Plan an activity based party for your kids with these fun, easy and fantastic party ideas, using your local ice rink, swimming pool or amusement park.
Ice Skating Party
- Take advantage of a public skating session to invite a group of kids to the party.
- The rink can provide rental skates at a nominal fee, and the guests have the choice of skating the entire time, or taking a break to play some video games or visit the concession stands.
- Many local rinks also provide a party room for rental, which can become a respite for the ice-weary children.
- As hostess, provide refreshments for the kids --- pizza, pop and cake are naturals --- and you may also want to provide some non-ice skating activities in the party room.
- Crayons and themed coloring pages or a low-mess craft are good alternatives for guests that are cold or have sore feet.
Swimming Party
- Public pools provide a large area for your birthday party, and lifeguard supervision is not a concern.
- With the advent of so many water park-style public pools, the options for a non-traditional pool party have increased a lot.
- You can provide splash balls, squirt guns and other pool-approved toys for the guests to enjoy.
- Don’t forget to include refreshments for the guests --- popcorn, hotdogs, and popsicles are seasonal favorites.
- Depending on the pool’s setup, you can also plan to have a non-water based activity.
- One that is fun, relatively neat and very creative is to have the guests decorate T-shirts.
- Provide inexpensive pre-washed cotton T-shirts, stuffed with T-shirt backer boards (found at your local craft shop), and fabric paints or fabric markers.
- Let the kids design and create their own unique garment to remember the party.
Amusement Park Party
- If you live near a full-scale amusement park, and your kids are middle schoolers or older, this type of party could be perfect for your situation.
- Although the cost per person is relatively high, the stress level for the parents is low and fun level for the kids is terrific!
- For this type of activity, limit the party size to a group of four – this size is perfect for most rides, assures that everyone has a buddy, and isn’t so large that it’s cumbersome.
- Make sure that each kid has a cell phone or at least a walkie talkie for in-park communication.
- As you start the day, take a Polaroid or digital photo of each kid in the group. Although you can sell this activity as a way to remember the party, in actuality, you are creating a photo ID of each child, in case someone gets lost.
- Provide each guest with a bottle of water and $5 for emergency snacks.
- If your kids are comfortable with you following the group, do so. If not, use the cell phones to check in frequently and track their progress throughout the park.
- Meet at least every two hours to touch base and perhaps to eat as a group.
Part of the fun of this event is to let the kids have their sense of freedom with the run of the park, although you are providing a huge safety net since the park is self-contained, money is not involved once the admission price is paid, and you are tracking their progress for the entire day. It’s a win-win situation for all involved.
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© Text by Janice Benoit. [April, 2007]. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright
The copyright of the article Children's Party Plans in Kids & Teen Parties is owned by Janice Benoit. Permission to republish Children's Party Plans in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
