HELP-quickly!i need a project idea for Kdg

[Gwyn]

Why can’t ya just turn the boys loose out on the playground while the girls decorate cookies? They’ll find something to do, and won’t be messing with the girls while they try to decorate.

My 9 year old son enjoyed decorating gingerbread men at a skating party 2 weeks ago. (Tonnes of icing, smarties, jujubes and and other candy)

 

[samcarter14]

As the others have said, the activities will take waaaaay less time than you anticipate. I and another homeschooling mom get together and have parties/classes for our kids together, and here are a few of my tips (we have all boys, FWIW):

1. Do NOT announce the next activity, or list the activities you’re going to do. I guarantee that whatever activity they’re currently doing, half the kids will declare “I’m DONE!” and want to move to the next activity before anybody else is done and before you’re ready.
2. To circumvent #1, is it possible to have “stations” set up with the different activities? You know, here’s the table where you decorate cookies, here’s the table where you can make reindeer food, and have one adult at each table. That way the kids can choose what to start with and move around.
3. If possible have appropriate holiday music playing. If it’s a Catholic school, have carols and hymns (actually, I’d recommend those anyway because i hate secular music, but nowadays people get twitchy with religion in public schools!)
4. Save the pinata for last, and do not show it to the kids or have it hanging where they can see it beforehand. They’ll just want to do that first.
5. Have bags or baskets with kids’ names on them (or let them decorate a bag) to collect all their crafts, et cetera in.
6. Probably not time to do this, but if the kids can bring a picture of themselves, and you have stars cut out ahead of time, they can make an ornament with their picture and the year written on, and decorate it. My son made one of these, with popsicle sticks, his picture, and a pipe-cleaner hanger. I love it.
7. Have some sort of free-form play or game station where kids can go when they are done with their crafts but the pinata is not ready.

Anyway, here’s how I would do it:

craft tables–kids can rotate, encourage them to do all the different crafts

when they’re done doing crafts, have some sort of activity/game they can join in–pin the tail on the reindeer? until it’s pinata time

Do pinata, kids collect candy in their bags, and leave.

 

[leonie]

Better have some games prepared.

Hot potato. When they get caught with the potato–have them say something they want to receive for Christmas, then they sit down.

Toss the Bean bag/wiffle ball–you can decorate it like a Christmas ornament if you want–into the bucket

pin the tail on the donkey

I also suggest a couple of read aloud books.

Could they act out the Christmas story?

 

[BamaRider]

C’mon now. Someone bring a kickball to the party and the boys will have something to do. If the choice is gonna be dodge ball or cookie decorating most will opt out and take the playground.

But then again might be a couple of little boys in there with my line of thinking, I’d play one round of dodge ball then ease on back in the class and decorate cookies with 25 girls. :choocho:

 

[Della]

Another thought about the rose window project–ribbon would work as well as string and would be nicer for Christmas, too.

 

[monicatholic]

a stack of dish towels,
wire garland wreaths
stuffed animals
a coupla different colored towels
a baby wrapped up
some paper crowns from burger king
a paper star on a stick.

kids love drama. they can take turns playing out the Birth of Christ.

someone’s the inn keeper, joseph, mary, angels, wise men. you get the idea. they know the story well enough to do it on their own.

personal witness: we did this at religious ed last weekend. it was a hit. then i brought the costume pieces home and my own kids have been playing it all week.

 

[HouseArrest]

Better have some games prepared.

Hot potato. When they get caught with the potato–have them say something they want to receive for Christmas, then they sit down.

**Ooooh - love this one. This way they won’t mind being “out” as much. **
Toss the Bean bag/wiffle ball–you can decorate it like a Christmas ornament if you want–into the bucket

pin the tail on the donkey

I also suggest a couple of read aloud books.

Could they act out the Christmas story?

I always have one of those Bingo sets from the dollar store ready to play. It does take up some time. You could say it’s just for fun if you don’t want to give out prizes, but quarters work nicely, too.

I always have a pinata at birthday parties - they take up time and the kids never scatter - because at any moment the candy could fall out. I’ve nixed games like pin the tail on the donkey when only one kid at a time was engaged. The rest just run off.

A few of my sure thing party games - might not be what you want but this game is free: Take a bedsheet, have the kids crawl around on the floor on all fours with their eyes closed and throw the sheet over one kid. Announce it’s time to open their eyes - everyone has to guess who is under the sheet. They’ll play it for quite awhile. And did I mention it’s free? Also - maybe too hard on short notice - take the same sheet and hang it up and put a lamp behind it. Have one group of kids between the lamp and the sheet - the other group on the other side of the sheet sitting down. The sitting down group has to guess who’s who behind the sheet. Then switch groups so everyone has a chance to act up behind the curtain. Kids of all ages love that game! Oh - and that one is free, too!

 

[samovila]

I was at a Christmas party recently where the kids did a gingerbread house craft. They had the kids use regular tub icing to stick together graham crackers and decorated with an assortment of candies, animal crackers, and cereal.

 

[HouseArrest]

So how did it go? What worked, what didn’t? The more I think about it - 3 hours - WOW that’s long even for a birthday party at home where you can fill up time with an obstacle course!