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I’ve toyed with the idea of having a kids’ table. And not one where all the children are forced to eat dinner at, I mean one with things for them to actually do. I’m thinking crayons, butcher paper, and candy. But I’m not sure if I should do this. I see it going one of two ways: 1. Kids will play, color, and eat candy to their heart’s desire while leaving the parents alone to mingle, drink, eat, etc. 2. Kids will drag their parents over to the kids’ table to show off all the crafts they are making and the parents won’t be able to mingle, eat, and drink. I want everyone at the wedding to have a good time, including all our little guests.
And then I found the cutest activity books from We Met in a Bar. And now I think I have to make this, or the kids at our wedding will not have fun.
How cute would it be to have our very own activity books at the kids’ table? Maybe between now and next April, a light bulb will go off inside my head and I will suddenly have this amazing crafting talent.
What are your thoughts on a kids’ activity table? Will it help give parents a chance to mingle, or do you think parents will ultimately be stuck crafting with the kiddies?
I totally bookmarked those when she blogged about them and we aren’t even having kids at the reception! So cute!
This isn’t something I had thought about at all, but it seems like a great idea– even if the kids do steal their parents away to check out thier craft projects, it would probably be less distracting than if they had nothing to do at all. Or you could go with the activity book and put it at the dinner table like a kids menu at a restaurant.. keep them busy during dinner–
I think the kids table could be a grand idea! I love the coloring book! Probably not too much candy though… because some kids can’t handle it and also thinking about allergies… watch out for peanut candies. One of my friends was telling me about a wedding that hired a set of babysitters to help keep the kids happy and she was a mom who just loved it!
I love those. Does anyone have activity book files that they could email to me? I wanted to do this, but I’m running out of time to make them myself.
depending on how big your wedding is, the kids may not be able to even see their parents through the crowds or across the room. which may be a good thing. i always feel like when kids know their parents are around, they are more fussy/less independent than when they think theyre on their own. i used to teach 4 yr olds, and that was always the case. maybe you could assign an older child, like 12 to have a “special job” taking care of the young ones…he/she would feel special and would probably take the role seriously.
I think the kids table would be a really great idea. I seriously love the activity books. There won’t really be any kids at my wedding to make them for though…
So would this table be someplace separate from where folks are eating dinner? Like you’d be seating the children with their parents for dinner, but they would be able to go check out the activity table during the reception? Do you have an attendant/babysitter at the table?
I think this could work, depending on the age of the children. If you have mostly older kids (age 8+)and they would be into the activities, they could stay interested/occupied. With younger kids, I’d assume that most of the time, at least one parent would be at the table with the child. The parents might be totally okay with that, but I’d assume that you wouldn’t want to leave the kids unattended at the table and they’d possibly want their parents to help/see their projects.
We’re just doing the butcher paper and crayons. My 1st grade teacher friend is bringing a few of her classroom buckets that include blocks and toy cars.
One thing that I am doing is a small paper bag with each kid’s name on it. Filled in it will be a couple pieces of candy, and maybe a few 25 cent toys that they can play with anywhere. I just have a feeling they won’t be sitting down much in our park setting!!
Love the coloring book though!
Those kids books are soooo cute. I hadn’t thought about doing table specifcally for kids. Depending on how many are attending, I may gift each one something that can keep them occupied.
I think if they eat with their parents and then go to the kids table afterward that might work a little better. Once they get into it, they’ll probably be content.
That. Is. Adorable. I don’t think we’ll have a lot of kids at our wedding but… now I kind of want to make those coloring books. My 18 year old sister (and MOH) would probably be caught coloring in them!
Miss Froyo, I totally had a kids’s room and it was definitely one of the best decisions I had. I had about 30+ kids at my wedding. You know that little side room at Marie Gabrielle, the one that doesn’t really flow with the big reception room? I couldn’t bear to put any adults in there and seperate them from the rest of the party. I made that the official kid’s room. In the middle of each table, I put 1 dollar buckets from the dollar bin at target and filled it with activity books and light sticks from Michaels (also the $1-2 bin). I also made separate favors from them. I got inexpensive craft boxes and filled them with crayons, slinky’s and stickers and cars for the boys, and for the girls, ring pops, cheapie charms, and crayons from the dollar bin at Michaels. The kid had a blast in their room and didn’t bother all the affairs of the adults. Plus I saved some money of flower arrangement, by not giving them centerpieces. Hope that helps! Really you should check the activities book at Michaels if you don’t want to DIY
@Jessie516: Yep, I was thinking they would eat dinner with their families and then head over to the table to craft, er…color, or whatever I come up with.
oh! I had at least one “older kid” at each table to supervise, plus one or two mom’s who wanted to sit with their babies. It was totally enough….
@Lynn: Thank you so much Lynn! I know the exact room you’re talking about, and we aren’t putting any adults in there either!! That is brillant! Thanks for the info!
I wanted to do a kid’s activity table, but I ran out of time to really implement the idea. I did a quick fix and bought these cute wedding themed place mats from Oriental Trading with crayons for the waitstaff to pass out to kids at their tables. It went over well, as it gave the kids something to do in between the times they ran out onto the dance floor to dance with the adults!
I cannot remember who wrote about it, but I did read about having a scavenger hunt for the kids with a disposable camera at each place setting. Give them a list of things to photograph: two people dancing, someone eating cake, someone laughing etc etc and then the couple gets to keep the cameras. It’s a crapshoot if the kids get the shots, but you’d get the perspective of a child at your wedding and it would be a totally neat keepsake!
I think this is a great idea, I saw it at my FI’s fall kick off party and it was great. Kids from 2 to 12 were at the tables and depending on the age of the kids, the parents joined in on the fun. They also gave out kids buckets at the event which included a disposable camera, crayons, a few festive necklaces (it is for our athletic association so everything was Gator themed) and some other cute toys.
adorable! If you are having kids at the reception it is very thoughtful.
I nixed kids being there a long time ago! I’m having enough trouble keeping my # manageable (and affordable)
Those are some adorable activity books. I’m contemplating this as well, but I think some parents are a little ‘attached’ to their kids and would freak out that they’re not right next to them. I’m wondering if I should hire a ’sitter’ to ease the parents minds. Maybe just one of my younger cousin’s friends to sit with the kids and make sure they don’t hurt themselves.
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Mrs. Frozen Yogurt, Dallas Age and Occupation: 28, Special Projects Coordinator Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Equity Trader Engagement Date: March 19, 2009 Wedding Date: April 2010 Venue: Marie Gabrielle, Dallas About Me: I was born and raised in Texas, and have lived in several of the cities across the state, but I currently reside in Austin. I went to college in Boston and have a special place in my heart for the Northeast. I love reading, shopping, wine, reuniting with college friends that are scattered across the country, reality TV, trying out new recipes, and attempting all the DIY projects that come along with wedding planning. I'm a "bleeding heart, save the world type" and thankfully my job allows me to work on legislation and policy to help out those in need. I met Mr. Frozen Yogurt in a bar, though he doesn't even drink! And now we are planning a modern yet vintage wedding in Dallas while dealing with the trials and tribulations of first time homeownership.
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