To occupy the little VIPs, Elsie at Cornwall Childcare has come up with a handy guide full of ideas and activities to keep them busy and entertained...
You can find some great activity books and colouring in sheets online, and even some for free on Pinterest. Add a pack of coloured pencils or stickers, and you've bought yourself some quiet time!
The colouring sheets (pictured below) went down a storm at my own wedding and again when using them during our wedding crèches ' they're always the first to be filled in.
Email me at elsie.preddy@cornwallchildcare.com and I will send you our FREE wedding activity booklet (which includes the above and many more)
One of my favourite activities I like to set up for children when I nanny at weddings is to give them all a disposable camera and a checklist of things to find ' someone with a red tie, someone doing a funny dance, as many different hats etc. Children love being the first to find something, and the added element of their own camera not only leads to a greater level of fun for the children, but also can produce some great photos for the bride and groom taken from a child's perspective of the wedding.
However, if you are after something that the children can keep as a wedding favour and isn't simply a one-use thing, below are a few brilliant small businesses I think are perfect for occupying those little hands.
If you want a few simple activity ideas which really won't need anything but the things on your table, you should definitely invest in some Wedding Play Prompts created by PlayHooray. These amazing handbag-sized cards give you 25 different activities you can do simply sitting at a table. For example, wedding iSpy ' this can be adapted for any age. Or even trying to spell the letters of your name using your cutlery. I've bought several different versions of these packs and they provide some great ideas to occupy my daughter as well as older children.
If you want something children can do by themselves so you can listen to the speeches, why not check out 'Organised Chaos With Kids' ' they provide some AWESOME wedding play-dough sets †and don't worry: they even come with a rolled-up silicone play mat so table cloths can be kept clean! These aren't just a simple pot of play-dough but handmade fruit cake scented dough, accompanied with a rolling pin and utensils and bits to poke into the dough ' because what child doesn't love pushing pompoms into play-dough!
These play-dough sets can come with personalised peg dolls, and when I say personalised, I mean they can be painted either to look like the happy couple or made to look like the child who will be receiving it, and what child wouldn't want to have a toy that looks like them or someone they know! My daughter has several of these peg dolls, and I've even bought them as presents for friends. They are the perfect size for small hands and have endless possibilities when it comes to role-play. They are food safe, made from natural materials and fully eco friendly, so are even perfectly safe in the event they end up in little mouths. Even the adults and happy couple can get involved ' why not order some to be your cake topper or as place names for all of your guests ' I bet that will be something different!
My daughter absolutely loves books, you should see how many we have, but that's for another day! But she especially loves a book she's never seen before. In fact this is exactly what we did during our wedding ceremony and it guaranteed some quiet time - we had a stash of new books hidden with my mum in case we needed to occupy her quickly. But is also means that every time we read these books together it takes me back to my wedding day.
If you think this might be the case for your children or the children attending the wedding, why not buy them each a new book and write a little note to go inside? This will not only keep them busy, but is also a lovely keepsake that can be read over and over again in years to come, bringing back all the lovely memories of the special day.
If the children attending your wedding are slightly older then Usborne books do some great wedding-specific sticker books, allowing little ones to dress up the bride and bridesmaids . Why not go for a completely unrelated topic ' all of the Usborne sticker books can be re-used. Or why not get some 'magic painting' †all you need is a small amount of water and your child can 'paint' to their hearts content.
If this is something you're interested in simply email me at elsie.preddy@cornwallchildcare.com and I can help to organise these for you.
However, If you want to go a step further, and have complete ease of mind knowing that the children are occupied and well cared for so that the guests and the wedding party can enjoy the celebrations, why not employ professional childcare like Cornwall Childcare to entertain the little ones in a separate area, ensuring you'll have the peace to enjoy those key moments, but know the children are still on site so they can still be a massive part of the big day.
www.cornwallchildcare.com
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