I need help!! How do keep these children entertained for 2 hours without spending much...

[aircraftannie]

So, I've hired the hall and I've got 14 x 6 year olds and a handful of 3-4 year olds and a couple of 10 year olds...weekend after next...help!!

I've no money for hiring anything/anyone for the entertainment.

So what fab ideas have you got for games??

And how many games do you think I'll need?

Will we be able to keep control...I've never done this before. How many helpers do I need to recruit?

If you've done this before and it went well, what are your best tips...

My dsisters, with older children than me, swear by getting cardboard crowns or similar for them to decorate with stickers/stars/etc. I think that would occupy the 6yos and 3-4yos for about 20-30mins.

Cup cake decorating always works well.

Could you buy/borrow a parchute? I think they are about £15 in the ELC.

went to a party where they had a game with bubble wrap sheets and in pairs the kids had to jump on them and pop them.

Was off a website for party stuff but I can't remember what it was called..

craft table - crowns (cut out yourself to keep costs down) with stickers and felt tips.

Decorate biscuits of homemade fairy cakes - goes in swich bag and put in party bag

cd player - musical statues, musical bumps and then when they've warmed up a dance comp with medals or sweets for the best dancer/wildest dancer/dancer most like Troy...
Somone may have disco lights you can borrow.

Games like traffic lights or fruit bowl can be fun.

Make large homemade pin the tail on the donkey type things but it can be whatever or whoever you like.

The 10yrolds can be put in charge of the craft table, handing out juice and so on. 2 or3 more adults to wield black bags and show them where the loos are. A whistle for order?

Great, thanks everyone!

defineme - I don't know traffic lights or fruit bowl???

How long should I allow for tea do you think??

traffic lights
is where you designate a petrol station area and then you simply call out
green - they all run around
amber- walk
red- freeze
white- breakdown = sit down
petrol- all run to the petrol station
Ity's nice to have music on whilst you do this.
fruit salad

Go around the room nominating each child lemon, orange,apple,cherry
Then shout out which ever fruit and those fruits run around or dance to music whilst the others stay still.
Shout fruit salad and they all run around/dance.
I have seen different versions but that's what I've done.

You could google playgrond games or primary class games.

tea - buffet with everything out on table -20-30 minutes
Different courses eg hot dogs followed by jelly and icecream = few more minutes for clearing up between courses.

Cake - candles and singing 5 minutes.

Could do a mini olympics/wacky races - egg and spoon, dress-up relay, pass the balloon, three-legged race etc.

Pass the parcel with forfeits or charades inside.

They could make their goody bag present - Baker Ross has loads of cheap craft kits.

It must be near Halloween - you could use that as a theme.

All of these are really good ideas

We also found its useful to have what I call circle songs on cd eg hokey cokey, head shoulders knees and toes, the grand old duke of york etc.

You can ask the older ones to lead it so they dont feel they are being babied

numbers wise we had 16 kids (all about 4 years old) and we had 5 adults which I thought might have been overkill

but tbh we wouldnt have managed with less... cos as this age they cant make a circle etc

but you may get away with less as your 10 year olds will help with this kinda of thing

Treasure hunt. cut up bits of wool and hide them around the hall. Anyone who finds some gets a small price (small bag of sweets), the one who finds the most gets a bigger prize. Takes up a fair bit of time and no tears cos everyone gets something.

Oh I like the wool hunt, mankymummymoo, that sounds really simple to do.

Are there always so many 'advertising replies' on these threads??

LittleMakers and WendyHendy1 - are what I'm referring to, but have seen a few on other threads too.