We recently featured a post with easy party food ideas that AREN’T pizza, and it was a hit! Today the ClubX Blog is bringing you part two, which will give lots of activity ideas for parties or celebrations INSTEAD of food.
As a reminder, these ideas aren’t necessarily for big blow-out events. (You can get some ideas for those in the Celebrations tag here on the blog!) My Club had a rhythm of more regular parties to celebrate Power Hour completion, but you could also honor tournament winners or add in some celebratory features to Torch Club, Junior Staff, or Keystone meetings. The guiding principles for these ideas are 1) relatively easy, 2) inexpensive, 3) could be run by one or two staff.
Remember: things don’t have to be elaborate and perfect and fancy to be fun. Kids will respond to your enthusiasm, and any break in routine will be appreciated.
Water Day
My former Club, the Pigeon Forge branch of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Smoky Mountains, loves to hold Water Days when the weather is nice! These can include slip and slides, water guns, water painting, sprinklers, or water balloons (which we have a whole post about!).
Glow Party
Never underestimate the power of some glow sticks from the dollar store! Pinterest has lots of ideas to have a glow in the dark themed party, some more complicated than others. If you have some budget, you could invest in some black lights to really kick it up a notch. Here are some of the best ideas I found:
Cookie and Cupcake Decorating
I KNOW this was on the party foods post (and also I KNOW it is technically food), but it is a GREAT IDEA so I’m not afraid to post it again! This makes the activity of decorating the star, and as I said before, could be a great opportunity for a local bakery to donate supplies, or even come in to volunteer.
Photo Scavenger Hunt
Depending on the age of your party participants, and your Club’s cell phone policy, you could have youth do a photo scavenger hunt. There are a TON of lists on Pinterest, but you’ll have to create your own based on your surroundings, whether you want to stay inside the Club or you have the ability to go outdoors. You can even make awards! (This site has templates, but you have to sign up to get updates via email and you may not want to (I didn’t want to)).
Themed Crafty Parties
An idea you could adapt endlessly is to have a party themed around some kind of craft. Maybe it is making crowns and tiaras and magic wands for a magic themed party. Maybe you could decorate superhero masks or capes. Holidays are obviously a perfect inspiration, just be sure to consult with your Art room staff so you aren’t stealing each other’s thunder. A lot of the ideas on Pinterest are for birthday parties, but those mommy bloggers have some good ideas we can steal. The links I share might cover the whole party, but I’m focused on the activity. Here are a few of my favorites, but this is JUST THE BEGINNING!
Tie Dye would be a bit more complicated, and could be a bit more expensive based on what you dye. If you can’t afford shirts, you could do bandannas or capes.
Monster Factory! You could pre-make the pieces or have youth make their own.
These are both just photos without instructions, but give a couple of ways to make superhero masks. You could do felt or just stick to paper.
This is another that is just a photo without instructions, but you could get those cute tiny pumpkins (or better yet- see if someone will donate them!) for decoration with markers or stickers or paint.
And this last one is just a giant list of a bunch of frugal craft ideas! Nice!
And don’t forget to check the ClubX Blog for more ideas! We’ve got links to pool noodle activities, beach ball activities, DIY music, and more!
What party ideas did we miss? Also, what suggestions do you have for part 3 of this series, for HEALTHY Party Food Ideas? Comment with your best ideas below, message BGCA Youth Development on Facebook (and like us while you are there!) or email ClubXBlog@bgca.org.
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