Kids Table?

Tandksmommy · March 2014

I have 2 children and many of my fiance's family members have children under the age of 10.

Can you think of any cons to having a kid's table set up in the corner during the reception so that the kids have something to do? Trying to make sure I've thought of all aspects of this before I commit. I was thinking of some coloring pages, crayons, etc. They would not be eating at this table, just doing some activities to keep them occupied during the reception. Any ideas on other activities other than coloring?

00kim00 · March 2014

I think the only cons would be if you don't have it supervised, choose activities poorly, or are forcing the children away from their parents (such as not allowing children to sit with their parents at dinner). If you do have a kids table, make sure to hire babysitters to supervise, otherwise it could go crazy.

When thinking activities, as long as it's safe, age-appropriate, not too messy, and doesn't have lots of small parts, you're good. I'm not sure of your ages exactly since "under 10" can encompass babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged kids, all of whom would have very different abilities and interests. If you can list some actual ages or a smaller age range, I can probably help with some ideas. Also, do you have any sort of theme for your wedding (beach, etc.)? Are you indoors or outdoors? How formal and what time of day?

mysticl · March 2014

I went to a wedding where there was a balloon artist during cocktail hour. It was a huge hit with the kids. There were also coloring books at their places at the tables so they had something to do while waiting their turn for the buffet or if they were done eating before everyone else. In my experience once the dancing starts the kids are out there on the dance floor having a blast.

Having all the kid stuff concentrated could get a little rowdy, depending on the ages. If you did little welcome bags for the kids at their seats it would guarantee that there was enough of everything (for example everyone has a blue crayon) and you could even make each bag age appropriate. From a parental point of view I'd rather supervise my child on the dance floor or sit with him at our table than hang out at a table full of kids where I could be put in the position of having to manage the behavior of someone I don't know.

doeydo · March 2014

I hate kids tables and as a kid I would have dreaded being sat with cousins and other kids I don't know just because we are of a similar age. I would prefer to be sat with my mom, grandparents, and uncles.

JoanE2012 · March 2014

I find at the weddings I've been to, kids of all ages seem to prefer to get out on the dance floor!

lyndausvi · March 2014

This is a know your crowd question.

We had a kids table (ages 6-13). Their parents (my siblings) actually requested the table. Their thought process was they have dinner with their kids often, but with all of us living all over the country they wanted to spend some extra time with their other siblings. The nieces and nephews all like each other and they enjoy spending time with each other. All the kids are VERY well behaved. The parents were sat at a table next to them.

Growing up us cousins often sat together and the aunts/uncles would sit together. It was more of a sitting with your generation thing. I never thought about it. We never combined families though. I.E. would not not sit groom's side kids with bride's side kids simply because they are all kids. Kids who sat together had an established bond and history of knowing each other.

Not all families are like mine. Not all kids are well behaved like mine. Not all kids are outgoing as they are in my family. Age is a factor also. I would not put anyone under 6 at a kids only table. You have to take all those things into consideration.

Tandksmommy · March 2014

I don't have any kids on my side, aside from my own. The rest are fiance's cousins kids who all know each other very well and play together at family parties. They range in age from 2 to 8 (my son is the oldest at 8).

Being at the table is completely optional.I would never force parents to be split from their children and to make anyone uncomfortable. They would not be eating at the table, as they would be sitting with their parents during that time. I imagined it more as a place for them to go if they started to get bored or did not want to dance.

As for how formal and what time it is--it's at a golf course so it's not as casual as a back yard BBQ but it's certainly not black tie. I'm a pretty laid back person these days (I had a no kid wedding for my first marriage!) so I don't mind kiddos sitting at a table giggling, playing games or dancing. The wedding is at 4pm and the cocktail hour begins immediately after.

I guess I could do the bags but in my head I was concerned about "kid stuff" over running the table or ruining one of the cloth table cloths.

Jen4948 · March 2014

This "kids' table" would have to be supervised. Don't expect another guest to do it, especially a teenage guest. No wedding guest appreciates being expected at the last moment to "work" a wedding, including being told to supervise the small kids of other guests. That includes teenagers.

mysticl · March 2014

Tandksmommy said:

I don't have any kids on my side, aside from my own. The rest are fiance's cousins kids who all know each other very well and play together at family parties. They range in age from 2 to 8 (my son is the oldest at 8).

Being at the table is completely optional.I would never force parents to be split from their children and to make anyone uncomfortable. They would not be eating at the table, as they would be sitting with their parents during that time. I imagined it more as a place for them to go if they started to get bored or did not want to dance.

As for how formal and what time it is--it's at a golf course so it's not as casual as a back yard BBQ but it's certainly not black tie. I'm a pretty laid back person these days (I had a no kid wedding for my first marriage!) so I don't mind kiddos sitting at a table giggling, playing games or dancing. The wedding is at 4pm and the cocktail hour begins immediately after.

I guess I could do the bags but in my head I was concerned about "kid stuff" over running the table or ruining one of the cloth table cloths.

It doesn't have to be a ton of stuff and you can get washable items to put in the bags. I wouldn't do paint though. Also, even if you had the table set up there is a good chance it would still have a table cloth on it. The tables used for events are usually very basic and ugly, that is why they always have tablecloths on them.

indianaalum · March 2014

Keep them with families for supervision purposes.

I put a bucket of toys/games on the tables with kids. worked out well

cole82486 · March 2014

I am going to have a few kids at my reception. I'm the last one to be married so all my cousins have kids now. I decided I was going to have an activity table for the kids. My reception venue will have the dance floor in the center I thought of having the kids "play area" with in eye shot of the dance floor. Some coloring books, books to read and maybe some other "toys" like when you go to a doctors office. I also thought that children are usually on the floor dancing and running around during weddings until went to a wedding that had an activity area. It was nice. I say you want a "kids table" that's a great idea

AddieCake · March 2014

I would just put a coloring book and crayons or something simple at the tables they will be sitting at for dinner. It's not your responsibility to provide other people's kids with things to keep them entertained. Most parents are used to bringing along these kinds of things when they take their kids places that are not specifically designed for children.

kmmssg · March 2014

my MIL was a retired elementary school teacher and asked if she could put a few things together to make a kids table (activities, play area only, they ate with their parents) and the kids loved it. LOVED it. So did the parents. We got a ton of compliments for it.

She kept it very simple - some washable crayons, butcher block paper, some matchbox cars and a mat on the floor for them, some duplo blocks, and I don't remember the rest - but they stayed very engaged, it didn't take supervision since it was the corner of the same room we were in. The kids were maybe 30 feet at the most from their parents. We also didn't have dancing at our wedding if that makes any difference.

Make sure that everything is appropriate for the ages you have. If you have a toddler there you don't want small things they will cram in their mouth, etc. All I can tell you is that it went over extremely well, MIL kept it simple, and I have a picture drawn from each child at our wedding as a keepsake. Good luck!

00kim00 · March 2014

mysticl said, you don't want to put any parent in the position where they may be supervising other people's children.

Kids will most likely spend most of the time on the dance floor or running around, but some things you could have available at a kids table could be:

Cover the table with butcher paper instead of a tablecloth and put out crayons. They can color coloring sheets or the table itself
Non-messy crafts. You can do some wedding themed, like making flowers from tissue paper and pipe cleaners: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u77yfGjC8IM/UXQ5pWLfhcI/AAAAAAAABjE/R6S0v9IO2l8/s320/2013-03-18+07.06.21.jpg, which they can turn into a bouquet. The girls can also decorate "veils" with gem stickers. Or just provide some art/craft materials and let them experiment: scissors and tape, different sorts of paper, tissue paper, felt, pipe cleaners, stickers, styrofoam blocks, etc.
Coloring books with crayons, paint with water kits
Dramatic play materials: dress up clothes of a variety of sorts, can easily make this wedding themed and have bouquets and rings/jewelry and veils and such. Even better if you have a photo booth or can put a camera on the table or have the babysitter take pictures of the kids in their outfits
Blocks/Legos (careful with Legos if you're having toddlers, though, they're chokable for young children)
Hot Wheels (they're cheap, less than $1 at Target, so you could give one to each child and then if you have the table covered in butcher paper the kids can draw tracks for the cars to go on)
The older kids, in the 5-8 range, could do simple games (Go Fish, Guess Who, etc.), but expect pieces to disappear.
I Spy/Scavenger Hunt games
Writing/drawing ideas that are even less messy than crayons could be Magna Doodles or chalkboards and chalk

I don't know if you're indoors or outdoors. We're going to be outdoors and we're planning on having a kids' tent, too, with blankets and pillows and just their own "private" area to hang out and play in

TeddiD34 · March 2014

Tandksmommy said:

I don't have any kids on my side, aside from my own. The rest are fiance's cousins kids who all know each other very well and play together at family parties. They range in age from 2 to 8 (my son is the oldest at 8).

Being at the table is completely optional.I would never force parents to be split from their children and to make anyone uncomfortable. They would not be eating at the table, as they would be sitting with their parents during that time. I imagined it more as a place for them to go if they started to get bored or did not want to dance.

As for how formal and what time it is--it's at a golf course so it's not as casual as a back yard BBQ but it's certainly not black tie. I'm a pretty laid back person these days (I had a no kid wedding for my first marriage!) so I don't mind kiddos sitting at a table giggling, playing games or dancing. The wedding is at 4pm and the cocktail hour begins immediately after.

I guess I could do the bags but in my head I was concerned about "kid stuff" over running the table or ruining one of the cloth table cloths.

For the sake of your other guests, please don't put any sort of whistle or noise maker in these kid's bags. I was at a wedding that had these, and the nice classy brunch wedding turned into a painful headache of screeching whistles!

theartistformerlyknownas · March 2014

I'm planning on just having a coloring/activity book and little pack of crayons at each child's seat (where they're seated with their parents). They can have something to do but still be supervised by their own parents.

JoanE2012 · March 2014

00kim00 said:

Definitely have someone (a hired someone, not a guest) supervising the kids tablemysticl said, you don't want to put any parent in the position where they may be supervising other people's children.

Kids will most likely spend most of the time on the dance floor or running around, but some things you could have available at a kids table could be:
Cover the table with butcher paper instead of a tablecloth and put out crayons. They can color coloring sheets or the table itself
Non-messy crafts. You can do some wedding themed, like making flowers from tissue paper and pipe cleaners: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u77yfGjC8IM/UXQ5pWLfhcI/AAAAAAAABjE/R6S0v9IO2l8/s320/2013-03-18+07.06.21.jpg, which they can turn into a bouquet. The girls can also decorate "veils" with gem stickers. Or just provide some art/craft materials and let them experiment: scissors and tape, different sorts of paper, tissue paper, felt, pipe cleaners, stickers, styrofoam blocks, etc.
Coloring books with crayons, paint with water kits
Dramatic play materials: dress up clothes of a variety of sorts, can easily make this wedding themed and have bouquets and rings/jewelry and veils and such. Even better if you have a photo booth or can put a camera on the table or have the babysitter take pictures of the kids in their outfits
Blocks/Legos (careful with Legos if you're having toddlers, though, they're chokable for young children)
Hot Wheels (they're cheap, less than $1 at Target, so you could give one to each child and then if you have the table covered in butcher paper the kids can draw tracks for the cars to go on)
The older kids, in the 5-8 range, could do simple games (Go Fish, Guess Who, etc.), but expect pieces to disappear.
I Spy/Scavenger Hunt games
Writing/drawing ideas that are even less messy than crayons could be Magna Doodles or chalkboards and chalk
I don't know if you're indoors or outdoors. We're going to be outdoors and we're planning on having a kids' tent, too, with blankets and pillows and just their own "private" area to hang out and play in

I'd let parents be responsible for their own kids. What if little Suzie gets up from the table and runs away to the other side of the reception floor. Who's responsible? Does the "supervisor" chase after her and leave the others unsupervised? Then you'll have parents blaming this "supervisor" for letting their kids run loose and then really, what's the point of having someone supervise? I definitely wouldn't go this route.

Have a kids activity table if you want, but let parents be responsible for whether or not their kids sit at that table and whether they leave them alone or stay with them. It's part of parenting.

Tandksmommy · March 2014

I have kids myself so I'd never ever let something noisy be present. LOL. I learned years ago to confiscate all such items from any birthday/party we go to specifically so I don't have to listen to it. Kids are loud enough on their own.

BlueBirdMB · March 2014

doeydo said:

I hate kids tables and as a kid I would have dreaded being sat with cousins and other kids I don't know just because we are of a similar age. I would prefer to be sat with my mom, grandparents, and uncles.

Ditto! No kids table. Put them with their parents.

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