My cousin recently asked me for some assistance in planning her daughter’s teddy bear-themed birthday party. This is totally my jam, so I got really excited and started to brainstorm some ideas for activities. For some reason, when it’s not my kid, the ideas flow much more freely. Does anyone else out there experience this? I feel like I am not the only one.
My first idea was for a teddy bear picnic. Every attendee would bring their favorite teddy and we would sit and have “bear-sized” theme bites on a blanket in the middle of the floor. That got shot down. Too boring for 7 year-olds maybe? So I moved on. My next idea was for a teddy bear hunt with a twist. Instead of the party-goers bringing their teddy bears, they would actually be the bears! I found a very cute and easy little craft for bear ears and paws that they could actually wear. After the bears were all geared up, we would gather around for a reading of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. My cousin loved the idea! We made our lists and did our prep work to make everything perfect for the party. I searched for someone else to do the storytelling work (thank you, YouTube!), since I knew we would be busy entertaining.
Party day arrived and all of the supplies were ready. Everyone was loving the bear-themed crafts and already getting into their bear personas. We had mama bears, papa bears, and baby bears. Lots of cuddling and some play fighting, too. I, of course, donned a pair of bear ears, used my best mama bear voice, and tried to maintain crowd control. Things were going swimmingly. Lunch arrived, and we had a little bit of a breather before story time. It’s amazing what a well-timed pizza can do!
Once the kiddos were ready for the story, I made the announcement, “Let’s move into the living room for story time!” In response, one little girl asked, “What’s story time?” I felt like all the noise in the room came to a screeching halt and there was silence as I turned my head to look at her and ask, “What do you mean?” She, of course, didn’t know what to say back. I may be over-exaggerating here, but I felt like I got kicked in the gut. How does a child not know what story time is? And a 7 year-old at that? We gathered the group in front of the television for a very inspired telling of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt and, let me tell you, these children were transfixed by the story. I was really excited to see them display such rapt attention. It could have gone either way. But, once again, a classic story proved its timeless nature. It didn’t escape me that it was a book on a screen. Do we take it as a victory for books? I say, “Yes!” Also, for those 7 or 8 minutes, the children were touched by the magic of beautiful storytelling.
The party was a huge success, and I absolutely loved participating in it. Although I was truly exhausted by the end! In this one afternoon, though, I realized a few truths that I want to share with you. One is that children will engage with a book more readily when there is some art or interactivity paired with the theme of the story. Another is that even when children can read on their own, it doesn’t mean that they will not respond to enthusiastic storytelling. They can and will have their jaw drop as they listen and become drawn into the narrative. My friend sent me a quote by Neil Gaiman that I think is apropos of this point:
“We have an obligation to read aloud to our children. To read them things they enjoy. To read to them stories we are already tired of. To do the voices, to make it interesting, and not to stop reading to them just because they learn to read themselves.”
Neil Gaiman
I hope all the children at that teddy bear birthday party now know not only what story time is, but also how very magical it can be!