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Children's parties are more successful when you plan a mix of active and sedentary activities and games. Remember to be flexible and gauge the overall mood of the party -- if a planned game or craft falls flat, move on to the next idea.
Activities:
As children enter the party, have a grown-up set up to do very simple mouse face-painting. A black nose and whiskers is all you need -- little hearts on the cheek might be a big hit, too. Face paints are often available at party stores, or you can simply use watercolor paints -- just be spare with the water and spread thickly.
At another table, have children decorate mouse ears with stickers for Valentine's Day.
Here's how to make your own mouse ears:
Before the party:
- Purchase several sheets of black craft foam at a crafts store. Make sure the sheet has enough length to encircle the head of a child.
- Cut out a strip of foam for each child attending the party (and a few extra in case of mistakes), approximately 2 inches wide and 24" long (measure the child in your family to get an estimate).
- Cut out 2 mouse ears per child.
- With construction paper, create some pink Minnie hair bows and red Mickey bow ties.
At the party:
- Have a grown-up seated at the table to help measure each child's head and to fasten the ears to the foam. Staple the foam strip accordingly to fit each child.
Children love being able to put their creativity into action, so set up a little table where partygoers can make special cards for their valentines. Be sure to have at least one grown-up sitting with the children to assist with assembly.
What You Need:
- A plastic or paper tablecloth
- Crayons or colored pencils
- Sparkly stickers
- Safety scissors
- Tissue and/or construction paper in different colors - make sure to have red, pink, and white
- Glue
- Sequins
- Glitter
What to Do:
- Cut out paper hearts and circles. Download photos of Mickey and Minnie and friends here.
- Have the children decorate the hearts and circles however they wish, and write their own messages on them.
Games:
What You Need:
- Cut out one paper heart for each child.
- Write different actions on each heart for the relay race: "crawl," "hop," "walk backwards, "gallop," etc. Write each action on two hearts (one for each team).
What to Do:
- Divide the kids up into two teams.
- Put the hearts at the end of the room or yard in two piles.
- At the sound of "Go!" the first player on each team runs to the pile and takes a heart. The players must then return to their group while doing the action written on the heart they have selected.
- When the first players get back, the next set of players run to the hearts, and so on.
- The winning team is the first one to have all players take a heart and complete the actions as they return to their teams.
What You Need:
What to Do:
- In a spacious area, gather children into a group, loosely spread out.
- Instruct partygoers that they must dance with the music but that when you pull the "silly switch," the music will stop. When the music stops, they must freeze in the exact position they are in. Whoever moves must leave the game.
- Turn the music back on and let the dancing continue; switch it off after a few seconds, and so on, eliminating players one by one.
- The last player left in the game wins.
Alternatives:
- For even more merriment and movement, add balloons throughout the room that children can bounce up and down on.
- For older children, you might consider playing a version of musical chairs by using the large floor circles you cut out for floor decorations; kids that are not standing on circles when the music stops are out of the game.
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