Crazy Cousins Activities to Keep the Chaos to a Minimum

I am anxious to see the responses, we leave in the am for the MIL's and have the same prob - 1 activity coordinator, less than childproof house, and I will say it, a bunch of boys!

Take along a soccer ball to play in the yard (or common area if it is a condo/townhouse) for the older boys, and the girls and baby can color coffee filters to make "skirts" for barbies.

Good luck!

Hi Kristi,

We go to my MIL house also. We take board games for the kids to play, but they never end up getting played with :). They are usually too excited to see each other that they don't want to play them, they would rather romp together.

Fortunately my MIL allows them to use her bedroom and the garage to play in. The kids need to burn energy off somehow even if it just running outside for 10 minutes. You could also take a portable dvd player or use a computer to watch movies since the guys are monopolizing the tv.

I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!!!
L.

Ahhhh! The memories! I have 11 cousins on my mother's side, and no two of us are more than a year apart in age. (My grandmother joked that for a period of time, it seemed as if every time she picked up the phone, one of her children was calling to say another baby was on the way!) Our holiday gatherings were always at my grandmother's "house", which was actually a large apartment over the store that they owned in Philadelphia. Can you imagine that mob scene? There was a large kitchen/dining area, a large living room with a black and white t.v. in the corner and ONE bathroom. My grandparents' bedroom was on that floor, too, and we were allowed to go in there and crawl on their high bed and under it. The boys usually played some sort of stalking game in there. Upstairs were two large unused bedrooms and a rooftop where my grandmother hung clothes. And to add to the fun, they had a mutt dog, there were 10 adults, and oh yes... this establishment was at Front and Diamond Streets. The "el" runs right by, so every few minutes the roar of the train would add to the noise in the house. Yet it was so much fun. And today when my cousins and I gather with our children, we still laugh about it. Our parents actually allowed us to go play on the roof unsupervised! My goodness! How did we all survive??

But, to get to your question, of course you do need to make sure the fun and chaos are safe. One of the things that we did as kids, and that I did with my own children when they were growing us is skits and songs. Every holiday included a little "show" by the children. We used to spend a good amount of time planning our performances. We'd lip sync to Monkees songs (yes, I'm VERY old!), do little skits, tell jokes, etc. I've been a cub scout leader for many years, and I still incorporate this into our large gatherings. In fact, you can google "cub scout skits" and you'll get tons of ideas for helping to organize a little show. Try to find a space where the kids can prepare and tell them that it's a secret and a surprise for their families. Get them started telling some simple jokes. Have them act out some scenes. Perhaps even the 1 year old can serve as a happy "prop" who waves or claps hands at the appropriate moment. This will also give the older children a chance to lead the younger children. The older ones can do most of the speaking, and the little ones can follow cues. You'll definitely have to supervise but once it gets going, you might even be able to leave them on their own for a while to think up their own "acts". They'll use their imaginations and will be busy without too much chaos, hopefully. Of course, this won't keep them occupied for the entire day, and you can be sure that at one point they'll be running headlong toward that glass curio cabinet. But, it should keep them busy for a while, and provide for great family memories years from now.

And then there's always lettuce ball. LOL One of my cousins had five children of his own. When things got chaotic at his house, he used to put a head of lettuce in a plastic bag and toss it into the yard. He'd yell "Make some salad kids!" and the kids would kick that bag all over the yard until the lettuce was just mush in the bag. What can I say? Sometimes that's all the creativity you can squeeze out of an exhausted parent's mind. LOL but the kids loved playing "lettuce ball".

In any event, enjoy Thanksgiving. You'll probably only have another couple of years of complete chaos with the kids. Once they all start getting near to 8, 9 and 10 years old, it'll be a different kind of wild activity. And not long after that, all that happy energy turns into a gathering of adults around the table who reminisce about the craziness and fun they had as kids.

What about taking some games along? The games I am going to suggest might be a little young for the 7 yo, but he can help the younger ones. Zingo or another bingo-type game would be a good choice. Cranium Cadoo is easy for little ones. Hullabaloo could work but you would need a DVD player and space to spread out the floor pads (it will use up some of their energy). Dr. Seuss' I Can Do That Game is a good one also. Crayola Wonders markers can allow them to be creative with no jeopardy fo making a mess. The 1 yo could play with that also. Otherwise maybe blocks, books, stacking cups.

Maybe you and SIL can trade off babysitting duties hour by hour?
Is there an area downstairs, a bedroom or something where you could give them construction paper and those peel and stick foamies? They have Thanksgiving ones.
Or what about a portable DVD player and some movies?
That's just what happens when kids get together.
Just look forward to sweet bedtime and hopefully everyone is home the next day so you can all recover!

Kristi S Bring a small TV and DVD player with you to plug in some where so they can watch movies. It might be a hassle but well worth it. The weather here is suppose to be a little warmer so let them go out in the yard and run around. Give them some bats balls and such let them have fun. Find some board games geared toward their age group such as fish and memory (sometimes you can get these at a dollar store) Find a toss across game it is a tic tac toe game. Buy coloring books and crayons they could sit on the floor, kids dont need to be at a table. Good Luck and Happy Thanksgiving.

I feel your pain....my day is the exact same way w/ lots of cousins at the MIL house which is full of antiques and breakables...and for the most part you are on your own to keep the kids tame! I would say bring super warm clothes and have one of the guys or whoever take them out side for a small game of catch or anything to get them out of the house for a bit...when they come in you can gather them for a snack....popcorn or hot chocolate. Puzzles, and coloring books and crayons....just fill up a bin full of whatever you can think will engage them...unfortunatly it sounds as though someone will have to coordinate the activities and it will prob be you and I would appeal to the guys to give you at least 45 min of TV time at some point in the day....my family doesnt help me much at all, they sit around wathc football eat, and drink and if the kids go wild they look at me like "why cant you keep those kids under control?" Well it takes a village sometimes:)

Who says you have to do it all?????? Let the men take their turn this year!

We play UNO Attack...like UNO but it is a machine that spits out cards...even the 3 yr old will get a kick out of it. My son is 4 and has been playing it for awhile. Will definitely need one adult to supervise the game.

How about color explosion paper...no mess and they all can work together.

If you celebrate Christmas, how about Christmas Bingo? Or how about Christmas DVDs or any kind of movie...I know hate to have your kids watch tv but for some peace and quiet at protecting a house that is not set up for kids....priceless!

I just had to tell you that my husbands side has 16 children. (including ours) We just let them do their own thing and the adults enjoy a glass of wine together. It is hard to keep them calm when they are so excited to be with their cousins. I remember the chaos when i was little and there was 11 cousins!! Those were the fun memories. Don't worry... without a tv or extra table i don't have many suggestions. I was thinking one of those gingerbread house kits. My kids and their cousins loved that one year. If you can find big coloring books that is always fun. Good luck!!

Love the skit idea, that's what I was thinking too. Bring a bunch of brown paper bags & colored construction paper & crayons. Recruit the oldest to help you "teach" the younger ones about thanksgiving. Set up on the floor in the hallway. Cut up the paper bags into vests & headdresses that the kids can color (the oldest can help you cut). Have the oldest tell the younger ones what happened on thanksgiving. Let the oldest decide who gets to be indians & who gets to be pilgrims. Have the kids act out the thanksgiving skit just before or after dinner (or incorporate it into the dinner). Most kids love being in charge & teaching others, he should get into it & it should cut down on the running around. Make sure everyone gathers to watch the skit or next year the kids won't want to do it. (or you could have them do the skit multiple times for each different group of people).
Good luck & Happy Thanksgiving.

Hi Christy. Why are you the only one to care about how the kids act? I would tell my hubby to get off his sports related behind and help!! It's your holiday too! Cut your visit time back, get them outside as long as the weather allows, and get the game twister! That should help a bit. Good luck!

i do feel your pain - at my MIL's house we'll have the following ages: 14.5; 14.5; 12; 12;8;5;4;4.5;and 1.5 - and thats just the immediate family - sometimes we also get another 4year old and a 10 year old!!! yes well what we tend to do is play games (there is one and i cant recall the name but its great for kids of all ages - its like hot potato and its electronic and colored coded)

cheap crafts at michaels are another good idea!!