Hosting a messy play party for preschoolers sounds daunting, but with a few simple tricks the mess can be contained while the kids create fun and art.
Instructions
Invitations
1. Decide on party particulars, such as time and date and number of guests. Keep it small and think about how many adult pairs of hands you will need to manage the kids. Line up parents who are willing to stay or other adults or teens who can help supervise.
2. Make invitations on colorful card stock. Let your child be the designer--have him "paint" the cards by rolling small toy cars through drops of washable tempera paint or use dot markers to give a splatter effect.
3. Your invitation should include the usual information: birthday child's name (if it's a birthday party), starting time, ending time, date and place. Include a phone number for RSVPs. Let parents know that children should arrive in clothes that can get dirty.
Party Activities
4. Decide where to stage the party--an unfinished basement or backyard is perfect. If the weather is warm enough that kids can get wet while outside, great. You might even consider having them come in swimsuits. Then, when the party is coming to a close, bring out the hose or sprinkler for a little water play. Be sure to have lots of extra towels on hand.
5. Set up three to five stations that the kids can rotate through at will. Some stations should be set up at kid-sized tables, some can be at benches or on blankets, old shower curtains or sheets on the floor. Have at least one adult or older helper at each station; provide the adult with towels, smocks and/or paper towels as needed for cleanup.
6. Be sure to have a variety, including a "quiet" area, such as a table with paper, crayons or markers, dot markers, scissors, stickers and fun-shaped hole punches for those kids who don't like getting dirty or who can't bear touching squishy stuff. Another quiet idea is a bead table--just be sure the guests are old enough not to put beads in their mouths. Preschoolers can easily "string" large plastic beads onto pipe cleaners for bracelets.
7. For messier stations, try:
*A shaving cream table, where kids can use their finger or their whole hand to practice their letters or just feel the squishiness. Provide toy cars to drive through the "snowdrifts."
*A finger-painting table where they can create art to take home with finger paint or even chocolate pudding.
*An easel with washable tempera paint and brush--painting while standing up helps kids feel like real artists.
*A race car painting table--let each child drive a small toy car through paint on paper.
*A Play-Doh table with lots of tools, such as blunt scissors, a garlic press, a potato masher and plastic kid-safe knives.
*A water table--half fill a large, shallow plastic container (the kind used to store clothing under beds) with water and place it on an old plastic shower curtain or towels; add toy boats and other floating toys, baby dolls (clothes removed) and wash cloths, turkey basters and measuring cups. Keep extra towels nearby!
*An oatmeal or sand table with measuring cups, scoops, funnels and sandbox toys. You can use an existing sandbox outside or place a layer of sand or oatmeal in a large, shallow plastic container. Place this on top of an old shower curtain or sheet.
*If your party is outside, give kids sidewalk chalk and let them turn your patio into a masterpiece, or give them new paint brushes and buckets of water or spray bottles filled with water for some watery fun.
Party Favors/Food
8. One idea for a party favor to take home is a purchased art smock, which the child can be given to wear as the party begins. Make sure each child's name is written inside the smock on a label.
9. Alternately, consider decorating a large-size T-shirt with each child's name on it in fabric paint. This would need to be done well in advance, so that the artwork has time to dry.
10. Cake and ice cream fit into the "messy" theme just fine. Flat-bottomed ice cream cones can even be used to bake cupcakes in. Once baked and frosted, dip the cupcake cone tops in sprinkles. Another messy idea is to allow the kids to decorate their own cupcakes. Give each child a small paper cup of frosting and a plastic knife, as well as several small cups of toppings, such as sprinkles, jelly beans, small lengths of licorice strings and chocolate chips.
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