Keep Kids and Adults Entertained This Labor Day
Dear Penelope,
Every year, our family has a big get-together for Labor Day at a different family member’s house. This year the Labor Day party will be at my house, and I’m worried about being able to keep kids and adults entertained (mostly the kids). Any suggestions for some kind of activity to keep everyone happy? The party will be outdoors (weather permitting) on a fairly good-sized chunk of lawn.
Lindsay
Wilmington, DE
Dear Lindsay,
I have the same problem every time we throw a family function. Trying to keep kids entertained and making them feel important in their own right during a mostly adult party is tricky business. Some party planning advice for your family Labor Day party this year: a scavenger hunt. Go through the master list of party guests and pair kids with adults in teams of two (separating children from their parents so that aunts, uncles, grandparents etc. have a chance to spend time with nieces, nephews and grandchildren). Determine a prize such as simple bragging rights or two gift bags filled with the appropriate items for the winning child/adult pair.
Since your Labor Day party will be a family function, this scavenger hunt can be family-themed: clues could pertain to classic family jokes or stories, and items to be found could be anything from Grammy’s favorite mug to the softest beach towel that all the kids fight over every summer. A classic Walker family story that I always use for games like this is the time my husband dressed up as a superhero (in a cape made from his favorite blanket and his underwear) during his grandparents’ 50th anniversary dinner at the their home. For our scavenger hunt, I always make sure to hide a pair of boxers in the backyard to commemorate the time that 7 year-old Charlie ran around his backyard, swooping and ducking between a mixture of delighted and horrified party guests.
The key thing to remember during your Labor Day party preparation is to have fun with this scavenger hunt—use it as an opportunity to teach the kids some family history and make everyone laugh at a classic family story. You’ll be surprised to see how excited both kids and adults in your family will be about a game that pertains directly to them.
Enjoy Planning.
Penelope
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