Need help with Kid's Games
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Jedisan

Wednesday, August 20, 2003 - 07:04 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I have my annual family reunion on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend.
My mom had graciously (smirk) volunteered me for kid's games.
I need suggestions for kid's games.
We do break them up in age groups from toddlers to approx 13 yrs (kids older than that are allowed to participate adult games)
I need games that do not have too many props (not enough time to make props) and that do not cost much to put together. ( free ones ar ethe best)
I want to add that ALL participants "win" a prize. It is just to have some fun.
have a whellborrow (sp?) race on my docket.
I trust you all might have some amazing ideas
I look forward to your responses.

Zachsmom

Wednesday, August 20, 2003 - 08:26 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
water ballon toss! We always fill a BIG cooler full of water ballons before we leave for picnic.

If you don't want water ballons then do an egg toss.

What is great about these is that any age group can participate!

Three legged races

Gunny sack (potato sac) races

Hoola hop contest (you can get a hoola hoop at 99 cent store- buy 5 and break into groups and have a hoola ho down!)

Limbo contest! Be creative and make your limbo set! All you need is a bar (could be a large stick) and use 2 people to hold the bar!

I'll try and think of some more..lol HOW FUN!!!

Wargod

Wednesday, August 20, 2003 - 10:45 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Candy hunt. Just like an easter egg hunt, but with small baggies of candy.

Bowling. We did it one year with two liter bottles. We put just a little sand in the bottom (to keep them from blowing over) and used a small ball.

Are you interested in any party crafts? We've done a few and had fun with those. We did a hippy/70's party for my daughter one year. I cut out headbands out of that thin foamy stuff you buy in craft stores that the kids got to decorate, and you can do hippy vest using paper bags. Some of the crafts take a bit of planning ahead of time, like cutting stuff out or getting together supplies, but most are fairly cheap. If you are, let me know and I'll give you a couple ideas. Kind of fun for the kids and gives them something to do for a little while.

Jedisan

Thursday, August 21, 2003 - 05:59 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Great ideas Zachsmom and Wargod.
Keep 'em coming folks...
water balloons - great - I think we will do that - cheap and FUN!!! esp on a hot day.
Hula hoops are a fun idea too. can i get them at a party store?
Where can I get potatoe sacks? also a great idea.
I also thought of a wheel-burrow race.
Limbo contest sounds like fun - we have a sound system that we use, so we can pipe out the music. Maybe "Sponge Bob" theme song ( I happen to have it on disc - though no kids-haha)
Egg tosses are usually for the adult games, since they are SOOOOOO messy (esp if you suck at it like me! LOL!)
Maybe we could trick them a little, and use boiled eggs. When they crack, it is elimination time!

Zachsmom

Thursday, August 21, 2003 - 08:48 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
We've had our potato sacks for years..passed down from the family..not sure where you can find them.

You can improvise and have everyone bring a pillow case! little ones can use standard and bigger kids can use king size pillow cases.

That's a great idea about hard-boiled eggs!

I am sure you can get the hoola hoops at party store! Kay-bee toystore are pretty cheap/discounted too..so if you have one of those around I'd hit there first. Drug stores (Sav-on, Rite-aid, Thrify, Walgreens) may have them too.

I don't know what type of setting you are going to be in, but if you have a hill, have a tumbling or rolling contest. Whoever summersaults down fastest or lays down and rolls down the hill fastest gets a wins!

set up some type of obsticle course! be creative!

Play simon says, Redlight-green light is a fun game.

I'll try and think of some more later!

by the way..where is the picnic and what time should I be there

Mags

Friday, August 22, 2003 - 05:36 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Red Rover

Scavenger Hunt---have older kids work with younger kids to find items at the picnic. You could hide items in a bush, tape them to an adult's clothing, etc.

Spin the kids around till they get a bit dizzy and have them carry a cup of water while racing to the finish line.

Crazy Olympics: Have a Crazy Olympics party and let the kids play silly games, such as the Backwards Crab Walk, Blind (folded) Leapfrog, Impossible Obstacle Course, Frisbee Golf, etc. Add a few ridiculous relay races for extra fun (pass the eggs, carry cotton on a spoon, one-legged race, and so on). The kids can also play Silly Sports. For example, they can golf with their feet instead of a golf club, or play baseball with a broom instead of a bat. They can even run the bases backwards.


Some websites that had some good ideas:
bhg.com

http://www.coolest-kid-birthday-parties.com/outdoor-kid-games.html

http://www.party411.com/gameguide%2Dreunions.html%23Family

Jkm

Friday, August 22, 2003 - 07:33 am EditMoveDeleteIP
There are so many games -- family fun magazine just in the last month or so had another take on the family reunion with games and stuff, I'd guess some of it is on line at www.familyfun.com.

This is my favorite site -- we do stuff with scouts, 4-H, family and youth group -- this site has links to any game you could ever want --

http://www.scoutingweb.com/scoutingweb/Program/Games.htm

Kaili

Friday, August 22, 2003 - 07:44 am EditMoveDeleteIP
This is a thing my grandparents used to do for my mom and aunts when they were kids and my mom did for me at birthday parties- might be too messy for you, but it was always something that my friends and I liked when we were younger...

They would get a bunch of long strings (enough for every kid that was there) and make huge "webs" (depending on the weather it would be inside or outside). The strings would go everywhere- around table legs, wrapped around trees, whatever. Each kid would pick a spool and have to follow their string around and wrap it back up onto the spool (so that meant crawling under tables or all over the yard, under and over other people's strings)- when you reached the end of your string, there would be a "prize" at the end. There was no winner, unless you cared who got done first. The fun was really getting to navigate around the zig-zagged strings until you find out what you get because everyone had something diferent. While you're doing it, you may come across someone else's prize, but you don't know what yours is until you reach the end of your own.

May not work for a family reunion because of the space it can take up (that's up to you how much space you use though) and the facilities you have available- or if it's just too much work to get set up. It could be fun even for the adults to set up though, as they would be unwinding the string and making the "web". Just make sure the kids are all off somewhere else while your making it.

Jedisan

Friday, August 22, 2003 - 05:20 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
More terrific ideas.
Thanks so much folks.
LOL @ Zachsmom - If you can Find Onarga, Illinois on a map, you are MORE then welcome. (Heck, even my dad comes to this, and he has been divorced from my mom for over twenty five years.
(It doesn;e hurt that he has "family" on my mom's side - since his brother married my ma's sis - and my pop dated a few of teh other sisters - there are ten girls all together - before hooking up with mom. He even has a tat with my aunts name on it!LOL!)

I LOVE the idea to spin the kids, and have them walk with the water cup. DH thinks we should have a tray like BB!
We do have a set amount of time that we spend on games, about an hour or so before we eat, so some of these ideas, while terrific, are just too time consuming.
I am going to check out the web-sites provided, and should be good to go.
You all are GREAT!!!!
Thanks again, on behalf of me and my mom. I worry though, that if we do too good a job, I will be roped into this as tradition from now on! That;s OK though. I love it!


I also LOVE the scavenger hunt idea. This can be done using the whole day, and then give out a GRAND PRIZE at the end.
Our picnic is next to a huge corn field, but I wouldn't want to lose any of kids if I sent them out for anything!