Successful Children's Birthday Party Activities
~ lots of fun, cheap, creative and even bilingual!
by Stephanie Olsen
Family Life Abroad
Having now somewhat recovered from Emily's seventh birthday party, I
thought I'd share a couple of the more popular games and activities,
used by a group of children between the ages of 4 and 10.
Bilingual Vocabulary Picture Bingo
As a unilingual home schooling American in Europe, I've got a fairly
singular set of conditions to work under when creating activities.
This bingo game was a hit with lots of repeat requests.
Materials needed:
* one square piece of construction or other sturdy paper and one
Magic Marker for each child
* 9 bingo chips such as buttons or M&Ms or bubble gum per child
* prepared list(s) of 18 objects to be called, plus a copy of each
list cut up per word into 18 small cards
* a large bowl/hat to pull the words from when calling
* one translator for any other linguistically-challenged expatriates
Method:
- Hand out the papers, markers and bingo chips. I had the kids spread
out all over the floor.
- Instruct the children to make a 9 square grid; two horizontal lines
and two bisecting vertical lines (you can show your sample bingo card
or demonstrate on a child's blackboard).
I actually used the phrases "nine square grid", "horizontal lines"
and "bisecting vertical": it exposes the children to mathematical
terms in a friendly environment and, because sounds very impressive,
there's a true sense of accomplishment when the kids complete the
task.
- Using your list of (let's say) animals, tell the children to draw -
in any square they wish - the picture of EITHER an elephant OR a
lion. Stress that the card they are creating should be unique to make
the game more fun.
If you are working on a second language, or just happen to be living
in a foreign non-English-speaking country, repeat the animal name in
the applicable language.
- Once the first box is completed and using the second pair of
objects on your list, tell the kids to draw - in any square - a
picture of EITHER a snake or a monkey.
This particular party having a jungle theme, it helped the younger
children for me to point out relevant wall decorations (very simple
animal cut-outs I had made the night before).
- When all cards are completed, explain that the aim of the game is
to shout BINGO! whenever a child gets three markers in a row - in any
direction. Here the terms horizontal, vertical and diagonal can be
used and understood without explanation as you draw lines on the
board.
NOTE: when you start the game, remember to call out the words in
both languages. After a couple of rounds, you can make it more
interesting by calling them out in the target language only - the
kids will automatically translate out loud thereby helping ones not
sure of the translation.
We played until the cards were full, so that everyone got to shout
BINGO! several times - there were no prizes given out, just lots
of "wow!"s and "again?!s" and "that's incredible!"s from an
appreciative bingo caller.
When the theme chosen has run its course, you can refresh the game by
drawing new cards on the back of the old ones, with whatever objects
fit your interests or fancy: pieces of fruit, holiday or fairy tale
characters (ie., Santa, Easter Bunny, Pilgrim, tooth fairy, angel
etc.), Sesame Street cast, buildings or monuments (house, pyramid,
igloo), etc.
Balloon Decoration
Once the balloons were inflated, dizziness and hyperventilation
receding to acceptable levels, we strung them together with thread
and hung them, cascading from windows, as an out-of-the-way
decoration. When they were needed, we freed the balloons and let the
girls choose a favorite color.
The gang gathered round a large table covered by a cheap disposable
plastic tablecloth, and started working with a variety of decorating
materials including:
* glitter glue squeezable tubes
* glitter glue pots with applicator stick
* clear liquid glue with applicator stick (for the real professionals)
* glue sticks
* paint brushes
* washable paint
* crepe paper strips
* confetti
* colorful cotton balls
* small pom-poms
* markers
* ribbons
* feathers
* Easter grass
* colored sand
* glitter
* macaroni (different shapes and sizes)
* seeds
* rice
all of the foregoing items neatly organized in old egg cartons.
This activity kept everyone busy for a solid 30 minutes, and some of
their creations were real works of art. To dry one side at a time,
tie a ribbon to the knot of the balloon and tape up on the wall or
window.
Once in a while, there'd be a loud explosion and some screams. No one
ever got very upset about the destruction of their masterpiece, but
the added tension seemed to keep interest high.
Although it sounds like an awful mess, it's actually a quick and easy
clean-up: just grab the brushes and markers and any other salvageable
items, then wrap up the rest in the tablecloth and toss. Since the
activity was held in a playroom with a hardwood floor, one quick
sweep finished the job off.
Take Home Memories
When parents came collecting, the kids happily flaunted their
personalized bingo cards and balloon projects, which of course they
took home as party favors, chocolate stained with ribbons trailing.
Stephanie Olsen, published writer, homeschooling mother of two and
ESL teacher currently residing in Europe, is also owner of the
expatriate site, Family Life Abroad Family Life Abroad
where you'll find humorous and informative articles by experienced
expatriates on all aspects of living abroad, with lots of links and
travel tips.
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