First of all, if you’re planning a wedding and feel obliged to organize some specific activities and locations for kids, you don’t have to do it! Children do just fine without any fancy kid-friendly zones. Although, if you want to do it, there are plenty of options and ideas for you, which we’re gladly sharing in this article. Also, to plan a kid-friendly wedding, you need to know a few things that are important, to make your wedding ceremony and reception as pleasant and comfy for everybody as possible.
If you want to involve children in any wedding activity, make sure everyone is comfortable with it, including the kids, their parents, the rest of the guests, and, of course, you and your partner.
Useful tip! All of the things you plan for children to use (snacks, juice boxes, toys, or anything else), must be in quiet packaging. So, when kids get it out or put it back into packaging, no loud noises are heard.
Remember that kids are always restless and active, so they probably will go everywhere, grab anything they see, play with anything around them, make noise, etc. With children, it seems like they’re in several places at the same time.
What kid zones and wedding activities can you organize for children? Here are a few options.
Kids’ wedding table
That’s not a necessary thing, again, but you can make a special table for children, with foods they like and furniture they can easily use. Sometimes, children can’t reach the food on ordinary tables and have to ask for it, but they’re too shy to do that, and it causes discomfort and upsets them. So, it’s great to have a small table with bite foods, snacks, desserts, etc so that kids could come and get what they want, not bothering adults. The more independent children are at a wedding, the better because it will let their parents rest and have a good time as well.
It’s very convenient to serve bite-size snacks for kids, especially with desserts. This way, they won’t get overstuffed and, at the same time, feel like they’ve tried a few dishes instead of just one big piece of cake. It’s always cool when food for children is colorful, bright, and interesting. It’s easier to make them eat veggies, for example, when they’re cut into fun shapes. Also, the kids’ table should offer fruits and various light foods instead of heavy meats and pastries.
Though usually, you don’t have to worry about what food to serve to kids if you’re hiring a wedding venue or a food vendor because they have some experience and know what to do to make children happy with their meal.
Goody bag for every kid
A wedding can be boring for children – they’re constantly asked to be quiet, most of the activities are for adults, etc. But you can help them find something to do. A nice idea is to prepare a small goody bag for every child that may include some snacks, little toys, crayons and paper, little stickers, anything kids like. If you have a plan of seating your guests, you can leave these bags on those chairs where children will be seated. If not, have somebody responsible for handing out such goody bags before the wedding reception starts. Don’t forget to make the packaging quiet and carefully think through what items to put into the bags.
Game table
If you invite a lot of children to your wedding, you can have a game table where they’re able to play and interact with each other. We advise to opt for a game table rather than a game room because most parents like to have their kids in sight. And also, it’s better when their games are supervised by somebody. So, a small game zone with a table and various game stuff is the best option.
By the way, a lot of children love to play Lego. And it’s easy to organize, you only need a table and Lego parts.
You can also hire a temporary tattoo artist or face paint artist. But it’s extra costs, so do it only if there are many children at the wedding.
Open space
It’s also very useful to have some open space for the kids to play, like a garden or field or lawn area. It has to be far from the tables so that no dinnerware was broken and no food damaged. Sometimes, you don’t even need to think out entertainments for the kids, they’ll find how to engage themselves without your help. Just provide a place where they can play freely.
Quest or scavenger hunt
It’s a great idea but it might need a lot of effort to organize. And such activities are perfect for teenagers and older kids rather than little ones. If you like such games and don’t mind putting some effort to make one, go for it. Some adults will also gladly take part in a quest.
It can be a photo scavenger hunt, which is easier to organize. Just set the list of things participants need to find and snap and leave them be. Today, practically every kid has a phone with a camera and knows how to use it. Think out interesting tasks, like “find a granny dancing”, “take a photo of a couple kissing”, or “take a picture of a kid laughing”, etc.
Dance floor
Kids love to dance, most of them at least. So, you have to be ready that if you have a dance floor, you won’t be able to get them off it. And that’s great! That’s a big plus for those adults who are shy to dance in front of strangers, they’ll feel much better with children dancing around them. This activity is also perfect because it involves both kids and adults, so you don’t have to spend extra money to entertain these two groups separately.
Babysitter
The wedding guests with kids will thank you for hiring a babysitter for the evening so that adults were able to relax and party instead of watching the kids constantly and worry about their safety, their behavior, and so on. Make sure the babysitter is experienced and has enough knowledge to cope with kids, especially if there are many of them. Though, think carefully if you really need a babysitter, because in some cases, it’s just a waste of money.
Nursing room
If some of your wedding guests have babies, organize a nursing room for them to tend to their kids comfortably. You don’t want women to breastfeed their babies or change diapers in front of everybody else at the wedding party or for them to search for a dark corner to have some privacy.
