Ideas for giftbag to keep kids quiet and entertained at a wedding reception?

Question

I am anticipating several kiddies at my daughters wedding... it is an adult event....but thats another story. My own kids are grown and its been a long time.....ideas for puzzles, novelties that would be appropriate and inexpensive as a "favor" to be handed out at the guest book table. The idea is just to give them something to do while we are at the table....I think the hour and half for dinner is just a long time to expect them to be still. Ages 6-12. Nothing that flys, chimes, rings or buzzes. Make separate girl/boy bags? or have ideas for generic items?

Answer 1

And for my brother's wedding Saturday, I bought my daughter and my niece a "paper" picture frame and wedding stickers so they could decorate a frame, then they will have their picture taken with the bride & groom for a keepsake.

I would have for each child a magic book, coloring book & crayons or puzzle book & pen (depending on the age), a snack (like a bag of pretzels) and a drink (juice box for younger, etc.) waiting for them.

They make "magic" books - and for all age ranges you mentioned. They are great because the "pen" has invisable ink that only reveals itself on the paper. That way you won't risk damage to the reception site's linens, etc.

I also made up a Bridal "I Spy" Bingo game that the kids can play - spaces would say "a woman in a red dress" or "a yellow rose" etc. - things they would see. If they get bingo, they can get a small prize.

Answer 2

You might want to check with the location where you're having the reception, and see if there could be a separate room for the kiddos. Put a tv/dvd player in there, hook up a nintendo, play some movies, let them play DDR and the like, and you'll be in business. Kids that age just aren't going to sit still doing "quiet activities" for that long, they're going to eat in 5 minutes, and then sit around and annoy their parents for the remaining hour 25 minutes. You might want to make sure that they have "kid friendly" food as well, and some snacks. Hire a older high school or college student to babysit them. This is what we're doing for my brother's wedding next month, there will be 11 grandkids ranging in ages from 17 months to 18 years. The older kids will take care of the younger ones.

Answer 3

Hello. Have you tried going to orientaltrading.com? This is an awesome website for party favors, especially for children. It is very inexpensive and the stuff are also sold in lots of like a dozen or more per lot. I would maybe recommended, actual puzzles, they have mini jigsaw puzzles on the site I gave you, as well as coloring books and crayons, those are quiet activities they can enjoy. Maybe even a book of puuzzles (ie. mind benders, crosswords, mazes, tic tac toe etc.). I hope this helped. But you should deifinately check out the site, there is so much stuff on there, that it might even be better if you requested a catalog, so you can SEE everything! =)

Answer 4

I've heard of wedding-themed coloring books the kids could use. My reception was in a hotel, so we sent all the kids to the pool with a sitter to watch them. It worked out perfectly. But I know this is a challenge, so good luck! I would suggest focusing on age-appropriate gifts rather than gender-appropriate. Kids 10 and up should be able to handle the dinner ok.

Answer 5

I also had kids at my wedding. They ranged from the ages of 2-15. Being that my daughter was 13 at the time, I decided to assign a table just for the teenagers (ages of 12-15). Of course I checked with the parents while working on the seating chart. They thought it would be a great idea...so they'd hang out with one another and not be bored. They got to order their own dinner, sip sparkling apple cider (instead of champagne), and they got up to dance whenever they wanted. And for the little ones ages 2 and up...(flower girls and so forth....) they swirled around most of the night showing off their dresses. And they finally fell asleep. I didn't want my wedding looking like an arts & crafts center, therefore, that's the way I went. And also, it should be the parents responsibility to keep them entertained...not yours. Tell them to get up and dance with their kids and keep them busy, instead of having crayons and books splattered on the tables. Trust me, it will work out fine.

Answer 6

I would consider making a kids table off to the side. Have a "babysitter" monitor the table and help entertain the kids.I would put a paper table cloth down that they can color on as well as coloring books. Bubbles are fun and undisruptive. Most places will even offer a kids menu. If you make them feel special and have fun, they'll stay out of the way. The parents will also appreciate a breather.

Answer 7

Maybe look into if there is a seperate room for the kids to be taken too or some corner and have someone there to help entertain them. If it is summer you could have someone take them outside for an hour and play some games - tag, red rover... If there is an older child - 14-15 they could be in charge of that. If not summer maybe a seperate room and have pictionary there and again someone to coordinate that time. You could bribe the older child with some money to do it! :-)

I really like the disposable camera idea! I think they could get some very interesting pics for the bride and groom to enjoy! I think I might use that one myself. The bride and groom or you could actually have them printed and put them in a cheap album for them. They would like that later!

Answer 8

It's going to sound odd but how about disposable cameras? The kids can memorialize the parts of the event that they think is important. You can let them take them home and let the parents deal with developing the film or you can collect them at the door and develop the film as part of the wedding pictures. Some of the best pics at my sis's wedding were the ones the kids took.

Answer 9

what a great idea!!!

here are a few suggestions:

-coloring/activity book and crayons
-mini jigsaw puzzles and board games
-hand held mazes (the kind where you roll the little ball aroound)
-bubbles (these dont hurt anything, and you might be buying them for the reception anyway)
-legos
-card games (old maid, go fish)
-snacks (fruit snacks, granola bars, cheezits)

i would suggest checking out your local dollar store for most of this stuff, and then getting the remainder at a target or walmart type place...if you check the party aisle, you'll probably find lots of other favors, too.

good luck, and best wishes for a wonderful wedding.

Answer 10

Go to Orientaltrading.com they have a wedding section and there are some neat wedding things for kids to keep them entertained. If you don't find something in the wedding section look around the rest of the site and you can probably find some really neat things to make little gift bags for the kids.