Parenting Pointers: Making Parties Fun

How to Make a Party Fun for Kids AND Adults

As your children grow up and each birthday, graduation, soccer trophy and clarinet solo is celebrated, parties abound and fun is had. But when your children are still young and need to be chaperoned, parties can be dull for the adults. It helps to have a party where the adults and parents attending can have fun at the same time. Though it will be up to each family to decide what are the activities they most enjoy, here are some suggestions to consider.

Sports Games

For any sports families out there, whether everyone plays or you just loves to watch your favorite teams, there are many activities that you all can enjoy. See if there's a team that the family cheers for that has a game going on nearby. Order tickets and take the whole family! Or maybe you'd prefer to get in on the action.

How about going bowling for a few hours? With bumpers for kids and some cash for snacks, it's a recipe for a great family outing. Or you can grab enough players and go have a family softball game at the nearby park with a picnic afterwards.

Music or Movies

For art-loving families, maybe musicians or movies are more your style. Find a couple of family-friendly artists that have tours in your area and take a day to go see them. You can go see a clean movie in theaters. Or you can grab the pizza, popcorn and some lemonade and have a movie marathon by watching all of the Disney Pixar movies in a row.

Amusement Park or Zoo

An all-day event can be a big hit for every age. Find an amusement or water park nearby and spend a day there with your whole family. Braver kids can join the rollercoaster-loving adults on the big, scary rides, while parents who prefer the milder rides chaperon the younger ones on rides like the teacup, octopus, carousel and Ferris Wheel.

Or take a trip to the zoo! Unique animals can be just as exciting for adults as they are children, and it's such a blast watching the elephants, lions and penguins play.

Water Day

On those hot summer days, everyone loves to cool off by getting wet. If you don't have a pool, take a day to go to the YMCA or the lake to swim for a while. You can even have an "adult swim" for 15 minutes where the kids watch from the sides as the older, competitive swimmers show off by diving into the pool; let the children judge who makes the biggest splash!

Or how about an old-fashioned water balloon fight in the backyard? Bring out buckets, sponges and the hose, and you've got yourself a war full of shrieking laughter and soaked people. Just make sure you have towels handy.

Game Day

There are lots of games that can hold the interest of adults and are easy enough for kids. How about busting out a deck of cards and playing a couple rounds of Go Fish, Old Maid or Egyptian Rat Slap? Board games like Life, Monopoly, Cranium, Taboo or Disney Scene can bring lots of laughs. Or how about buying a croquet set or a game of horse shoes and setting it up in the backyard for some friendly competition? Playing together as a family is a great way to get to know each other better and for everyone to have fun.

This article was provided by Samantha Greenbaum, constantly active, always creative mother of two. If you are planning a costume party for your infant, and are looking for the perfect outfit for them, Samantha recommends visiting http://www.costumeexpress.com.