Kids' Activity Bags/ Boxes? And ages for kids' meal?

clomo

The response cards are coming in, and it now looks like we'll be having around 20 children at our formal evening wedding!!!!!  We've only invited family children and FI assured me up and down he didn't think more than 5 at the absolute most would come from his side.  Hmmm.... make that closer to 15!!  Eeeek.  We haven't planned at all for what we now think will be two full kids' tables, from ages 5 to about 13.For those of you that have had a lot of kids at your wedding, did you do activity bags/ boxes at the table?  If so - what's been popular?  Anything you'd recommend, or warn against?  I seem to see a lot of messages on here about contents of welcome bags, but nothing about kids' bags.  (Maybe its because none of you are inviting kids to your weddings?!?! Haha.)  We aren't parents and most of our friends have very young kids so we don't really have a sense about what works best for that age range.Also, we were thinking of seating siblings together, and I assume all kids at the same table should get the same meal.  Which leaves me wondering, is 13 too old for a kids' meal?  But it would be weird for that one person to eat something different than the rest of the table, right?Thanks ladies!

Beantown Mama

I would think the 13 year old can get the adult meal. Our venue charges $25/child over the age of 4-12, but they are all getting the same meal (chicken fingers and fries). I woud include coloring books, puzzles, maybe some of those handheld electronic games (they are SUPER cheap at Target and Wal-Mart, like 2-3$). We are going to have probably 10-15 kids at our wedding but most will be under the age of 4 so I'm assuming the parents will be handling them.

kebmtm071605

Check with the parents regarding what the children would prefer to eat...at 13, I was a very picky eater, and I definitely would have prefered chicken fingers than the grown-up meal.  Also, check with the parents regarding where they would like their children to be sat...at 5 years old, they should probably be sitting with mom & dad, not at a table full of other kids. Activity bags are a nice idea...coloring books, crayons, stickers...check Christmas Tree Shop for some stuff on the cheap.

jquirke9881

We had 15 children at our wedding.  I let parent's choose the meal for their kids.  I tried not to concern myself with the price difference because I thought most kids would prefer the kids chicken fingers anyway.  I did have a few 10-13 year olds pick the adult meal and it worked out fine for everyone.I ordered activity boxes from oriental trading.  I would not necessarily recommend those ones, but the coloring books were a hit.  The kids also like candy (of course) and anything that lit up (like glow rings or something like that),  Also when buying toys just make sure you get noiseless ones --- you don't want a bunch of crazy toy noises interupting your first dance. 

kelmarfar

Right now, Michael's has all of their bargain bin kids stuff on sale for 50% off. I was able to get a lot of neat little odds and ends for the kids bags for very little money I also picked up crayons when the back to school sales were going on. Michael's also has coloring books for $1 each. For a few dollars per kid, they'll each get a bag full of fun stuff.

clomo

GREAT tips, thanks very much to you all!  Wow - I had no idea little electronic toys were so cheap -- kids today have such a different life then we did growing up!  Guess we have some shopping ahead of us.

jkepros

Another idea I saw somewhere was a polaroid camera (or inexpensive digital one--now days you can get one for <$20) and things like funny hats, glasses, mustaches, etc. for the kids to wear and take silly pics of each other.  It's always funny to see pics that kids take--sometimes half the face is out of the frame, or there is a blur bc they moved it at the last second.  Could get some cute shots though.

killian09

13 is usually to old for a kids' meal. Ask the parents though. Also, I don't know if this is what you mean, but I would advise against seating the kids all together (w/no grownups) for dinner. Grownups keep the kids in line. If you separate them, either the parents will spend their dinner time hovering around the kids table (and not getting to eat their own meals), or you risk the kids going wild. Instead, I'd recommend seating families with other families. Kids activities are a good idea, but you probably don't need anything to elaborate. Most kids are happy to dance (the younger ones) and take in the scene. We made up wedding coloring books and crayon packs and distributed to the kids 8 and under. Don't give coloring books to a 13 year old--they may get pretty offended! ...good luck. kids are complicated. WE had a lot of kids at our wedding though, and no problems, so don't worry too much.

Blueyed228

You are certainly brave for having that many kids at your wedding! Im putting a "Adults Only" hint somewhere in my invites, lol. But I had a friend who used to work for a DJ company that would entertain the kids in completly different rooms. They would teach them dances etc. If your venue has the space, it might be an option for you. These companys specialize in this type of thing. As far as the meal, chicken fingers for all, haha.