Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Nursery Rhyme Party: Game and Entertainment Ideas

Illustration from Sunshine Story Book
Your Nursery Rhyme Party is in full swing... now what can you do with the little ones to keep them entertained? Here are a bunch of Nursery Rhyme Party Game and Entertainment ideas sure to make your party a memorable event.

Nursery Rhyme Party Game Ideas
Dress Ups
Dress ups are always a hit for little ones. Head to the local thrift store and pick up some fun ponchos, colorful shirts, hats, old sunglasses, fun shoes, and more. Keep in mind some nursery rhyme characters (i.e., Jack and Jill, Old King Cole, black crow, piggies, etc.) and see if you can find anything to fit the theme.

Nursery Rhyme “Stations”
Setting up little nursery rhyme “stations” or scenes around your child’s room, family room or party space can be a great way for some creative play. There are no “rules” for this game, just creating some areas with items that the children can play with. Below are some ideas for some nursery rhyme “stations:”
Pat-a-Cake - Set up a small table with some play dough, a few cookie cutter, and a roller for children to play “pat-a-cake.”
Rub-a-Dub-Dub - Set out a large pot or baby’s tub, and put some stuffed animals around. Provide a washcloth and some stuffed animals so the children can pretend to wash the animals.
Piggies - Set up a market with a basket or 2 and loads of pretend food. Have the kids “go to market” and then set out on a blanket for a picnic.

Hide and Seek
Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep, help her find them! In a room, hide several stuffed animals (sheep if possible) and have the little ones hunt for them. This game can be repeated several times, and rarely get tiring!

More Nursery Rhyme Game Ideas
The internet can be overwhelming to wade through, but check out this site for some more game ideas at your party: http://www.first-school.ws/theme/nurseryrhymes.htm

Nursery Rhyme Party Entertainment Ideas
Storyteller from the Library
Head to the local library and see if you can hire the children’s Librarian or a storyteller for an hour. Have them use their expertise and pick out some fun nursery rhyme books... or a book or 2 with a similar theme. If a librarian is not available, see if your babysitter or a neighborhood teen will do the job.

Nursery Rhyme Sing-a-long CD or DVD
Head to your favorite CD and/or DVD website and type “nursery rhyme sing a long” into the search box. Many CD’s and some DVD’s come up that will be great entertainment for the kids. Clear some space in your family room or living room, put on the CD and let the kids dance to the tunes.

Nursery Rhyme Charades
This may be more entertaining for the adults than the kids, but either way, it will put a smile on everyone’s face. Put names of nursery rhymes on small pieces of paper, fold up, and place in a hat. Have each family (parent(s)/child) pick a piece of paper. One by one go around the party and act out the rhyme.

Balloon Artist
A balloon artist can be very entertaining for little ones. Check your local Yahoo! listings, or Google to find the artist. Instruct him or her to try to stay in theme and create balloons based on nursery rhymes if he can! If your trying to keep costs down, there are many balloon kits available to buy and give a try yourself. Type in “Balloon Animals Book” in your favorite search engine, and many inexpensive ideas are listed.

Puppet Show
Puppets always delight little ones. Once again, you could look to a local librarian, or perhaps a babysitter to help out with this entertainment idea. Remember, it does not have to be a high-end production to delight a group of little ones! Perhaps as part of the fun, have the little ones decorate a sock with ears and eyes (simply attach construction paper shapes with pieces of masking tape) and have them make their own puppet. Again, staying in the theme, you can offer ideas of characters based on popular nursery rhymes.

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