Christmas Parties

[kcnjason]

Planning for our Christmas party next week. My kids are all infant through 3 years and NO older. I am planning to do something with the kids from about 9-11 am.
What are others doing, what have others done, any suggestions? I want to keep it simple but fun. We are doing a simple gift exchange but looking for a few more ideas.

[Blackcat31]

I do holiday parties for my DCK's only. I dont invite parent. During our parties, we play games (related to the holiday or reason for the party) eat lots of "junk food" usually we have HM pizzas and juice which is a treat here since we don't ever normally do juice at all.

We also bake some goodies like cookies, cupcakes or bars. We will watch a movie sometimes or just play and have a "throw out some of the rules" day.

This year for our Christmas party, we are going sledding at the nearby sliding hill! Then coming back for hot cocoa and Christmas cookies.

We are also doing a gift exchange between DCK but we do books only with a $5 limit. NO toys or anything other than books.

We have the party on the last day of daycare before my vacation. This year it is on Dec 21.

[Lianne]

My group is similar in age to yours. I plan to let the 3yr old and almost 2yr old paint some salt dough ornaments, we'll sing Jingle Bells (again and again, probably ) and I have a Santa pop up puppet I've been saving to show them so I'll probably bring him out then and read some Christmas stories, maybe watch a quick Christmas movie. Lunch will likely be grilled cheese sandwiches cut into Christmas shapes because they love when I do that. I'll send them home with their gift at pick up time. It will be a simple day but they will have a great time.

[daycarediva]

We are going to watch Charlie Brown's Christmas special, I got a CHEAP CHEAP deal on 4x6 canvas, so I used painters tape and am taping off a christmas tree shape, and giving them christmas colored paint (red and green) to paint their tree, then little pom poms to decorate it. We are having sparkling juice and homemade cheese pizza and christmas cookies and playing pin the ornaments on the tree (no way to lose) and getting small prizes. They will also get their gifts from me at this time and open them here.

[My3cents]

We are going to watch Charlie Brown's Christmas special, I got a CHEAP CHEAP deal on 4x6 canvas, so I used painters tape and am taping off a christmas tree shape, and giving them christmas colored paint (red and green) to paint their tree, then little pom poms to decorate it. We are having sparkling juice and homemade cheese pizza and christmas cookies and playing pin the ornaments on the tree (no way to lose) and getting small prizes. They will also get their gifts from me at this time and open them here.

What is everyone that does gifts for the daycare kiddo's getting them may I ask?

[My3cents]

I do holiday parties for my DCK's only. I dont invite parent. During our parties, we play games (related to the holiday or reason for the party) eat lots of "junk food" usually we have HM pizzas and juice which is a treat here since we don't ever normally do juice at all.

We also bake some goodies like cookies, cupcakes or bars. We will watch a movie sometimes or just play and have a "throw out some of the rules" day.

This year for our Christmas party, we are going sledding at the nearby sliding hill! Then coming back for hot cocoa and Christmas cookies.

We are also doing a gift exchange between DCK but we do books only with a $5 limit. NO toys or anything other than books.

We have the party on the last day of daycare before my vacation. This year it is on Dec 21.

Except for the sliding, this sounds like what I do- I am doing mine on a Saturday evening and the parent's can have a date night out to do as they wish. I will buy pizza and prob do cookie decorating, play games, pj's, send them home with a huge stocking full of presents to open up at home with the parents. Put some presents that the kids have made in the stockings for the parents and for,them to open together- I do books too- fun stuff

[blandino]

For gifts we are doing goodie bags. So everything that other parents send for the kids go in the bags. We put a few things from the dollar section of Target (usually Christmas socks) in the bags, and order a dozen of those iced decorated sugar cookies (normally decorated like Santa) in bags and put them in each goodie bag.

We have 13 enrolled children, we used to do gifts but anything that we bought (on the cheaper end) that we could afford for all 12/13 was usually unappreciated since it was just a small toy. So we do the cookies & socks for the kids.

We have a party, we will watch Christmas movies and decorate ornaments during the day. And at snack we will have some party food (cookie, cheese, grapes, crackers, etc.) and chocolate milk.

For parents we send home a salt dough ornament with the child's handprint, that has been painted by the child.

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

We're having a birthday party for Jesus next Friday.

There will be a book gift exchange. Games will be played. A movie will be watched (NEVER has happened so they will have a heart attack!). Cookies will be made and eaten.

[kitykids3]

I had mine on Friday night. It is parents and kiddos. The parents enjoy it. We ate, decorated Christmas cookies for them to take home and played a couple games.

[SunflowerMama]

I always pair our party with our montly Parents Night Out. Gives the parents a few extra hours for last minute shopping, wrapping or just relaxing. The party is always 5pm - 8pm

We have a Happy Birthday Jesus Party and make mini pizzas, have birthday cupcakes and then will do salt dough ornaments, crafts and make Reindeer Food for them to take home for Christmas Eve.

For gifts I always get each dck a book and then something small (around $5). This year it's Melissa and Doug crayon sets. Small crayons for the 2/3s and the big triangular crayons for the 1yr olds. I put these in a bag with other little trinkets (bracelets, coloring books, Happy Birthday Jesus activity sets, etc.)

Parents all get a little tin with homemade treats and then a tile with their child's handprint and the date, etc.

[daycaremom76]

Last year I bought the gingerbread men kits from the craft store the ginger bread men were already made so all we had to do was decorate them. (I am not a baker) All the kids got a man and I put all the decorations for him in little bowls and we all made ginger breadmen the kids loved it and had a blast! We had icing and candies everywhere! My parents even got a kick out of it, the kids were a mess going home. I do my party at 3pm so once the sugar kicks in they are out the door. Clean up was super easy, we have an american bulldog, shih-tzu and yorkie! The bulldog took care of licking the table and chairs clean and the little ones took care of the floor! LOL I haven't decided what we are doing this year.

[CozyHome]

Ha, today was the last day here for my 4.75 year old girl who has been with me almost 4 years. I had them all come in their pj's and we were supposed to do a gingerbread man craft and gingerbread men cookies. Well, my 2 year old girl is going through some weird phase for the last 3 days where she cries for an hour I want Mommy, I want Daddy. Never happened in the past year! So that threw off the first hour. Then my 2.75 year old boy who was having fun for the first hour or so started crying and felt really sick and I sent him home at 11 because his Mom told me earlier in the week the Dad had the flu all week and the little boy wouldn't eat lunch or make crafts or cookies or stop crying. A half hour later my guest of honour little girl was eating lunch and ran to the toilet to throw up. So I called her Dad to come get her. Aaaaarrrrrrgggghhhhh!