Oscar Party for Kids

Date nights don't often include dinner and a movie. Hiring a babysitter with the risk the movie is a bust, can be too chancy. We get it. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy Oscar night. It's time to reclaim the big screen, put Disney away for the night and make the most of the glitz and glamour -with your kids. Here are some ideas for organizing a family Oscars party that the kids will enjoy. 

Set the Scene

• Lay out the red carpet. No, not a real one. Improvise by laying a red towel or a tablecloth out on the ground.
• Don "designer" duds: Get your kids dressed up in some fun and creative attire. Do their hair, makeup. Buy boas, long gloves and some fake "bling", Ask them "who they are wearing" like your favorite red-carpet commentators. Make the kids feel fancy!
• Be the paparazzi: Take photos as your kids walk down the "red carpet." Have them do poses and call out their names. After all, they are the big stars in your life.
• Prepfine cuisine: Serve kid-sized finger foods on trays. And give their drink cup a special straw.
• Provide movie munchies: Don't forget to make a batch of popcorn to munch on. Or provide other movie-going favorites like snow-caps and Swedish fish. Want to go healthy? Slice up apples and cover one side in peanut butter. Add graham cracker crumbles for a delicious treat.

Awards:

• Cast your ballots. Create your own award categories. Whether they're related to kid-movies, chores or your own family contest, just make sure everyone wins something.
• Get thankful. Every nominee usually writes down a few people they want to thank. Have the kids do the same. Make acceptance speeches for the awards and playfully thank friends and family - or stuffed animals. Make sure to record. This is something they'll want to watch when they're 30!
• Prepare trophies. Get kids to decorate empty plastic bottles (dish soap, shampoo, etc) with construction paper and glitter (a great nanny craft project too) Each winner takes home a creation.
• Prepare your schwag. You've heard about the amazing Oscar gift bags. Maybe yours won't have Rolexes, but trinkets and candy might be just as exciting for certain age groups.

More Fun:

• Guess who? Create kid-friendly categories of questions on movies you all saw during the year. You could try coming up with Pictionary or a Jeopardy!-style game ("The character in Finding Nemo who suffers from short-term memory loss" Correct Response: "Who is Dory?")
• Play Oscar charades. Have the kids pick a movie scene they know and love and have them re-enact it. Or they could pick a favorite movie character and come up with their own scene or alternate ending - get creative!
• Make your own movie. Turn off the show (or have it as background noise) and encourage the kids to star in their own show. They can impersonate characters from movies they love or come up with ones of their own. Parents could help write the script - or it can all be improvised. Put together some quick costumes and make a movie!

Your party can take place before start time of the Oscars, or occur during the commercial breaks. Either way, this is a great way to get your kids involved in the evening and get them into the Hollywood spirit!