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Looking for fun ways to teach your kids gratitude and the blessing of having wonderful friends? Host an appreciation party! Check out these creative party ideas for your kids to show their appreciation.
The Fall season is a great time to show your gratitude and appreciation to others. With a season of Thanksgiving, it’s time to take those small moments to let others around you know how much they mean to you.
“Everyone wants to be appreciated, so if you appreciate someone, don’t keep it a secret.” — Mary Kay Ash
Not only is it a time to reach out, but a time to teach kids how to show gratitude to the people that are most important to them. Studies have shown that kids who express gratitude have several benefits including boosted self-esteem, better sleep quality, higher physical and mental well-being, and live a happier, more positive life. We all want our kids to understand the importance of serving others and feel the blessing of having amazing friends in their lives. There are several ways to teach that, but what is better than to get everyone together and have an appreciation party?! We have gathered our top, kid-approved games and activities that guarantee not only a good time, but create connection, teamwork, and appreciation.
When planning a party for kids, it’s important to ask the professionals…THE KIDS! Encourage kids to come up with decorations, the theme, treats, games, and activities. Listening to their ideas, no matter how silly they are, will result in endless fun. Kids know what they love more than anyone else. The more they’re involved the more they’ll be excited about celebrating their friends.
This article is full of creative ideas to throw a Friend Appreciation Party for kids. Check out our FREE party invites below:
Pick a Theme
The first step in planning a party is choosing a theme to go with the “Friends Appreciation” idea. You can be as simple or creative as you want or have time for. Simply picking “Friends” as your theme is easy, fun, and straightforward. The options to bring more creativity and originality are endless. Here are a few examples to get your creative juices flowing for any age.
-TV show “Friends”
-Golden Girls “Thanks for Being a Friend”
-Toy Story with Buzz & Woody, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”
-Frozen with Anna & Elsa
-Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck
Decorations
After you’ve decided on a theme, now you’re ready to figure out the decorations. Decorations can be as elaborate as you’d like them to be, think Pinterest-worthy, or as minimal as you desire. Throwing up a banner and a few balloons can go a long way, while also being super simple. A top favorite decoration is hanging pictures of the party guests around the room and also hanging pieces of paper with their positive qualities. Get your creativity juices going and check out our FREE PRINTABLE for an adorable “Friend” banner, as well as Amazon, for unlimited options.
Games & Activities
The highlight of the party is always the games and activities! Choosing activities that are age-appropriate and clever is where the fun, laughter, connections, and friendships begin. Here is a list of tried-and-true activities that will keep the guests entertained for hours while enhancing friendships. Below are several incredible friend appreciation games. You are guaranteed to have a tough time choosing.
1. Good Qualities Pass
This activity is more about putting a smile on the kid’s face and growing relationships. Give each party guest a piece of paper and uniquely write their name in the center. Gather everyone in a circle on the floor with their papers in hand. Start passing the papers around the circle in one direction giving them enough time to write one to two good quality they love about that person whose name is on the paper. After the papers have made their way around the circle, each guest will take home a paper full of wonderful qualities to display in their rooms and build their confidence. Hint: print off a list of positive character traits to help the kids think of ideas to write.
2. Pass the Gift
Everyone loves to get a gift! Go to the dollar store and gather some fun toys, art supplies, treats, keychains, or anything the kids will be excited to receive. Get enough for each person to have one, with a few extras, just in case. Have the kids sit in a circle with each person holding a random, wrapped gift, and listen as the story is being told. Every time the word “LEFT” is read, pass the gift you are holding to your left. Every time the word “Right is read, pass the gift you are currently holding to your right. Once the story is over, the gift you are holding is yours to take home. Grab our FREE PRINTABLE with the story below:
3. Write Notes
This activity is perfect to have set up as guest are arriving. All you need is some paper, colored pencils, crayons, markers, or any stationary supplies scattered along the table. Let the guests have full range of what they create as long as the write a sweet letter to a friend they are grateful for. Tip to avoid hurting feelings: guests could write to a friend who isn’t at the party and deliver on a later day.
4. Saran Wrap Ball Game
This activity involves a ball made up of saran wrap with candy, toys, gift cards, and get-to-know-you questions all throughout. The object is to unwrap the tightly wrapped ball while it’s your turn, hoping that as many prizes as possible fall out before your turn is over.
To create the ball, gather the supplies– goodies, and saran wrap. Begin with the biggest prize in the center and wrap it tightly with a piece of saran wrap, any size works. Keep cutting off piece of the wrap and adding goodies in whenever you’d like. In order to keep the ball round, turn the ball in different directions and continue rolling until you get the size you’d like or all the goodies are used.
When beginning the game, have kids sit in a circle with the ball in one guest hand and two dice in the hands of the guest sitting next to them. When that person rolls doubles, it’s their turn to start unwrapping the goody-filled ball-and so on. Everything that falls out during their turn, they get. Be ready for lots of laughs and fun! Bonus- Add a few slips of paper with fun get-to-know-you questions, which will bring another level of excitement.
5. Dance Party
What is a party without some dancing?! Find as many fun songs as you can about friends and let the kids dance their hearts out.
“I’ll Be There For You,” The Rembrandts
“Count On Me,” Bruno Mars
“Me and My Girls,” Selena Gomez
‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” Randy Newman
“Never Have a Friend like Me,” Robin Williams
6. Decorate/Give a Cupcake
A cupcake is the key to any child’s heart! Plus, is it really a party without the sugary goodness? Prepare cupcakes ahead and gather frosting, supplies, and fill the table with several topping options. Don’t forget the Sprinkles! Make sure to have enough for each child to have two of them-one to take home to give to someone they love and the other to eat.
7. Paint Each other
Warning-this activity is extremely messy! It’s full of fun and laughter which can easily outweigh all the cleaning. Put the guest into pairs and give them all the supplies they need to paint a portrait of their partner. Supplies may include a paint brush, canvas, water, paint colors, etc. Make sure each pair can’t see the others work in progress and let them paint until they are finished. Each guest will get to go home with a portrait a friend painted of them.
8. Marshmallow Creations
All you’ll need for this activity is a few bags of marshmallows and a box or two of toothpicks. Divide the children into two groups in different areas. Then, give each group the marshmallow and toothpicks and have them create whatever they want as a team. After each team is finished, the teams can guess what the other team built. This game promotes creativity, teamwork, and a healthy competition.
9. Make Friendship Bracelets
What better way to celebrate friendship than creating friendship bracelets together! This activity has endless possibilities of designs, colors, and skill level. Figure out what will work best for your group and allow the kids to take the lead. Bonus-To encourage new friendships and inclusion, have each kid make a few extra to give to friends that weren’t able to come, or enough for everyone in their class.
Other Ideas-Drawing friends with sidewalk chalk, playing guessing games in the pool or sprinklers, and putting on a talent show are also fun ideas to creating a party the kids will never forget. Now the hardest part of planning will be deciding which of these amazing activities you won’t have time to do.
Check out our FREE PRINTABLES HERE!
This post is all about kids showing gratitude by planning a Friend Appreciation party. You are now ready to sit down with your child to plan a party you both will never forget.