Are you struggling to come up with party ideas for tweens that haven’t been done before? Here is an emerging new trend that you might like to try.
It sounds a little weird, but read on. Kids love it, we promise.
Let’s start off by letting you know that Kmart is not paying us to write this blog. We are not affiliated in any way with Kmart. We are just a fan of anything that makes life with kids a little bit easier, and often those things come from Kmart.
At the time of writing this, Kmart hadn’t put their name behind this trend and weren’t throwing these parties. This is just the work of creative and inspired Kmart fans.
And the Kmart party doesn’t have to happen at Kmart. Any largish shop or even a shopping centre will do, including a supermarket, an outdoor market, or a toy warehouse. (If you were to throw this party for adult men, you could choose Bunnings!)
What is a Kmart Party?
A Kmart party unfolds as follows:
The party guests meet as a group outside Kmart or somewhere handy nearby.
The guests are put into groups or pairs to go shopping, and each is given a shopping bag and list. It’s like shopping scavenger hunt.
Each child has $20 in total to spend and has to buy everything on their list. While trying to save money as well as choosing things they like.
Some ideas for your list include:
- Something starting with S
- Pick something that is red
- Something with sparkles
- and something you can wear
- Something with an animal on it
- And something that looks like food but you can’t eat it
They are given a set time to shop and are sent off around the store (you’ll need at least one adult per group for supervision). At the end of the time, everyone meets at the checkout and are given their $20, to scan out individually.
Then everyone gathers somewhere for food and cake. This could be at the food court or a venue nearby, in a park or back the birthday child’s home.
There are competitions with prizes for the shopping. You can go through each item on the list and then every guest holds up what they bought. The other partygoers can vote on who got the best value for money.
You can also give a prize for whoever saved the most. It’s a great idea to tell the children that any money saved will go to a charity such as animals affected in the recent bushfires, as this helps give them an extra incentive to shop wisely.
Why it’s a cool idea
It can seem both like a good money-spinner for Kmart and a lesson in teaching kids to waste money – but there are plenty of benefits from it too.
This helps kids to plan and budget, as well as testing their maths skills while working out how much they have to spend. They also can plan wisely by choosing items that meet more than one category on the list, teaching them to be strategic.
It is helpful to teach them about money and how difficult it can be to stretch a dollar sometimes. And they adore the big grown-up responsibility of shopping for themselves and being able to make their own decisions about what they buy.
Plus, they absolutely love it. They wander around the shop and see each other and smile, or they try to hide from each other so as not to give good ideas away.
They take home items that they love and will remember where they came from, and you don’t have to spring for party bags, because this is already sorted.
Things to Consider When Hosting a Kmart Party
Don’t choose a time that the store is likely to be busy. A kmart party is easiest when it’s a little quieter and you’re not bothering staff or other shoppers.
Make sure you have enough adults to supervise the groups or pairs of kids wandering around – you may need to word up a few parents that you’ll need them to stay and this isn’t a dump and run party.
You can set some guidelines and rules if you like. ‘Nothing you can eat’, is a good rule or they will just all end with a pile of lollies or things they might be allergic to.
Why Not Give it a Go?
If you usually chose a play centre or big-name chain to celebrate your child’s birthday, why not choose Kmart this year instead? You will likely spend less than you would if you booked a full party package somewhere else, and the kids will be so excited to do something original.
Kmart – is there anything you can’t do?
Have your kids had a kmart party? We would love to hear about it and see some of your favourite pics in the comments.
Are you looking for ideas and activities to entertain the kids at home? These ideas may help https://www.schoolmumscorner.com/60-things-to-do-with-kids-when-they-declare-im-bored/
