REINDEER GAMES: How to Throw a Magical Holiday Kid Party

WHY YOU NEED TO HOST A REINDEER GAMES THIS YEAR

We are nine months into a pandemic and need things to look forward to. It is that simple. This is why I am determined to keep the traditions of Christmas going in our  home this year. Reindeer Games is one of them! In the past, we have celebrated Reindeer Games with a group of friends. This December, I have chosen for us to enjoy a more intimate experience surrounding just our immediate family! There will be games, treats, and holiday beats, but no extra company. It will be uniquely different, but just as memorable as ones in the past. I wrote tips below with the intention for them to be used not only for this year, but years to come. Modify to make it fit your experience. Whatever you do, the first step is to make a decision to host one. Once you do this, set a date and make it happen!

HOW REINDEER GAMES BECAME A TRADITION FOR OUR FAMILY

It is 2017 and we just moved into the neighborhood three months ago when I decide to host our very first Reindeer Games with friends and neighbors. There is running, yelling, and kids being kids! At some point during the night, I want to pull my hair out due to the sheer volume of jingling sleigh bells and Christmas chaos surrounding me, but then it happens…In the midst of wrapping kids up from head-to-toe in toilet paper for a snowman decorating contest, my son runs up to me and squeals, “Mama, this is the best night of my entire life!” Boom. Done. Mic drop. You can have whatever you want. I decided in that very moment that Reindeer Games was here to stay. This event is something my kids look forward to every year now, but its original conception was derived from a much deeper meaning and need at the time. With our new move, my son was in a new school and struggling to meet friends. I was had a newborn and was going through the natural progression of postpartum. We needed something to look forward to. My son needed to find some friends. I needed to connect with other mamas. So…..the Reindeer Games were born! 

NEED IDEAS OF REINDEER GAMES TO PLAY? 

If you need help coming up with some fun activities, I’ve got you covered! Head on over to my post on 19 REINDEER GAME IDEAS FOR YOUR KIDS and you will be set. Kid-tested and approved, these games can take a tragic turn and spiral south from the North Pole if you do not have a strategic plan to keep these reindeer engaged!  Here are some valuable tips to help ensure you host the most epic as-stress-free-as-possible night for some really amazing kids. All of my magical tips for hosting a successful Reindeer Games await you!

12 TIPS TO HOST REINDEER GAMES FOR YOUR KIDS!

1. PLAN AHEAD: To help prepare, send out an e-invitation at least 2-3 weeks early so you can give enough time for your reindeer to RSVP. For quick and free, use evite.com For more fancy and if you do not mind paying, use paperlesspost. The earlier you have the RSVPs, the more custom you can make it. It also prevents you from overbuying too much.

2. BUY SMART OR HAVE A SIGN UP LIST FOR MATERIALS: This is a big one. Reindeer Games can get expensive, so you need to get creative. 

   • Create a sign up list on Sign-Up Genius for families to bring materials
   • Buy in bulk. You may spend more the first year, but the will have extra materials for the following years. Some great places for bulk buys include: Costco, Amazon, and Oriental Trading Co. 
   • For future reference, this is also a good opportunity to take advantage of the post-holiday sales within the first week after Christmas. My favorite go-tos are Target and Hobby Lobby.

3. SET THE TONE: Create a holiday playlist and make sure it is playing throughout the entire house. My preferences include a pre-made playlist on itunes or a holiday spotify station.

4. HAVE THE OTHER PARENTS HELP!: Explain in the invite that at least one parent should be present to help. Also, indicate your rule on sibling attendance. I typically explain that due to limited space, we request no siblings attend.

5. FOOD: Keep it simple! Provide easy finger foods, snacks or pizza so kids and parents can eat when they want throughout the night. 

   

6. USE WHAT YA GOT: Whether you use my list of 19 REINDEER GAME IDEAS FOR YOUR KIDS or create your own activities, try to use what you have in the house to keep costs down! I save all of my extra party leftovers from prior birthdays and look through them first to see how I can try and make them work for this event. As a result, this year it may be a dinosaur, fairy, princess, Mario themed Reindeer Games. 🙂

7. HAVE A ROAMING CRAFT CORNER: Have at least one craft available for any child to roam need a break or do not want to participate in a particular game. 

   

8. LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD: Try to invite similar aged kids when you can (or at least ages in pairs) so the playing field is as level as can be.

9. ORGANIZE & SORT AHEAD OF TIME: This is key to saving you a lot of time and keeping the flow of the games going. You should have an idea of how many groups or partners per activity you will have. Organize each game materials ahead of time so they are easy to grab and go or you will have some impatient kids that may begin to wander. For this particular year, with the pandemic, if you are doing anything in-person, having separate materials for each kid is a must. Find ways to make activities contactless.  

10. CREATE A LIST & DISPLAY IT: Have an idea of what order you would like the activities to go in, print it out, and have on display for everyone to see! It is okay if you end up going out of order, but this will help keep you on track and also give other parents a heads up to help gather the kids. By the way, that Mrs. Claus is my pretty mama in the picture. Can you tell where I get my fun and spunkiness from?! 

11. THINK ABOUT THE TRANSITIONS: To make any party go smoothly, it is so important to think of the layout of the schedule and how smooth it is to move from one activity to the next. As kids trickle in, have a waiting space where they will be occupied until the whole pack has arrived. Some perfect activities for this includes, writing a Santa letter, decorating their prize stocking, or have Just Dance! On the tv for the kids to get some energy out and dance!

12. HAVE PRIZES/CANDY BAR: This is optional. I buy a bag of prizes from Oriental Trading every year and keep adding it to our prize box so there is a variety in there. They will use their decorated bag or stocking to collect their prizes throughout the night. Disclaimer: I let all the kids get a prize for completing each game and the winner gets to pick 2 prizes. This night is not about competition (yet), its about team building, social play, and having fun.

    

And that’s how you throw a magical Reindeer Games Holiday Party for your kids. Use the takeaways from this and apply it to any other kid events you throw. Remember this. You are doing this FOR YOUR KIDS so do not make it about the process. I used to get caught up in the details so much that when something did not go as planned, it killed my mood…I think back now and realize I lost sight of why I was doing it in the first place. My kids do not care about the matching this or the coordinating that. They care that I am present in the moment with them. I hope you have the most wonderful Reindeer Games experience and would love to hear about it. Comment below to let me know how it went or if you have any questions!

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