When I was a little girl I loved attending our local Christmas parade. I only had to walk one street over and I was on the main route. In fact, you could even watch the parade from my bedroom window. How cool was that? Now that I'm the adult attending a Christmas parade has completely changed. Last year's trip to the big Christmas parade was a bit of a bust and I am looking for ways to have a successful trip this year. So, I reached out to the blogging community and have come up with a great list of ways to make our day at the parade extra memorable and extra enjoyable.
Tips for Enjoying a Christmas Parade with Kids
Identification
Mari from Inspired by Family Magazine said "Make sure the kids have on them some form of ID with contact information for them, or someone, to call just in case they get lost. Whether it's an ID necklace, on their shoes or a bracelet."
Mari from Inspired by Family Magazine said "Make sure the kids have on them some form of ID with contact information for them, or someone, to call just in case they get lost. Whether it's an ID necklace, on their shoes or a bracelet."
Photography for Kids
Tammy at Housing a Forest said "I love seeing the world through kids eyes. Bring along a disposable camera or older camera that you don't mind the kids playing with. Hand the camera to them when you get out of the car and explain that they are in charge of capturing the parade. Encourage them to take pictures of things they love and want to remember. You will get snapshots of everything from floats, silly faces of siblings, bugs, maybe a bird flying by...it is so fun to see what they thought was interesting."
Tammy at Housing a Forest said "I love seeing the world through kids eyes. Bring along a disposable camera or older camera that you don't mind the kids playing with. Hand the camera to them when you get out of the car and explain that they are in charge of capturing the parade. Encourage them to take pictures of things they love and want to remember. You will get snapshots of everything from floats, silly faces of siblings, bugs, maybe a bird flying by...it is so fun to see what they thought was interesting."
Keep Cozy
Evie at Play Away Online said "Here in Michigan we bring a blanket to sit on, warm hats and gloves, a bag to put candy in and of course hot chocolate in a thermos. One year the kids had to wear their snow plants because it was freezing out! The next year it was 60 and sunny."
and here are a few suggestions from me...
Activities for Kids
Going to a parade requires a lot of patience. It takes a long time for the parade to get going so it's important to have things for the kids to do while they wait. Sidewalk chalk, colouring books and simple bean bags are great activities to help pass the time.
Going to a parade requires a lot of patience. It takes a long time for the parade to get going so it's important to have things for the kids to do while they wait. Sidewalk chalk, colouring books and simple bean bags are great activities to help pass the time.
Snacks
The secret to any successful outing with children is always snacks. I've already baked up a batch of Christmas cookies to bring along. Every year we grab a hot dog from a local street vendor...somehow hot dogs have become part of our family tradition.
The secret to any successful outing with children is always snacks. I've already baked up a batch of Christmas cookies to bring along. Every year we grab a hot dog from a local street vendor...somehow hot dogs have become part of our family tradition.
Stay in Touch
If you are meeting with other families it is critical that you have a familiar meeting place and cell phones. Let's face it we now live in a time when finding people in a big crowd is pretty easy...if you have a phone.
If you are meeting with other families it is critical that you have a familiar meeting place and cell phones. Let's face it we now live in a time when finding people in a big crowd is pretty easy...if you have a phone.
Comfortable Shoes
This one might not be as obvious as the others. When we go to the Toronto Santa Claus parade we take public transit (walking), we walk to route looking for a place to sit (walking), once we find our seats the kids sit down and the adult stand waiting for the parade (standing), after the parade we take transit home (walking). In total we are on our feet for at least 4 hours! Comfortable shoes are critical to parental happiness.
Does your community hold a holiday parade? Do you have any other tips to share? How do you have fun at your local Thanksgiving or Christmas parade?
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JDaniel4's Mom says
We are going to attend our first parade next weekend! Thank you for this list.