Today I’m sharing some tips on hosting a family friendly watch party this summer. If your family was anything like mine growing up, you’d have a BBQ or family gathering for almost any sporting occasion. I remember my dad hosting BBQs for the Olympics, England football matches, and any time his beloved Manchester United got to a final. His love of a good family friendly watch party passed on to me, so today I’m sharing my tips!
**This post is made in collaboration with Very**
What Makes a Good Family Friendly Watch Party?
I’m speaking from over 35 years of experience when I say that I’ve been to plenty of family friendly parties, so you can rest assured I’ve seen some epic fails too. For me, the most important thing to consider when planning any kind of family friendly party, is the guest list. Don’t feel obliged to invite the aunt who puts everyone down, or the grumpy great uncle, who gets annoyed by kids being kids. This is your home, so don’t feel obliged to invite people who will spoil the day.
Whether you’re hosting an indoor or outdoor event, there’s plenty of other things to consider when planning a family friendly party this summer. So keep reading for my tips.
Keep Track of The Score
When you’re planning a family friendly watch party, chances are many of the guests will want to keep a close eye (and ear) on the sporting event you’re gathering for. My biggest piece of advice here is: DO NOT TAKE THE TV OUTSIDE! All it takes is a bit of drizzle, too much heat, or someone tripping over the cable for you to regret your life choices.
Decades of experience have taught me that you should keep the viewing inside, and opt for a portable speaker or radio outside. My dad used to set up his battery powered radio next to the BBQ, so he could listen to the match live, when he was on burger duty. I love the JBL Flip 7 portable bluetooth speaker for this. Don’t let its’ tiny 182.5 MM height mislead you – this tiny speaker has got some serious volume! The battery lasts up to 16 hours too, so it’ll be able to keep the tunes going all evening too!
Consider the Decor
Some people will see this heading and immediately think they need to buy bunting or banners, but that’s not necessarily true. The first thing I do when planning a family friendly party in my home is remove anything breakable. The last thing you want to do is spend 3 hours reassuring your niece that it’s ok her toddler broke your wedding photo frame. I keep two plastic storage boxes in the loft, which I bring down and pop my valuables into, the day before the event.
A trick I learnt from my mum is to pop waterproof mattress covers on the sofa seat cushions, and then throw blankets over the top of them. Doing this means I won’t be worrying about spills, or messy toddler handprints on the upholstery. Something else my mum used to keep on-hand for a family friendly garden party was those clear plastic runners. She’d pop them by the front and back doors, so the kids weren’t walking mud into her carpet.
Over the years, I have invested in some hats, balloons and bunting for Worldwide sporting events, which I love to get the kids to put up before a family friendly watch party – the tackier the better, as far as I’m concerned. I tend to buy these in the sales, and then keep the items in the plastic storage boxes I mentioned earlier, so they are on-hand for family events like these.
Right before guests are due to arrive, I usually set up an ice bucket filled with drinks, get the right station on the tv, and then hide the smart tv remote. I do this to avoid it getting lost, and to prevent the kids trying to flick to their preferred station in the middle of the action. I recently upgraded to this 55 inch Hisense tv, which has 4K Ultra HD, with Freely, which was super easy to set up, and mount on my existing bracket. The image quality is far superior to my old tv, and the buffering is perfect for streaming live sporting events, too.
Pre-Cook Chicken Before BBQ’ing, To Avoid Food Poisoning
Trust me when I say that it’s important to fully cook any chicken before you BBQ it. I’ll never forget the first BBQ my dad ever did, when almost every grown-up ended up with food poisoning. Thankfully us kids had only had sausages, that time, and my nanna had cooked those under the grill, to save time.
It’s important to store all food correctly too. So don’t pre-cook your chicken at 9am, then leave it sat on the worktop until 6pm, or your guests may still end up poorly.
Keep The Kids Entertained at a Family Friendly Garden Party
Depending on the ages of the kids attending your family friendly party, you may want to plan some activities to keep them entertained. If you’re having a garden party, I find that chalk, bubbles, some sheets of paper to make paper aeroplanes, a couple of hoola hoops, and a tent for them to play in, is usually enough.
If you’re hosting overnight guests, the tent can even double up as accommodation. My cousins and I used to love camping out in the tent, and my kids love it too. I’ll sometimes set up the paddling pool as well, but this does add another layer of chaos to the day, so you may want to avoid it if you want to actually relax while you’ve got guests over. Chalk is a great option. It’s affordable, the rain washes it away, and the kids can draw world flags, too.
Later in the evening, my kids love nothing more than toasting marshmallows round the fire pit, as the day winds to a close. Making s’mores is one of our favourite family friendly garden party activities in the summer. The kids look forward to it, but they know they need to behave through the day to get to toast marshmallows, as it’s a dangerous activity. So it’s a good way to minimise silly shenanigans, too.
Remember Pet Safety
You’ve seen both of my dogs in the photos now, so it seems like a good time to mention pet safety. It’s worth ensuring that all of your guests are comfortable with pets, if you – like us, have them. Our dogs are very much part of the family, so they won’t be shut away all day, while we have guests round. They are well behaved though, and they are never in the same space as young children who are eating.
You need to consider the temperature too of course. If it’s a super hot day, dogs need to be kept cool, so letting them roam the garden all day may not be in their best interests. I always ensure my dogs have access to cool fresh water, and their dog beds, which I position in a cool spot inside.
Consider Dietary Requirements for a Family Friendly BBQ
If you’ve got any vegetarian guests attending your party, it’s worth buying a disposable BBQ for their food. I’ve been vegetarian for 25 years now, but my kids eat meat. Our fire pit doubles as a BBQ, so this is used for meat items, and I buy a disposable mini BBQ for my food when we have a small family BBQ. When my daughter was gluten intolerant, she had her own disposable BBQ as well. This prevented cross-contamination, and meant everyone could enjoy the BBQ food.
When planning a family friendly BBQ, you don’t need to spend a fortune on meat. Chances are most of the kids will be happy with a couple of hot dogs, a burger and a corn on the cob. I tend to think two burgers, plus some chicken or a steak is enough meat for the grown ups to enjoy alongside the BBQ side dishes.
Our family tends to do a pot luck type BBQ, to keep costs down too. My aunt does the best savoury rice, and her stuffed peppers and potatoes are always gone before the first burger comes off the BBQ. One of my cousins is the salad queen, and I tend to ask my brothers to bring bits for a cheese board, a frozen family dessert, or nachos and dips to have on standby for evening nibbles. That way even those who aren’t great cooks can bring something that all the guests will enjoy.
Final Thoughts on Throwing a Great Family Friendly Party
Before we wrap up, I have thought of another quick thing to remember, ahead of throwing a family party… Always ensure there’s plenty of seats for all guests. A picnic blanket for the kids is always a good shout if you don’t have enough outdoor seats. This photo from a family BBQ in what was then my nanna’s house, but is now my house, makes me smile every time I see it. Did your family have family friendly watch parties like this when you were growing up?
So there you have it – Five great ideas for a family friendly watch party! One final bit of advice is to not bank on the weather. Always have a plan B in case the weather turns and everyone ends up inside. Finally, let me know in the comments if you have any other tips for hosting a successful family friendly party at home.
