Host a Summer Party for the Grandkids Now

With grandkids back at school, it’s time to host a summer party on the weekend as a last seasonal hurrah. Make some food, clear the deck for games, and enjoy the warm weather while it lasts.

We started the tradition of hosting a party for the grandkids during the pandemic.

• In 2020, we had our first party to celebrate the end of home schooling. It was an afternoon of games and prizes.
• In 2021, we had an end-of-Camp-Grandma summer party, with Camp Grandma T-shirts and certificates. We displayed work done during camp. We made a piñata to break open, played games, and had carnival-style food.
• For 2022, we did an ice cream party and set off a confetti canon.

Summer Party 2023

This year’s party was simpler in games but more ambitious in food. I should have planned it for the other way around.

Setting the Stage

With just a small side yard, we played our games on the deck, having cleared space by moving furniture to the walls. Then we blew up helium balloons.

We set the party for 2 p.m. for a leisurely afternoon, with refreshments serving as an early supper.

Food for the Summer Party

Our menu was too ambitious. It required too much cooking on the spot, taking the cooks away from the party.

To start, we had quick and easy rice cereal kakimochi served in popcorn boxes–I made the colorful boxes with my Cricut machine. I could have made caramel corn, but the kids aren’t fond of sweet popcorn. The cereal kakimochi is healthier, anyway.

While my younger son and I were able to prepare homemade corn dogs, french fries, caramel apples, and paletas, we never got around to making the fried pickles and Mexican street corn.

We should have kept it simple. A menu of kakimochi, Walking Tacos and fresh fruit paletas would have been enough. And that is what I would recommend.

Walking Tacos

This is all over the Internet and it’s genius. You pop open the bag of Doritos or Fritos, crushing the chips so they’re easy to eat with a fork, and fill the bag with taco toppings. Eat from the bag with a fork.

This snack is high in sodium, so try to reduce the salt if making the taco filling and salsa from scratch, as we did.

Ingredients

• Doritos or Fritos (1-ounce snack-size bags)
• Prepared taco filling — I like the super-easy recipe from Chef Andrew Hunter
• Shredded iceberg lettuce
• Chopped tomatoes
• Shredded jack or Cheddar cheese
• Salsa
• Cilantro leaves
• Sour cream

Instructions for Assembly

Gently squeeze the bottom of the chips bag to crush chips. When you squeeze the bag from the bottom, the top will burst open with a pop. Add desired fillings into the bag, stir, and eat with a small fork. Allow two to three bags per adult.

Kids will enjoy making their own Walking Tacos. Eating from a bag is not only great fun, it contains any mess and requires fewer plates to wash or toss.

For an adult end-of-summer garden party, try these simple ideas for party fare.

A Note about Nutrition

Did I throw nutrition to the winds with this menu? Yes, I did. But this is just one day of the year and it is not normally the kind of meal or snacks I would serve to the grandkids.

I’m trying to create a carnival or a county fair atmosphere with this summer party, introducing the kids to foods they might encounter at such community events.

Games for a Summer Party

We enjoyed some games we had played previously, such as tin can bowling and bean bag toss. This year, I introduced a new relay from Verywell Family, one of 15 great games featured in their post.

For this game, you need two sheets of newspaper for each relay team. The players can only advance by stepping on a newspaper. So, first you set down one newspaper to step on, lay the next newspaper in front of you for the next step, then reach back to pick up the first newspaper to lay down for the next step, and so on.

Having family traditions like an annual summer party will strengthen family bonds and become events the grandkids can look forward to from year to year.

Sign Up!

Don’t forget to sign up for my email newsletter. Every Wednesday, I’ll give you a new idea for an activity or insight to nurture the little ones in your life.