With summer finally in full bloom, it’s a time for great summer parties for kids.  There’s always lots to do when the skies are clear and bright, but it’s worth remembering that the sun won’t be shining every day.  So what can you do for the kids when it’s pouring rain or to fill the evening during a sleepover?  These days, it’s easy enough to sit them down in front of the TV and let them watch videos or play games.  But you can give them a truly memorable party experience by planning some indoor activities – if only as a Plan B.

My first idea is always cooking.  Kids love to cook, especially when the payoff is a treat.  Choosing a dish depends on many things, but the two most important are the number of kids and their ages.  Obviously you don’t want 3 year-olds working close to the stove or using sharp knives, so you have to keep things simple for them.  The best choice for kids 7 years old and under is probably cookies.  Even as a last-minute idea, you’ve probably got the ingredients for sugar cookies (flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, butter, vanilla extract, and an egg).  If you’ve planned ahead at all, you can rely on the Toll House Cookie recipe on the bag of Nestle’s Chocolate Morsels.  The preparation process for cookies doesn’t lend itself to working with more than 4 or 5 kids, but you can always let each child shape or decorate their own cookies when it comes time to place the dough on the cookie sheet.  If you’d rather avoid a sugary treat, you can always have them make Pigs in a Blanket with some cocktail sausages, Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, and some shredded cheddar cheese.

When the kids’ ages start to approach 9 or 10, you can always count on pizza being a universal hit.  Of course, you may not usually stock key ingredients like fresh yeast, mozzarella cheese, or sliced pepperoni, so a quick trip to the supermarket may be required.  But making a pizza from scratch is a great group activity for a kids party or scout meeting because (a) there’s no such thing as a bad pizza you’ve made yourself, and (b) there are enough jobs for everyone to pitch in.  From rolling the dough to chopping the veggies, it’s all good fun.  I posted a simple pizza recipe a couple of years ago that’s easy to make and hard to make badly.  The only even slightly tricky part is not using water that’s so hot that it kills the yeast, and I explain that in the recipe linked here.

For small groups of older kids, I’d suggest Mexican Fajitas because they’re quick and easy.  All you need are 3 or 4 boneless chicken breasts, some onions and bell peppers, cumin, salsa, and a package of taco-size tortillas.  Lightly dust the chicken with cumin, and salt and grill for 10 minutes on each side.  Remove them and let them rest while the kids slice the vegetables.  Grill the veggies on high heat in a splash of canola oil until they show some charring.  Finally, grill the tortillas in a little oil to cook them thoroughly and put a little color on them.  Slice the chicken into long stips and you’re all set!  You can often find a package of bell peppers in mixed colors, so you can make a colorful dish.  I happen to prefer Mission tortillas if you’re only shopping in the grocery store, but you’re planning ahead you can find locally-made fresh tortillas at places like La Perla in Minneapolis or El Burrito Mercado in St. Paul.  And buy the mild salsa.  Even the medium is probably going to be too hot for youngsters’ first experiences with spicy food.  You can count on a bit of a mess during the meal, so have a roll of paper towels handy for the kids to use as holders for the fajitas and to clean up any spills.

Demystifying the kitchen is one of the best things you can do for a kid’s confidence.  Small mistakes here don’t matter much, and will help them be open to trying new things.  And if you want to get all Bill Nye the Science Guy on them, you can teach them about how the yeast and baking powder produce carbon dioxide gas that creates the bubbles that make the dough rise, or talk about how cooking foods turns the sugars in them brown (something called the Maillard Reaction) which adds flavor.  Practical demonstrations like this are a great way to pique girls’ interest in science and can broaden their horizons.

Another surefire hit with all kids on a rainy afternoon is crafts.  You can start the little ones with just some construction paper, scissors, Elmer’s glue, and crayons and let their imaginations soar.  They can make paper cars, boats, planes, houses, animals or anything they like and decorate them.  For older kids, especially if it’s an organized event like a birthday party, scout meeting, or a sleepover, you can get a kit of materials for easy crafts for kids that consist of fun t-shirts or pillowcases emblazoned with cool slogans or cartoons that each child can color in the designs themselves with fabric markers.  Even kids as young as 7 or 8 can handle the markers, and these days they’re all non-toxic.

Naturally, the goal is to insure that everyone participates and has a good time.  Everything else is gravy.  A little early planning will insure that your kids have a great time no matter the weather.  The fact that turning off the gadgets for an hour or two enriches the experience and makes for life-long memories is just a bonus.  These are low-stress party ideas that make a great staycation for both you and the kids.