Keeping the kids amused at family gatherings
It was an eye opener the other day when I was invited to a rather large family gathering. All ages were there from babies to the grandparents.
The organiser of the party had enough common sense to have the foresight to realise that in order to help to make things run smoothly there had to be some entertainment for the little ones. Things can get quite frantic when there are a room full of kids with nothing to occupy them!
In one corner she had organised a table with art supplies for the children. There were crayons, stickers, drawing pads and pots of paint. They were asked to come up with the best picture which would then be judged and a prize would be won.
A number of small board games such as draughts and ludo were at another table for the slightly older children and the more serious children seemed happy to get stuck into these. I noticed that one of the older children was quite happily entertaining a small group of children by reading them their favourite story.
Another rather novel idea was that someone provided all the more capable ones with small disposable cameras. This kept them happy for ages and it was also a great way for the quieter children to break the ice by interacting with the adults. This was not necessary with the majority of them who were snapping away and having a great time.
When it comes to big family get togethers it can sometimes be the case that you come away feeling somewhat jaded especially if your child is full of energy, so what a great idea, this takes the pressure off everyone. It took just a bit of extra planning but was well worth it and the adults and children had a brilliant time