Keep Kids Entertained On Your Wedding Day. Our 10 Top Tips + FREE Printable Activity Booklet.
Whether you choose to include children in your wedding day is a decision you will need to make fairly early on in the wedding planning process. If having family and friends (and even your own) children at your wedding is important to you, you are going to need to come up with some ways to keep them occupied. Especially at the important moments such as your ceremony and speeches. Keeping kids entertained doesn't have to be a huge task or expense. Here are our top 10 ideas to help you!
Kids Activity Station
Set up an activity table or area somewhere in your wedding reception space. This could include kids crafts, colouring, puzzles, temporary tattoos, bubbles and other age friendly activities to keep the mini guests occupied for hours.
Hire Child Friendly Entertainment
Most couples choose to hire wedding entertainment for some part of the day, if you have a lot of children attending make sure your entertainment will suit all ages. Magicians, Balloon Artists, Face painters will go down a treat for both the adults and the kids, whatever their age. Also, consider a bouncy castle! Other than entertaining all of your guests it will create some amazing photo opportunities for you and your partner.
Hire a Childcare Service
This is probably best if you have a few younger kids at the wedding. These services are great. Qualified child minders will come and keep the little ones entertained and looked after whilst you and their parents enjoy the more adult moments of the day. A perfect time would be around the wedding breakfast and speeches.
Create a Treasure Hunt
This one is a perfect way to keep the older kids entertained. Create a treasure hunt and have them complete the tasks on it. They will naturally make this a competition and have a load of fun doing it.
Have a Separate Children's Table
If the little ones attending your wedding are fairly responsible, consider having a separate kids table. This way they can quite easily entertain each other and will feel all grown up being able to sit away from their parents.
Create a Games Room
If you have the space in your venue, consider setting up a games area in another room. You could have games like Just Dance, or perhaps some popular Xbox or PlayStation games. You can adapt it to suit the age group of the children you have attending. Be warned though - if you put an Xbox out... it probably won't be just keeping the kids entertained!
Give Them Responsibilities or Tasks
Children love to feel like they are responsible for something, especially on such an important day. Consider putting them 'in charge' of something or giving them their own tasks to help the running of your day. There are the obvious choices such as being a flower girl or ring bearer. But think outside the box. Maybe you could make one of them responsible for taking the bouquets and placing them where you have planned to put them after the ceremony. Or they are in charge of the kids table, or the photobooth. Get creative, they will love it.
Create a Kids Photobooth
Who doesn't love a photobooth? Providing a kids only photobooth will go down an absolute treat with your mini guests. Let them get creative, take a tonne of pictures and dress up in all sorts of outfits. A great idea for after the wedding, when you are sending out thank you cards, include the kids too. Choose an image from the photobooth and personalise their thank you card with their own picture.
Provide Activity Packs
Activity Packs are a great, affordable way to keep your mini guests entertained. Whether you make up an activity booklet or create a whole pack for them. You can add colouring, pens, bubbles, mini games and so much more. These don't have to cost you a lot at all, and will also double up as the children's favours.
Activity booklets are readily available on sites like Etsy, or you can make your own on Canva. To make things easy for you, we have created a free printable download for you! Simply click the image below and it will take you straight to the document where you can save and print off yourself. Simply add a pack of crayons and maybe some ribbon to each one and you're good to go!
Don't Invite Them
If finding ways to entertain a handful of children at your wedding fills you with dread. Simply have a child free wedding. Controversial maybe! But remember, you don't HAVE to invite them and whilst some parents might not like the idea when it's first mentioned, as long as you give them plenty of notice to find suitable childcare, I'm sure they will thank you in the end. Every parent, no matter what they say will appreciate a child free day so they can let there hair down without the worry of occupying their little ones.
Do you have any more ideas on how to keep kids entertained at a wedding? We would love to hear them! Leave us a comment below, maybe you'll inspire another bride to be!
