Author: kiddy@admin

Festive games

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Keep Christmas fun for kids this year with this range of festive games.

1. Guess the Number
Simple but effective. Have everyone guess how many decorations there are on the Christmas tree. There can be a sweet prize like a slice of Christmas cake or some chocolate coins!

2. Charades
This is a classic game for all the family! Simply have everyone write the name of a book, film, show, or even a famous person on a piece of paper. Fold them up and put them in a container. One person picks a piece of paper and must act out what is written on the paper until someone guesses what it is. It is then their turn to act something out.

3. Guess Who
Another game that’s fun for all ages, you’ll need post-it notes for this one! Everyone must write the name of a famous person on a post-it note without anyone else seeing. The famous person can be a celebrity, historical figure, TV character, or anyone else recognisable – let your imaginations run wild! Stick your post-it note on someone else’s forehead and they must ask a series of questions until they can guess who they are. The questions must only be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’!

4. Santa’s Limbo
Grab a pillow and a belt and get your guests to take it in turns to dress up with a ‘Santa belly.’ Then take a string of Christmas lights or a strand of festive garland or ribbon, play some Christmas music and start the limbo!
Grab a pillow and a belt and get your guests to take it in turns to dress up with a ‘Santa belly.’ Then take a string of Christmas lights or a strand of festive garland or ribbon, play some Christmas music and start the limbo!

5. Music Quiz
Find a playlist online or a Christmas CD and play a few seconds of each song. Everyone must write down, or shout out the name of the song and artist. The person or team who gives the most correct answers wins!

Christmas Markets for all the Family

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TWintertime Market at the Southbank Centre, London
9th November – 6th January 2019

Visit this traditional Christmas market along the Thames riverbank where the beautiful wooden chalets are filled with handmade gifts and treats as well as plenty of festive food and drink!

The Christmas Market, Bournemouth
16th November -2 January 2019

Bournemouth is set to impress this year with an array of festive fun for all the family located in Bournemouth Gardens. Check out the Alpine bar where you can treat yourselves to some mulled wine, shop in the markets for that perfect Christmas gift or check out the NEW Christmas Tree Wonderland! The kids can visit Santa in his grotto or even go ice skating!

Nottingham Winter Wonderland
15 November–31 December 2018

Visit Nottingham Winter Wonderland to really get everyone in the festive mood. The magical ice rink returns, where everyone can turn twirls with loved ones, enjoy browsing the Christmas craft and gift market, selling ideal things for presents and fun kids rides including a Helter Skelter! Rest up and refuel in the Ice Bar with a mulled wine and listen to some festive tunes at the bandstand.

Manchester Christmas Markets
9th November – 22nd December 2018

There are a number of Christmas markets spread out all over the city of Manchester; from Albert Square to Brazenness Street, King Street to St. Ann’s Square, as well as Market Street, Exchange Square and Cathedral Gardens. The stalls are festively decorated and you will be spoilt for choice with products, so if you’re in need of some indulgence or some Christmas gift inspiration, head on down to one of these many markets.

Oxford Christmas Market
7th – 22nd December 2018

The famous city of Oxford does not disappoint with its Christmas market. Clustered along the iconic Broad Street, there will be 40 festively decorated log stalls selling a range of Christmas treats. On selected days there will be musical fun entertainment from a range of bands and singers!

Edinburgh Christmas Markets
16th November 2018 – 5 January 2019

Edinburgh is hosting two fabulous Christmas Markets this December. Both have beautifully decorated stalls selling products made by local artists, delicious foods and plenty of gifts to give loved ones this Christmas!
Cardiff Christmas Market
From 15th November 2018

Bring the family to this wonderful Christmas Market for a totally unique shopping experience. Buy your family and friends personalised gifts and souvenirs or why not treat yourself to something? The market is filled with local food products, art, handmade crafts and much more.

Making your own traditions

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Nothing is more adorable than a baby’s first time doing just about anything, and what better occasion to start new traditions than their first birthday?

Unfortunately, with all of the charm and attention being poured into decorations, food, and organising, we often forget to relax and enjoy a few firsts with our little ones. Here are a few fun traditions new and old to help you make this day special for years to come.

The first year of your child’s life has undoubtedly been filled with very sweet and not so sweet stories. One tradition you may consider starting would be to share a few of your favourite stories from the past year. In the beginning, this may just mean you reminiscing with fellow parents, but as your little boy or girl gets older you can share these stories with their friends.

A memory box is a fun memorable way to collect the most sentimental pieces from your children’s parties and safely store them until you’re ready to share the memories. You could collect photos, cards, their first outfit, their special book and anything that brings back memories.

Parents dressing their little ones in the same (or similar) outfits every year for a single photograph has been going on longer than we may realize. Of course we take photos of our children nearly every day with our phones, but having an annual photo of your child wearing the same ensemble or pretty cotton dress is something special. It’s something they can look forward to each year (until their teens) and you can look forward to seeing how much they’ve grown and developed their personality.

This may be the time to have a Photographer take over; they have a knack for capturing those adorable poses.

Remember, the most beautiful moments in your child’s life are the ones they spend with friends and family, and the experiences you share together. So take the time to relive old traditions or create new ones, they make for the best memories.

A ‘girly’ sleepover party

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Girls just love to make things with their friends and that’s when lasting friendships are made. Get creative and make something really fun so your friends can remember your sleepover party for many months to come!

T-shirt painting is always a popular fun kids crafts activity and a great idea for a sleepover. Give them a blank white t-shirt and a bunch of fabric pens and paints, some sparkly bits and pieces to stick on and see what new fashion they can design. They can really let their imagination go wild with fabric painting.

Having a ‘girlie night in’ means only one thing- time to get your nails painted, create hairstyles, have fun putting on each other’s make-up and get all dressed up ready to show off your artistic expression ‘designed by yourself’ new T-Shirt.

Why not make your own Pizza? The kids will really enjoy making the pizza dough and then add lots of great toppings e.g. tomato, ham, pepper, pineapple, pepperoni, olives and lots of cheese. Children love to eat their own homemade dinner.

Every girl loves chocolate so why not melt some chocolate and get the kids cutting up lots of different fruits and dipping them in some scrummy melted chocolate!!

Get cosy, grab your sleeping bags and pillows, get comfy in your pj’s or onesies and settle down in front of the TV to watch a great movie for a little quiet time and don’t forget your popcorn!

A crafty Birthday Party for girls

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Are you looking for an activity for a girls birthday party? How about some cool jewellery making, girls of all ages love designing and making their own fun bracelets, necklaces and keyrings. A great way to get all the family involved too.

Just pick the bead mixes that you fancy and mix and match together. You will be amazed at the results from the children.

You could put out a fun choice of beads in different bowls on your party table for the kids to see, e.g. large wooden multi-coloured beads, alphabet beads, stripy beads, heart beads and lovely heart, star and flower silver charms. The kids will mix and match to their heart’s content. Add some simple knots here and there for an extra funky look. Little tip, give the kids a wooden peg each to put on one end of the cord whilst they are threading on beads so that they don’t drop and lose any.

Elastic work well with kids, they are easy to tie knots in, not like some cords which can be stiff. Fitting bracelets on children’s wrists is also easier with elastic. Make sure they double knot at the end.

Beads are an idea for lots of craft activities, not just for jewellery making:
String up some alphabet beads on cord or ribbon and tie as a tassel on a book spine or as a bookmark.

Decorate a photo frame with mixed colourful beads using PVA glue
Dangle some beads on a split ring for a Key Ring idea
Personalise your PE Kit Bag or Pencil Case by stitching on some alphabet beads

We recommend the following quantities needed for children’s jewellery making:
Bracelet – 0.5m per child
Necklace – 1m per child
Key Rings – 0.5m per child

Most of all it will keep the children happy for hours and of course they will always have a keepsake to remind them of their crafty party.

Have a fun time!

Christmas children’s parties

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Christmas is by far one of the most magical experiences of childhood. From being too excited to sleep to peeking out of the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Santa’s sleigh, the memories of the holiday season become some of our most treasured.

If you have child that has a Birthday near Christmas, make it as exciting as can be, let all the other kids invited get all Christmassy excited!!!

Fancy Dress
When it comes to fancy dress, you’re spoilt for choice. Ask all of the kids to dress as something Christmassy – this can be anything from an Elf to a snowman or a reindeer. Provide them with a few ideas on the invitations to get them started.

Decorations
Aside from the essential Christmas tree, you can have lots of fun creating a festive wonderland in your home.

Santa’s Grotto
A great idea is to create a Santa’s grotto – choose a small room, which you don’t need to use and drape the walls and any furnishings with fabric in deep red and purple.
You can then decorate the room with fairy lights, Christmas lights and decorations to make it feel festive. Get one of the adults to dress as Santa Claus and send the children into the ‘grotto’ to collect their party bags and any other treats.

Crafts
There are lots of simple Christmas decorations that you can easily make with the kids and the whole family. Try making garlands from pine tree leaves, pine cones, tinsel and baubles. Other ideas include; painting the tips of pine cones white for a snow-effect, cutting snowflakes out of paper to string around the house.

Games
Gift Wrap Relay
Divide the children into two teams and provide each team with a gift-wrapped box – you should also prepare stations with pre-cut wrapping paper and cello tape. Each child has to run to a station, unwrap and then rewrap their box, before running back to their team and passing it on to the next person. The first team in which every child unwraps and rewraps the box, wins.

Mystery Stocking
Fill a stocking with a collection of ‘mystery’ party bag fillers, with a distinctive tactile feel. Each child has a chance to feel the fillers inside the stocking – if they can guess what they are without looking, they get to take them home.

Classic party games for older kids

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Duck, Duck, Goose
This classic kids game is perfect fun for any children’s party. Gather your guests to sit in a circle and let the birthday child begin as the ‘Goose’. They walk around the circle tapping each child on the head, saying ‘duck’ with each tap. When they are ready to choose the next person to be Goose, they say ‘goose’ when tapping that person on the head. That child gets up and chases the birthday child around the circle. If the new Goose does not tag the birthday child before they make it all the way around the circle and sit in the open spot, then the new Goose becomes ‘it’. If the new Goose tags the birthday child, then the birthday child remains ‘it’ for the next round and the game continues.

Musical Chairs or Cushions
Set up chairs or cushions in 2 rows back to back. Put out one less chair/cushion than there are children. Start playing the music and ask the children to walk all around the chairs/cushions until the music stops. When the music stops, the children must each sit on a chair/cushion. The child without a chair/cushion is ‘out’. You might like to have a bowl of sweets to offer to each child that is ‘out’ so they don’t feel too humiliated – but don’t make it so tempting that everybody wants to be ‘out’! Then remove another chair/cushion. If there is ever a tie, don’t spend ages making a decision, just replay that round.

Hot Potato
Sit the kids in a circle and choose one to sit out wearing a blindfold. Begin by passing a potato around the circle, while the ‘blind’ child stands to one side. Everyone must accept the potato, and may not hold it longer than a second. At any point the ‘blind’ child can yell, ‘Hot Potato’, and whoever has the potato is out (Think about using that invaluable bowl of sweets again!) Continue to play until there is only one person left, and they are the winner. A really good variation is to follow the theme of your party. Use an appropriate item to pass around the circle instead of a potato.

Party games for toddlers

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Animals
This is game is fun for small kids who are naturally intrigued by animals and can’t cope with the intricacies of a more complicated game. Have a selection of animal masks or small wild animals– the same number as you have guests. Hold one up, one at a time. Ask all the children to imitate the animal. Continue, changing the animal just as soon as you feel the time is right! At the end of the game, give a mask or animal to each child. This could be a good ‘going’ home game if you’re brave enough not to hand our party bags!

Sleeping Lions
Surprisingly loved by a huge age range, this is a great ‘calming down’ game before handing your guests back to their parents. Ask the children to ‘sleep’ on the floor like a sleeping lion. The moment anybody moves they are ‘out’. In reality, you can ignore the odd twitch and your guests can stay ‘sleeping’ until somebody comes to collect them! You will look marvellously in control and the children will have calmed down into a contented and peaceful state.

Air Balloon
This is more of a time filler than a game with a winner and is enjoyed by everybody because it doesn’t matter how good or bad you are! It’s a good way to start a kids party whilst you are waiting for everybody to arrive. Before the party, insert a small, light-weight gift such as a Stretchy Smiley Men into the opening of a balloon before inflating it. Then, blow air into the balloon and repeat until you have a balloon for each guest. The children have to try keeping the balloon in the air for as long as they can just be using their head. Once given the go ahead they can enjoy bursting the balloon and retrieving their prize!

Pass the Parcel
Before the party wrap a gift into a layer of paper. Now wrap it in another layer and repeat until you have the same number of layers as you do guests. (If you have more than about 15 guests it’s more fun for your guests if you play the game with 2 parcels). Seat everyone in a circle and play some music for a short time. When the music stops, the person holding the parcel removes ONE layer of wrapping. (Have a bin bag ready so you can keep tidy from the start!) Repeat until the last layer of wrapping has been removed. The winner keeps the present.

Knowing your limits

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Any parent knows that children’s parties can be stressful. From who to invite to chasing RSVPs, Here are some of the most common concerns;

Should I invite boys and girls?
The gender divide is a frequent concern, with many parents noticing boys not turning up to their daughter’s parties and vice versa.

Younger kids tend to have friends of both genders, whilst older children will often have a group of friends who are the same gender as them. However, every child is different, so it’s important to discuss with them who they’d like to invite.

Should I invite the whole class?
How do you decide who to invite from your child’s class? Only invite a select few and you run the risk that someone’s feelings will be hurt, invite everyone and your budget can spiral out of control.

Only inviting half the class is fine, as long as you make sure you aren’t just leaving out a couple of children. It’s fairly common for parents not to invite the whole class, especially if their child isn’t close to all of its members.

How much should I spend?
Children’s parties can become expensive, so money is always a pressing concern. Once children reach school age, they’re likely to be invited to their classmate’s parties, which can pile the pressure on to compete.

Hiring out a village hall can be a good bet, as they will generally charge an all-in-one fee for a two to three-hour party, unlike other venues, which will often have additional charges for food etc.

If you’ve got the time, making supplies such as the cake and decorations yourself is a great budgeting trick.

How much should I put in the party bags?
The general consensus is that just a couple of quality items is more than enough, with many parents including a mixture of sweets and small toys, with one or two different items for boys and girls. The focus should be on quality not quantity, as these items will bring more fun for longer.

Throwing a party doesn’t have to be stressful. By following our guide to party etiquette, you can ensure that you sail smoothly through any potential pitfalls. And, if in doubt, talk to other parents – two heads are always better than one.

Help the bumblebees

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Don’t get your kids to hate bees, bees are an important part of nature and are rapidly dying off. With your help your kids could help to welcome the bees back by planting bee friendly garden, and have some fun too!!

1. Plant bee-friendly shrubs, trees and flowers

You don’t need lots of space to take part in this. Pots on a patio, hanging baskets, herbs in planters, or flower beds all help bees. Fill them with their favourites! For summer, plant some fragrant lavender, look out for a hawthorn, and make your flower beds look really impressive with some Monarda (also known as ‘Bee Balm’!) Look online to find the best bee-friendly plants for each season.

2. Grow fruit and veg

Just like us, bees need a variety of food. While flowers are the obvious option, bees also love fruit and vegetables. While you get to enjoy growing your own produce, the bees will help pollinate your crop! From apples, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries, to runner beans, peppers, and onions.

3. Visit The Hive

This 17 meter tall multi-sensory experience highlights the extraordinary life of bees. The lights and the sounds inside The Hive are triggered by bee activity in a real beehive at Kew! Step inside to see the ever-changing lights and sounds.

4. Provide shelter

Hate mowing the lawn? Good news! Put the mower away and let your grass grow a little longer. Cutting less closely and less often allows bees to feed and shelter in the grass. If you like a perfectly preened lawn, another habitat option is leaving a small woodpile in the corner. It will decay over time to give a more natural look and bugs will soon move in.

5. Choose honey carefully

If possible, buy local honey from a beekeeper. Cheaper honey may seem like the more attractive option for your purse, but it’s often not pure honey. Surely it’s worth paying a little extra for the purest honey? You can also rest assured that the bees that produced it were well looked after, making it taste even sweeter!

6. If all else fails, follow David Attenborough!

When it comes to all things nature, who else will you listen to? Attenborough has warned that if bees become extinct humans will only have 4 years to live. And 1 third have already died out! To help tired bees in the summer heat, David recommends leaving a teaspoon of sugar and water out. You’ve probably seen bees looking like they’re dying before but don’t worry, they’re normally just exhausted! This simple solution will revive them in no time.