holiday party kid activities: 3 secrets to success

As part of Target’s Inner Circle, a few of us are participating a super-fun holiday party series: Holiday Party 101.

We’re writing about everything from invitations to desserts, hostess gifts to playlists.

I’ve got kids’ activities covered over here today. Woot!

Actually, I’m covering holiday party kid activities and the three secrets to success you’ll want to know so that any time you’re in charge of making the party really rock for kids, you will know exactly what to do.

Every holiday party that involves families with children of mixed ages needs some special kid-happy activities. Otherwise, while the parents are chatting, eating, and sipping their fancy-schmancy holiday drinks, it won’t be all that much fun for the kids.

But because most parties have a wide range of children attending, it’s difficult to plan games or activities that fit every child’s needs. What the best parties follow are three secrets to kid-happy, kid-activity success.

Here’s the skinny. . .

Holiday Party 101 — Kids’ Activities: Party hosts must adhere to the following guidelines in order to make kid activities totally awesome for everyone–from those littles toddling around to the tweens lost without their mobile devices.

The goal is to:

1. Keep it simple. Everyone likes simple.

Consider:

enlisting some of the older kids to ‘take charge’ of the kid activity table;

keeping all the activities in one area, on one or two tables;

putting glue or small objects at one table for older kids and basic crayons, markers, and paper at another so that the little guys stay safe.

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2. Provide options. The ideal is to have a few open-ended activities that each child can take to his or her own level.

Consider:

making some finished projects to display;

start some projects but leave them unfinished on the table so that someone can pick it up and finish;

having some supplies for both open-ended projects along with 1 or 2 projects that are more specific.

Putting the mini Stretched Canvases out along with some washable watercolor paints is great for open-ended art.

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3. Make it inviting. Creating an ‘invitation to play’ is the goal here. With an inviting spot to sit down and craft, kids of all ages will want to give it a try.

Consider:

setting out supplies in trays or open containers so kids can see what’s available;

having kid-happy snacks close by so everyone can refuel when necessary;

putting the kids’ activities in a well-lit area of the home and turning on some holiday music;

Last week, I had the chance to visit Todd Oldham’s studio in NYC, and I learned that much of his Kid Made Modern line for Target is absolutely perfect for just about any time but specifically for some holiday party creative crafting for young party-goers.

Check out some of our photos from the event and please look forward to more Kid Made Modern posts in the next few weeks. It’s a really smart line!

What ideas do you have for keeping kids busy during holiday parties? Let us know!

fyi: This post was created as part of my collaboration with Target, the #MyKindofHoliday campaign, and Target Inner Circle. As always, the thoughts and ideas are my own. Like some of these rockstar holiday crafts from Kid Made Modern? (So do I!) Check ’em out at your local Target store.

Please check out all of the Holiday 101 posts from other Target Inner Circle members below:

I am so very, very, very excited about these items, and I think you will be, too.

Need a few more great ideas?

Here are our 2015 gift guides:

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Want a few more holiday-inspired gift ideas or activities?

Click on the images below:

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Follow amy mascott @teachmama’s board christmas ideas for kids and family on Pinterest.

fyi: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. This small percentage of money helps offset the costs of hosting this blog, which helps me keep this content free for you. Forever and always I recommend only products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” For more information, please see teachmama media, llc. disclosure policy.