By Sarah Jessica Smith
Throwing a backyard barbecue party in summer is difficult, let alone organizing a birthday party for children. The preparations become even more elaborate if you know there will be children with special needs attending. The goal is for everyone to feel equal which will require you to use your organizational and managerial skills to the best. Perhaps the hardest part of the whole process is coming up with ideas for birthday party activities but we are here to help.
A frame like no other
Children adore taking photos so they often steal their parent’s smartphone to take a selfie or two. This annoys the parents but you can use this habit for good at your birthday party. Ask the children to take photos of each other and then have them printed. Each child would get their own picture to create a frame for.
The activity would not be much different from what they normally do at school, with the only exception that they get a chance to act as photographers which children love doing. Of course, privacy is a big issue nowadays so make sure you inform the parents in advance about this activity. You can send the pictures on Viber or WeChat to parents and then delete them from your camera or smartphone.
Dream boards
If you have old magazines in color lying around, then you can give them out to children to cut them out to create their own dream board. They work in a way that children use the images available to explain to others what their dreams and aspirations are by sticking these images to a large sheet of paper. Children with special needs should be given safety scissors that will prevent possible injuries. As an alternative, other children can help them with the cutting, while the can glue the images themselves.
Becoming a superhero
All children have their favorite superhero and they want to be just like him or her. They might not be able to fly or have X-ray vision but kids’ imagination can make up for these “flaws” is you get the right costume. In some cases, a T-shirt and a cape that you can get at any clothes store are enough to make children feel like a real superheroes.
They will be over the Moon when they don their favorite superhero’s costume and play with other children. If you are feeling super creative (pun intended), then you can organize a workshop in which kids will come up with new superheroes and their sidekicks.
Taking superheroism to the next level
Clothes, like a simple plastic cape, are there more to mimic a superhero costume than to actually serve as one. If you wish to take this game to a whole new level, then introduce superhero characters face painting to the party. Of course, you are not going to do the painting yourself because you lack the proper equipment as well as the expertise necessary.
Invite professional face painters to beautify each child in the colors of their favorite superhero and act as costumed entertainers of their own. After a couple of hours, your house will be full of Spidermen, Batmen, and Wonder Women running around and laughing their hearts out.
A (home) concert hall
No parent likes the rattle their children produce while imagining they are a rock star or a famous drummer. However, a birthday party is just the time to make noise without getting punished for it. A jam session inside the concert hall, i.e. your house, will delight every child present at the party. Give out all kinds of instruments, including provisional ones like pans and spoons. The ensuing racket might alarm the neighbors but have no doubt children will have the time of their lives!
Painting wooden toys
When parents don’t know what to do with their child, then give them crayons and an empty piece of paper. However, after a while, children get bored of drawing at home and at school so you’ll need to come up with original ideas. One such idea is having kids paint a wooden toy.
Toys made from wood come with several ergonomic benefits, one of them being that they are virtually colorless, that is, they can be painted any way you wish. Find wood paints that are eco-friendly and don’t come with a risk of poisoning and hand them put to children, giving each child a wooden toy of their own.
Kids with special needs will find this game particularly challenging because they will get to show how creative they are. Once the guests are done painting; you can organize a contest to select the best-painted toy.
A watery shootout
If the timing of your party is summer and the weather is warm enough to host the party outside, then water should be introduced as a fun activity. Instead of a splash pad or a swimming pool that can be dangerous for children with special needs, water pistols are a safe play option. Stock on various plastic guns that shoot water and hand them to teams that will engage in a watery shootout.
There is an endless array of choices when it comes to ideas for children’s parties. However, not all of them are tailored to meet the needs of kids with special needs so use the list above for reference.
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Author Bio: Sarah Jessica Smith is a young blogger from Sydney. She is in love with life and all the things that can make her daily routine easier. She loves to write about home improvement, lifestyle, and all the small things that make life such a great adventure.