Creative
Parties for Children
Parties with creative themes are not only
fun for the children but can be part of their creative nurturing.
When children see you creating, making up structure where there
are no rules, the process grows on them. They see first hand how
out-of-the box thinking work. Usually,
their experience with what you've done plants the spark that one
day gets the children thinking along some of the same out-of-the-box
lines.
In the early 80's, for my son's
5th birthday, we turned the back yard into a Care Bear Carnival.
Poles and streamers divided the yard into different game areas.
The eight or so kid games were adaptations of those fun carnival
games you never win at. But everyone at our party got prizes.
There was the toss-the-softballs-into-the-laundry-hamper, roll-the-balls-down-the-board-into-the-bucket,
fishing-for-floating-ducks-in-a-tub, knock-the-bottles-off-the-stool.
Even pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey had a carnival feel in this setting.
We'd always had a variety of games at our children's parties,
but the big difference at the Care Bear Carnival was that these
games were going on simultaneously. It took several cooperative
parents and a few older siblings, but it worked. The cake and
other decorations tied in the Care Bear theme. Merry-go-round
music gave the event a festive background, and a good time was
had by all.
Gwynn had a rock-and-roll costume
party for her kindergartners with retro decorations, fun music
and dance events for the children and prizes for costume. When
her daughters were in third grade, she had an adult-supervised
makeover party, making up the girls to look like movie stars.
It just starts with a creative idea, then some creative planning
and determination to make it work and keep going. Here are links
to articles by others on party theme ideas, organizational tips,
dos and don'ts. Among them, you're sure to find the inspiration
to host a memorable party that will also show your children how
creativity works.