keeping varying ages of children entertained.

[Jenarry]

i'm having a big b.b.q. next weekend and there's a handful of children coming with ages ranging from 9yrs down to 3yrs old. i'm bit concerned about keeping them busy so their parents can relax but don't have much in the way of board games,etc. what would keep them all pretty amused do u think? i don't mind buying games,paints,etc as long as i know kids will enjoy them. any ideas?

[kipchik]

Get some big garden games,then if the adults wanna join in they can!Big garden chess or something like that,and them wipeable mat things that they can draw on then wipe clean,or hide some goodies round the garden and get the kids to find them,

[mimififi]

if you have the room, hire a bouncy castle; even the biggest kids and adults love bouncy castles.

Also, a paddling pool if it's really hot. Kids love that.

If you want something more sedate, go to the library and choose a load of kids books in varying age ranges, the librarian will be able to tell you what's hot and what's not; and just lots of paper and pencils/pens would be good too. You may find some parent's bring a few things like favourite dolly etc with them.

have fun on the day, sounds like it'll be a blast. Can I come, hehehehehe!

[saxy_jag]

Great water game for kids, if you have the space and the weather:

Get a large piece of plastic sheeting and peg it out on the lawn, rolling the edges in a little bit. Then 'fill' it with water. Makes a brilliant water slide for the older ones, or a safe splash about for the littlies.

[PEATBOG]

a swing ball? - I have a 'hula hoop' for my exercise/diet and it was an amazing hit at a family party the other week - caused much amusement of both young and old! Have fun!

[Lore]

Pop to the paper shop, you can buy a box full of various coloured paper & card for around �3.. buy a pack of pens/crayons, glue, safety scissors and a few packs of glitter, sticky shapes etc ( you can buy most of these things at Tesco Stores)

Kids of any age and ability will sit for hours with a craft pack - and it's not too expensive either.

you could get a disney dvd in for later on too.

[hol5]

whar about one of those bubble machines? you cannot beat bubbles...

[trogette]

if you've got space for them to play together they'll probably just play, children are quite capable of playing with different age-groups if they're given the chance :-) But bouncy castles help ;-)

[trogette]

and ps, parents never *really* relax anyway ;-)