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Family Ties: A Special Spot for the Holidays
The Cool Kid’s Table
By Lisha Ross
Holidays are all about food, fun and enjoying it together right? Well, those of us who were banished to the kid’s table well into early adulthood might’ve seen it differently, having felt excluded rather than special. Then again, it was still slightly better than hearing about CNN’s latest world report and eating with forks instead of our fingers at the adult table. If only that wobbly, folding card table was jazzed up a bit, we might’ve had more to keep us occupied than kicking each other under the table. This holiday season, let the kiddos have their cake and eat it too at a festive kid’s table. By adding colorful touches and some hands-on activities, you can put together a cool kid’s table that’ll make all in attendance feel like a VIP.
Set Up for Success
Generally, the kid’s table is reserved for those old enough to feed themselves, yet too young to participate in adult conversation, although teens might prefer to sit with younger siblings rather than the boring grown ups! Consider the age of your diners and set the table accordingly. With very young children, for example, grandma’s fine china and crystal candelabras probably aren’t the way to go. Instead, opt for seasonal paper or plastic plates, plastic champagne or wine glasses and battery-operated candles like those found on www.candleimpressions.net. The table will feel adult-inspired but without the accident-prone possibilities.
Placement of the table is also an important factor. Position it far enough away to give the kids some independence (perhaps in the adjacent room), yet close enough to see and hear the goings on in case you have to squash any tug-of-wars over the salt shaker.
The Fun Stuff
Providing a few activities to keep the kids busy before and after eating will help make the experience fun for them and more relaxing for the adults. You can go simple or over-the-top depending on your time and budget. Susan Doherty, star of the podcast “Six Minute Style” likes to go all out, and you can watch her set up a superb beach-themed kid’s table at www.sixminutestyle.com. Granted, you probably won’t be setting up a nautical table for Christmas or Thanksgiving, but most of her ideas can be adjusted to suit any holiday theme. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Bucket of Fun: Whether you use a bucket or basket with a tisket and a tasket, these fun receptacles can be filled with crinkle confetti and party favors and placed at each setting or in the middle for all to share. Seasonal pieces like stockings or cornucopias work great too.
Color Splash: Ask your local butcher if he can spare a few pieces of butcher paper or pick some up at Office Depot to line the table. Supply crayons, color pencils or markers and festive cookie cutters for stencils.
Name Cards: Cut fun shapes into colored poster board and write each kid’s name on it with a sparkly marker. Better yet, let them spell out their own name with markers, stencils or letter stickers, decorating their tag as they please.
Personalized Placemats: Pick up a few cookie sheets from the dollar store and spell out each child’s name with letter magnets. A bag of extra letters and themed magnets can be placed in the center for sharing.
Delightful Drinks: Give each kid a fun bendy straw or stick candy to slurp up their hot apple cider or specially created kid’s beverage.
Cookie Charisma: Place pre-made sugar cookies in a bucket or bowl in the center of the table and set out tubes of colored icing. After dinner the kids can decorate the cookies and chow down.
Fanfare: Sprinkle each table with cornucopia shaped Bugle chips for Thanksgiving, chocolate gelt for Hannukah, or red and green M & Ms for Christmas; tasty treats are the ultimate, edible table-toppers. Add color and fun with shiny confetti, tiny dreidels, etc.
While younger kids might enjoy a good Dora the Explorer coloring book, older ones may feel patronized by the gesture. For older kids, swap out the cookie cutters and coloring books for a holiday word search puzzle or educational worksheet from ABCteach.com or Enchantedlearning.com. For groups of mixed ages, you can also provide inexpensive, disposable cameras so they can take fun pictures of each other. If they finish eating before the adults, clear the table of plates and liquids, set out a basket of holiday books and encourage older kids to read aloud to the little ones.
Cool Kids Rule
All that fun at one table is bound to rally up some excitement. As a parent (and particularly a guest in someone else’s home) it’s your job to remember that the kid’s table is not a free-for-all and basic rules of behavior should be encouraged. Throwing food, screaming, fighting and running around should never be permitted. Make sure you go over the rules with the children before they sit down; you don’t want to have to excuse yourself from the adult table repeatedly to ask the children to behave. Once the ground rules have been set, you can let the good times roll until the last apple pie crumb is devoured.
Setting up an amazing kids table may add a few more items to your holiday to-do list, but chances are you’ll have as much fun decorating it, as they will have dining there. Who knows! You might just create a bigger and better kid’s table tradition, giving everyone in attendance, young and old, fond memories that’ll last a lifetime.
