What are you doing for kids at your wedding?

wandajune6 · September 2014

We're going to have about a dozen kids at our wedding, ranging in age from 3 months to 15 years old. For the younger kids (I'm thinking 13 and under), I'm trying to put together something to help keep them occupied. I pulled together a cute little coloring/activity book for kids and have crayons to go with it. I'm still puzzling over a few things:

1. How should I pull it all together? Gift bags? A simple white mailing envelope? Something else?
2. What else should I include in the bag? Fruit snacks? Something else?
3. I haven't actually bound the books yet. Should I hold them together with ribbon? Put them in thin binders? Something else?

I'm curious what others have done!

kaos16 · September 2014

I was at a wedding with kids in June. . . . they had a table set up off to the side with loose coloring pages and buckets of crayons. Kids seemed to enjoy that.

wandajune6 · September 2014

I'd like to do that but can't. Our venue is against it but, more importantly, there are a few kids who need to be more closely supervised- with parents that will happily leave them alone. I definitely want to keep them at their seats.

My thought was that I would create small bags/kits/whatever to occupy them at the table while their parents watch them.

lurkergirl · September 2014

I'm planning to do kind of the same thing. For the coloring and activity pages, I think I will use a 3-hole punch and bind them in a folder with brads and pockets. I will stick small packs of crayons or color pencils in the pocket of the folder.

If you want to decorate the folder, you could punch two holes in the front, pull a ribbon through them, and tie it in a big bow on the front. Or maybe type the kids' names in a cute font (I have literally thousands of cutesy kiddie teacher fonts) and put that on the folders to personalize them.

I have a HUGE outdoor space at my venue, so I will probably set up some type of game area somewhere.

As I wrote all that, the thought occurred to me that maybe you could go to target and get some type of travel game? Like something meant for the car that attached or magnetic pieces or something?

wandajune6 · September 2014

Oooh. Good ideas too! Thanks!

tammym1001 · September 2014

I put together activity bags for the couple of children that were at my wedding. I bought some handled tote bags at the dollar store and filled them with:

- coloring books

- crayons

- blank paper

- stickers

- some little toys

- a ring pop

They liked them and I have a super cute picture of them laying on the dance floor during dinner coloring together in their books.

lkristenj · September 2014

tammym1001 said:

I put together activity bags for the couple of children that were at my wedding. I bought some handled tote bags at the dollar store and filled them with:

- coloring books
- crayons
- blank paper
- stickers
- some little toys
- a ring pop

They liked them and I have a super cute picture of them laying on the dance floor during dinner coloring together in their books.

I think all of that is fine except for the ring pop. Some kids may be fine with them, especially the older ones. But, I can just image a younger child getting it stuck in their hair, their clothes, or someone else's hair, and having sticky hands for the rest of the night. Definitely a "know your crowd" thing, but worth thinking about.

wandajune6 · September 2014

Good call on the ring pop!

I was thinking fruit snacks because they are good for all ages- assuming parents allow them. I figured that I'd put the bags/whatever by the front with a sign that it's for kids- then let the parents sort it out.

tammym1001 · September 2014

lkristenj said:

tammym1001 said:

I put together activity bags for the couple of children that were at my wedding. I bought some handled tote bags at the dollar store and filled them with:

- coloring books
- crayons
- blank paper
- stickers
- some little toys
- a ring pop

They liked them and I have a super cute picture of them laying on the dance floor during dinner coloring together in their books.

I think all of that is fine except for the ring pop. Some kids may be fine with them, especially the older ones. But, I can just image a younger child getting it stuck in their hair, their clothes, or someone else's hair, and having sticky hands for the rest of the night. Definitely a "know your crowd" thing, but worth thinking about.

Yeah I agree it's definitely a "know your crowd thing". I only had two kids and they were 5 and 6 and I know them really well so it was ok. Some sort of little snack for them would be fine. I just thought the ring pops were cute since it was a wedding.

mrscomposer · September 2014

We're not doing individual bags, but our venue actually has a smaller room that is adjacent to the main ballroom. We'll have a projector with videos, and a couple of tables set up with colouring books and crayons.

Karens62 · September 2014

You might want to rethink your age groups. I don't know any kid nowadays who's 10 or older who would want to receive a coloring book.they might "help" the little ones but they wouldn't like it themselves. You could try sudoku or word searches or a crossword for those groups, and of course, they still like the edible treats!

wandajune6 · September 2014

Karens62 said:
You might want to rethink your age groups. I don't know any kid nowadays who's 10 or older who would want to receive a coloring book.they might "help" the little ones but they wouldn't like it themselves. You could try sudoku or word searches or a crossword for those groups, and of course, they still like the edible treats!

Fair point. We only have 1 kid in the range of 10-13 and she's fairly severely mentally handicapped so I was including her with the younger kids. I know the older kids will dance the night away or be tied to their phones so I'm less concerned!

Senecaf · September 2014

We did a box of crayons with coloring pages wrapped around and tied with a ribbon. There were ring pops as well but we lost them before the reception. We also had juice boxes at the bar. The kids loved that. I did the juice because most bars only have sprite, orange juice cranberry juice and watet that are non caffinated kid options.

For the activity packet things we put them by the escort cards so they could take them if they wanted. I saw a few teenagers coloring them so a few extras may not be a bad idea if you are not putting names on them.

vh2014 · September 2014

I bought the happy meal style boxes from Oriental Trading and then went to the party store and filled them with the 10- 25 cent favors. I stayed away from anything with sugar, those stick to the wall things, stickers, and crayons. My venue coordinator had a bride that had to pay to have the walls repainted because kids at the reception colored on the walls. I had one or two I thought might do this so I decided not to even risk it. For the boys- I had already given them legos as their ring bearer gifts so they sat and put their legos together. The girls had fun plastic jewelry. Both had spinning tops, little cars, and stuff like that. It seemed to keep them entertained through dinner and then once the dancing began they joined in.

theartistformerlyknownas · September 2014

I did little coloring/activity books, crayons for littles and multicolored pens for big kids (9-12), blinky squishy led rings, smiley face bead maze, little bag of teddy grahams/animal crackers/Lorna Doones that came from a multi pack (nut free for N with allergies), and all-natural fruit snacks. Packaged them up in a small clear cello bag from the candy making aisle at Joann.

wandajune6 · September 2014

I've got so many ideas now! Thank you all!

holyguacamole79 · September 2014

We had quite a few children at our wedding, too. We honestly didn't do anything. During dinner, a lot of the kids ran around outside (the reception venue was on a nice property with some grass). They danced with us and each other. My step-niece brought her Kindle to play with (but she is one of those kids who will have her nose in that thing all day long).

allisoneliz · September 2014

I had a "craft table" set up with colouring books, crayons, stickers, etc. I had juice boxes which got forgotten about (may I have no greater trial) but I really wish I'd thought to include snacks of some kind. The craft table was a huge hit, and the kids also kept themselves occupied running around on the grass, throwing rocks into the ocean, dancing, etc. I think as long as you have a couple of things to keep them occupied during dinner, it'll be fine.

theartistformerlyknownas · September 2014

Oh yeah these were really only for cocktail hour amusement. Once the dance floor opened up those kids rocked it out. My 1.5 yo niece and 3 yo nephew kept pulling strangers onto the dance floor with them. 3 yo reached boss status when he spun the 4 yo FG. (Pretty sure she was leading that charge, but that can be between us.)

[Deleted User] · September 2014

For the kids that came to my wedding I found some great stuff at ww.orientaltrading.com. They have premade activity kits. I opted for their bags that were white & the size of a lunch bag. On it has a stick figure bride & groom. They also sold small wedding theme coloring books that came w/crayons. I put those in the bag, along with fruit snacks & a small bag of pretzels. Both clean snacks (no orange fingers). They also had white plastic cups with the stick figure bride & groom on it. I got those & took a sharpie & wrote each childs name on it & made sure it was at their table. I thought those would be easier & safer for them to handle then a real glass for the kids (mine were around 5 & under). I want to say I put something else in, but it's been 2 years so I can't remember. But oriental trading had some cute options to keep kids busy & quiet with a wedding theme. I actually handed mine out at church, so the kids wouldn't be so fussy during the service. If they got a little loud at the reception, exspecially while we were dancing, it didn't bug me at all.

[Deleted User] · September 2014

Idea for the older kids, if it fits into your budget, what about a small lego kit?

feignducky · September 2014

Legos are fun, just be okay if they get lost, or end up on the dance floor unintenionally. Also choking hazard for unattened little ones.

Older kid idea: We were planning on having playing cards available after dinner. Our crowd has family that includes younger ones in card games frequently, (it's not a family event, till Rook is played somewhere). We are gamers, - found a forgotten beat up box with a pirate game at home. So now we're making a small "treasure box" to contain it, and a fancy set of instructions. (note: A few friends already know how to play it, and would be glad to teach it). If any of the above gets lost or broken, no big deal.

For little ones: Coloring does works well when you can set up an area for them to go at it (remember linens and crafts don't mix well). Just went to a reception where they had a giant coloring castle, and paper covered tables available, that was a hit. If coloring is not available, try simple board games, or flat out ask the parents.

Card games seem more universal for our crowd.

jenijoyk · September 2014

Ugh. There are going to be four kids at our wedding and I dislike all of the them. I want to do nothing and hope they all leave early. I AM A TERRIBLE PERSON.

theartistformerlyknownas · September 2014

jenijoyk said:

Ugh. There are going to be four kids at our wedding and I dislike all of the them. I want to do nothing and hope they all leave early. I AM A TERRIBLE PERSON.

So, fire crackers and throwing stars in your kids' packs? ;-)

wandajune6 · September 2014

Ack. So people keep changing their RSVPs on us. I'm going crazy and just reminding myself repeatedly that fewer guests means we're spending less....

The final decision- bags containing:

1. Washable crayons (fun for kids, easier on linens)
2. Homemade coloring/activity books
3. Fruit snacks (organic)
4. Glow bracelets

I figure that the older kids will play with the bracelets and eat the fruit snacks. The younger kids will appreciate all of it. And the very young kid's parents will like them!

theartistformerlyknownas · September 2014

wandajune6 said:

Ack. So people keep changing their RSVPs on us. I'm going crazy and just reminding myself repeatedly that fewer guests means we're spending less....

The final decision- bags containing:

1. Washable crayons (fun for kids, easier on linens)
2. Homemade coloring/activity books
3. Fruit snacks (organic)
4. Glow bracelets

I figure that the older kids will play with the bracelets and eat the fruit snacks. The younger kids will appreciate all of it. And the very young kid's parents will like them!

Yeahhhhh I had to buy extras of things to account for one cousin's kids. His whole family of 4 ended up no-showing. Just keep swimming!

jenijoyk · September 2014

lolo883 said:

jenijoyk said:

Ugh. There are going to be four kids at our wedding and I dislike all of the them. I want to do nothing and hope they all leave early. I AM A TERRIBLE PERSON.

So, fire crackers and throwing stars in your kids' packs? ;-)

You are full of genius ideas today and I am using ALL OF THEM.

Ecstacy and flame throwers: CHECK

Ninja stars: CHECK

(I am very excited about my new bloodbath wedding theme.)

What are you doing for kids at your wedding?

Re: What are you doing for kids at your wedding?

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