and bought paper skeletons, then disassembled them, rather than printing and cutting. Time or money: take your pick.
The Craft. As you may have noticed by now, I am the mother of three boys. God was just in this decision, and gracious, because crafts are not my forte. Now, before you crafty types get all up in arms about how boys can do crafts, too, let me tell you that I already know this, which is one of the many reasons they all attended pre-school. It was a perfect place for them to explore the joy of glitter and paste among friends. (Also, we have Perler Beads. So there.) Because our school is also down on goodie bags this year, we’re making a tasty take-home craft.
Ingredients: A tootsie-pop or blow pop; a pipe cleaner, a paper towel, and, for you over-achievers, a pen to draw eyes. The kids wrap the lollipop with the paper towel, secure it with the pipe cleaner, and voila, it’s a little ghost. These are so cute! The kids can take them home to eat later because, you know, they won’t be getting enough candy tomorrow. For full instructions, click here.
In a few hours, I’ll be doing these activities with 25 6 and 7-year olds. Wish me luck!
I’ve been posting over at Midwest Parents this week. If you’re interested in any of the following, click on over: pumpkin carving templates, tasty pumpkin seeds, photos from our trip to Rome, my book review (Your Money or Your Life), or my recipe for Spicy Squash Soup.
photo credit: Svadilfari