Planning is the key to running any party yourself.

This sort of party is ideal for pre-schoolers and children up to the age of 6. Some older children can enjoy this theme, you just need to make the activities more relevant to their age like puppet making or combined with a bear making party.

Where

This party can be done at home, in the garden, woods or the local Village Hall

Invitations

Invitations should be made to the child and they should be asked to bring their favourite bear or soft toy or alternatively you could give each child a bear or soft toy as a gift.

Activities

• Bear Name Tages - when the children arrive they can make, colour and decorate name tags for their bear.
  
  (Tip - ask each child if they would like to write the name of their bear on their tag, want to copy the name or would like an adult to write the name. Children 's skills develop at such different rates especially when young. Have blank paper handy so you can write down name of bears so younger children can copy.)
• Teddy Themed Colouring Sheets – always good to have an extra activities like this ready.
• Decorate Teddy Bear Biscuits – Children love this and they could give the biscuit to their teddy at the picnic. Prepare Biscuits before hand, large bowl of icing and some decorations you could use gummy sweets etc, chocolates or special cake type decorations.
• Party Bags to decorate using teddy bear stickers or shapes with themed goodies or sweets to take home.
• Make A Bear Face - a simple craft activity to colour, cut and stick.
• Story time – a nice bear story at tea time to calm the children is a good idea or /and at the end of the party.

Games

• Pass the Bear – this is a great game for a teddy bears picnic. The children sit in a circle and pass a bear round until the music stops. The child with the bear is then out and is given a sweet or small prize. The game continues until the one child is left who wins a small wrapped prize much the same as in pass the parcel but without all the wrapping.
• Pin the Nose on the bear – you will need a blind fold or eye mask for the children, name tags of all the children and some blu-tac and a large picture of a bear’s face this will need to be on A3 size paper for the best effect. The children are given their name tag with blu tac on and have a go on putting the nose on the bear and of course the nearest one wins.
• Our Snapper Fish Game - Grizzly bears and polar bear eat fish. This game can be adapted so that the child and their bear fish for the bear’s supper together. This game is such good fun as the fish are closed/laid flat and then they jump up in the air and you have to try and catch them with the rods..
• Bear Facts Trivia – A simple trivia game where the children sit in a circle and have a go at questions, miming or singing all based on bears.
• Bear Hunt – We're going on a bear hunt Make some large paw prints out of craft paper and put a number on each one. Place them around the garden or house and get the kids to follow the trail in numbered order. When they get to number 10 have a bear sitting there with a bowl of candy or cookies and each child gets to eat one.
• Musical Bears - This is like musical the traditional musical chairs. Set out a number of chairs, one for each child minus one. Give each child a bear and get them to dance round to some music. When the music stops, they have to rush and put their bear on a chair. The bear that doesn't have a chair is out but they get to choose a small prize so they don&;#39t feel left out.

Setting the Scene – If you want to go the whole mile why not try some of these scene setting ideas

• Bear Cave – Outside tent or children play tent indoors can be turned into a bear den where you could set up a picnic setting for the bears with plastic toy tea set, rug and so on. If it is a nice day and you have a big enough tent or play house the children tea could be in the bears den.
• Photo Call – a nice touch but not essential create a bear setting with a rug , balloons, lots of teddies, picnic basket and take a picture of each child sitting on the rug

Food

Don’t forget bear shaped sandwiches cookies and any other appropriate food.

I hope this helps you plan a great Teddy Bears Picnic and remember......

planning is the secret of a successful party.