We’re back again continuing our look at wedding entertainment and today, we’re tackling the topic of entertainment for children at weddings. There’s no doubting the fact that wedding days can be really long days and, if you’re one of the younger guests, you might not find proceedings that enjoyable. Here are a few ideas for making sure any children that you invite have a fun time too.

Why you need to consider children’s entertainment

OK, we’re going to call it – if you’re inviting children, you really do need to think about how to entertain them. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, if you’ve thought about the band, the bar and all the entertainment for adults, it’s a bit of a shame if you don’t think about the rest of your guests too and that means the kids.

Secondly, consider the parents. It’s likely that ‘the grown ups’ are your friends and they’ll really appreciate it if you think about their children too. You’re hosting a big event so you really do need to consider everyone’s needs.

Lastly, if you can keep the children busy and occupied at all the key moments, the whole atmosphere of the day will be more relaxed, more enjoyable and more peaceful for everyone!

 

 

Quiet entertainment for children

There are definitely going to be times during the day when you’ll be hoping that all the younger guests are quiet and even still. The first of moment is during your ceremony. Always place families with young children (under five) on the end of an aisle if possible so they can escape quickly if needed. Slightly older children are much more likely to be engaged if they can see what’s going on so don’t banish younger guests to the back of the room.

During your dinner, providing entertainment packs for children can be a really good idea. You can buy pre-made packs from various suppliers or your can create your own which can be the best idea because you know the children involved. Anything from colouring or puzzle books to little jigsaws or small toys can all work really well.

 

 

 

Active entertainment for children

It’s far too much to reasonably expect children to be quiet and still for much of the day and giving them an opportunity to run around and have some fun works well for everyone. Treasure hunts, silly sports day style games, bouncy castles or even organised games like rounders can be great for children. Obviously you’ll need a few responsible adults to supervise these activities and, if you’ve got a few children attending, hiring nannies or specialised children’s entertainers means that everyone can relax.

 

 

Evening entertainment for children

Now most children will love the excuse to strut their stuff on the dancefloor but there might well come a time when the younger guests might need to head off and leave the serious party animals to it!

Setting up a movie night room for the children can be a brilliant plan if your venue has got space. Lots of comfortable seating, some foodie treats and a big screen and the youngsters will be happy for hours. Their parents can pop in and check on them and whisk them off home or to bed when they want but do make sure that someone’s always in the room to supervise.

If you’ve got guests with children staying overnight at your venue, employing a nanny to run a baby-listening service or ‘sleep room’ for children will mean that your friends can stay and party with you until the very end of the evening!

 

 

Until next time,

Amanda x