Wedding Blog
Our reception will have a kids’ table. There was no way around it, and although I don’t think the children will actually stay at their table through dinner, I am having SO MUCH FUN planning it out. This has been my favorite project so far, but it is a hard one. How do I keep 10-20 children (kids were 20% of our guest list!) entertained for a few hours, or at least through an hour-long dinner?
Making anti-bored-boxes for the tiny ones is so easy: the girls like Disney princesses, the boys like Spiderman, etc. But what do I put in a box to occupy two twelve-year-old girls? Maybe they will just giggle over the cute waiters or something. I think that’s what I was doing when I was 12. Actually, I probably still do that now…
Here is what I have so far:
Pencil boxes from Michaels, in various hues.
I decided not to stick with our color scheme for the kids’ table. It will be a bright mash/splash of color.
(That would be Ike the Big Cat in the background!)
Sticky notes with names and ages to keep myself organized.
Bundles of crayons. Tweens still like to color, right?!
Fairy wands for the youngest (girls and boys).
All unused and leftover materials will be donated to the local charity we work with at my preschool, the Ronald McDonald House. We spend one Sunday each month making breakfast and doing art projects with the children, their parents, and siblings. It is such a rewarding experience, and I am thrilled to be able to bring a little bit of happiness to kids that are having such a hard time.
I am tempted to make a survival box for our super-babysitter-of-love, who will be sitting at the kids’ table and trying to keep them all in one place. For once I won’t be the one keeping an eye on the kidlets!
Are you having a kids’ table at your wedding? Any good ideas on how to keep the children at the kids’ table?!
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Nope, not necessary in my family to have a kids table. The kids are almost always out on the dance floor the whole night and if not they are they shy and clingy ones that stick to their parents anyway.
I thought briefly about hiring a “performer” to come entertain for an hr or so but decided against it for the same reason above.
Is there a seperate space off the main dining area in the house that you can use to set up a kids area? Especially since you’ll have a babysitter already having a seperate space for them to run around and go crazy might not be a bad idea.
What about incorporating some sort of arts & craft project for the kids that you can then use as thank you cards for the wedding? I’m going to have all our niece and nephews “create” our table numbering! Maybe a fun artwork of their choosing and having the older ones write the numbers out. It probably won’t go w/anything but I don’t care! I think they’ll get a kick out of having their artwork displayed at our wedding.
We’re having a kids table. Including our own 5 kids, our list is about 20% kids too. I bought bubbles and glow bracelets and will have dolls and trucks to play with. They don’t have to stay there the whole night - they’ll love to dance with the band too.
oh, glow bracelets, tweens will love glow bracelets and maybe a vogue girl or some other magazine for the 12 year olds. Maybe some beads or other project to keep them at the table between courses.
We will be having a tween table at our wedding. I have a soon-to-be 11 year old stepdaughter. My FI has 2 neices! And I have plenty of tween cousins! We plan on having a table just for them!
Here are some ideas to help you out in the tween department. Here are some of my ideas:
What about American Girl Magazines or other girl magazine for the young ladies and comic books for the young gentleman?(stay away from tiger beat,etc.)
Dollarstore necklaces are always fun for the tweens, especially if they can take it home with them. And manly temporary tatoos for the boys!
What about gimp you know the stuff we made friendship bracelets out of?
Like already mentioned, they’ll be more excited that they get a new fancy clothes to wear and a dance floor to cut loose on. I’m so excited to see photos of your kids table!
Definitely also recommend the glow necklaces/bracelets. Those were a huge hit for me. Coloring books and such, not so much. They were too busy dancing.
Check out any places like Limited Too or Claires! They often have “buy one get one” or “50% off” sales, or even better - clearance 
Cheap stuff, that is, like lip balms, small animals, jewelry… Pretty much anything from these places is right up the alley for that age range. My guy’s younger sisters are 11 and 13 and loooove that stuff. Oh, and anything Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, etc. Check the party aisles at Target or actual party stores for the stuff you put in favor bags!
We don’t have a kids table, but we will have a kids favor basket with some goodies to hopefully keep them occupied while mom and dad are chit chatting away!
i love the idea of pencil boxes, crayons. Maybe also include crossword puzzles & word searches for the older kids.
I love that you’re donating the extras to the Ronald McDonald House. That place is amazing!
My favorite place to find activities/crafts for kids to keep busy is http://www.orientaltrading.com
I don’t think we are having a kids table but I do want to give the children something to keep entertained
A couple packs of UNO cards will keep em busy for HOURS. That and checkers!
You have just inspired me to think about making a kids table. We have between 15 and 20 coming, we have a kids menu for them, might as well let them mingle. Some will be french speakers, some english, that should be fun!
11-13 year olds are hard. I have an 11 year old cousin, but she is really mature and doesn’t mind hanging with the kiddies. That sentence sounded like it was contradicting itself, but I mean that she is mature enough to amuse herself if she is stuck with the little ones.
Sorry, just also thought, a big puzzle (that you don’t mind if you never get some of the pieces back)!
We’re going to have 2 kids at our wedding, my 2 nieces, and I plan on doing something special for them. They will be 6 and 8 at the wedding, so I am not sure what. They are really shy and probably won’t dance or want to socialize with adults. I am really at a loss, but your post helps a lot.
Thats so cute! The only child invited to our wedding is our niece, we don’t have any kids that we are close to other than her, but if we did I would def. want to do somethign similar!
I taught Kindergarten two years ago and kids are awesome!
we don’t have enough “children” to actually fill a table so I still don’t know what to do with them.
Those are great ideas
@Gerbera: unfortunately, there is no area to block off/have a kids’ room. i wish there was! the best we can do is have the kids table during dinner, which will then be moved outside during dancing. a few games will be set up out there, but children are more than welcome to dance also! we just want a place for them to hang out if they get tired/bored etc. thanks for the ideas! i am thinking of setting up a “kids only guestbook” for them to draw/scribble/write in!
@IA_Snowflake: glow sticks/jewelry= great idea, thanks!!
@slicey19: magazines = AMAZING IDEA!!! perfect for teens, i am so doing this.
@tifnicole: all great ideas, thank you!
@Miss Labrador: it has been so inspiring volunteering there, and i know they really need art supplies and toys. i hope we are able to help them out a bit!
@mskalinin: thinking of setting up a separate kids menu, that is a good idea too.
@Newport Nuptials: kids = my favorite people 
What fun ideas! We don’t have enough kids for a whole table, plus there are big age gaps - but I plan on creating little bucket o’ fun for each of them.
We did have a “kids table” (there was no assigned seating) with crayons, tattoos, jewelery and other fun finds from the dollar aisle at Target. Unfortunately, we forgot the coloring pages that we bought, but someone found paper for the kids. They stayed there at first, but once the photo booth opened the kids rotated between the dance floor and it. We counted and our flower girl ended up in 37 pictures!
What a great idea! Occupied kids make for happy parents, thats for sure. What about mini board games like checkers for the kids who are 9ish?
I like the survival box idea! Double as a thank-you? And yes, tweens definitely like to color. If I still like to color, I figure someone ten years younger would too! Great job!
Um…I would love a coloring book even at my age, haha!
I only have 2 kids for my wedding, the flower girl and ring bearer, and I definitely think I’ll make up some special things for them to keep them occupied! Although, I hope that they will be cutting a rug on the dance floor too!
“I am tempted to make a survival box for our super-babysitter-of-love” that sounds like a super great idea! i will be more than happy to watch over the kids. i know everything will turn out great. i love all the things you got for the kids!!
Yea we’ll have a kids table as well and the favors include sparklers, bubbles, stickers and disposable cams, along with some of the other items mentioned below.
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Mrs. Sprinkle, Los Angeles
Age and Occupation: 26, Preschool Teacher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Television Production/Writer
Engagement Date: December 24, 2008
Wedding Date: September 2009
Venue: The Marvimon House
About Me: I'm a Bay Area native trying to create a life for myself (and my fiance, and our three cats!) in the vast city of Los Angeles. I love vegan red velvet cupcakes, pilates ,and mid-century furniture. Mr. Sprinkle and I met when my band toured through his city (we bonded over cake and a mutual love of Morrissey) and we are getting married on the four year anniversary of our first date. When I am not teaching preschool (or blogging!) you can find me perfecting recipes, petting kittens, hiking in Griffith Park, and overusing exclamation points. We are planning a vegan, green-as-possible, DIY wedding, and I couldn't be more excited to share all of the details!
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