Ideas for throwing the perfect Teddy Bears Picnic

Is there anything more delightful and engaging for little ones than hosting a Teddy Bears’ Picnic?

This charming tradition is a fantastic way to encourage imaginative play, create lasting memories, and get your kids outdoors.

The best part? It doesn’t need to be fancy! You’re all set with simple, fun food, toys, games, stuffed animals, and a picnic blanket!

So here is a complete, quick guide to hosting a Teddy Bears’ Picnic from your party plan queen, Alexandra.

The Concept of a Teddy Bears’ Picnic

Hosting a Teddy Bears’ Picnic is a simple yet magical event where children bring their favourite teddy bears (or other stuffed animals) to a picnic.

The picnic can range from a simple affair with sandwiches and cakes to a more elaborate setup with various treats.

It’s an excellent opportunity for children to engage in pretend play, imagining their teddy bears enjoying the picnic alongside them.

The History of the Teddy Bears’ Picnic

How to Host a Teddy Bears’ Picnic

Hosting a Teddy Bears’ Picnic is a wonderful way to encourage children to spend time outdoors and appreciate nature. It can be held in your backyard, at a local park, or indoors on a rainy day. The key is to create a fun and magical atmosphere that sparks your children’s imaginations.

Send Out Invitations

If you’re hosting a larger event or party, get creative with your invitations. You can make a physical invite or send a simple text or WhatsApp message to your favourite group of mum friends.

Don’t be shy about inviting people from your child’s class or after-school club. Most people will be delighted to have been included.

Ask the parents to let their children bring their favourite teddies to the party – of course; it doesn’t need to be a teddy; any stuffed toy is fine!

Prepare Simple Picnic Party Food

You can’t go wrong with fruit, chips’n’dips, and good old jam sandwiches!

If you’re organising a big event, you’ll find that people will generally be happy to offer to contribute some food – my advice is to accept with thanks!

Here are some fun and delicious food and drink ideas for your Teddy Bears’ Picnic, including vegan options:

Food Ideas:

1. Muddy Buddy Pine Cones: These are pine cones you can eat! Built around a salted pretzel stick, these chocolatey, nutty, muddy buddy treats are as fun to make as they are to eat! A light dusting of powdered sugar looks like fresh-fallen snow, making these the perfect snacks to ring in the season. Recipe here
2. Cheesy Camping Hot Dogs: These hot dogs will make any camper happy for a classic outdoor snack with a handheld twist! Recipe here
3. Back-To-School Snack Board: From fruit kebabs and DIY Uncrustables to turkey and cheese pinwheels and cucumber hummus boats, this has ‘afternoon pick me up’ written all over it. Recipe here

Vegan Food Ideas:

1. Cow-Shaped Veggie Buns: These cow-shaped veggie buns are the cutest way to get in your serving of veggies! Not a fan of mushrooms? Swap in your favourite vegetable, like carrots or potatoes. Recipe here
2. Grilled Veggie Bundles: A complete foil-pack meal! This veggie bundle is quick to prep and easy to clean up at the picnic. You can customize the vegetables according to your preference. Recipe here (Please note that the original recipe includes meat, but you can easily make it vegan using only vegetables.)
3. Skillet BBQ Vegan Baked Beans: These vegan baked beans taste like home. They’re great for a chilly night or to share at your next BBQ. The portobello mushroom bacon is the perfect topper, combining chew and crunch to satiate any bacon cravings! Recipe here

Drink Ideas:

1. Gummy Bear Drink: Mix some strawberry açaí refresher with peach juice and store-bought raspberry syrup. Pour it over ice and garnish with freeze-dried strawberries, and you’ll have a viral TikTok creation. Recipe here
2. Juice Pouch Cocktails 3 Ways: Transform your favorite childhood fruit drinks into fun and refreshing mocktails. Create a Strawberry Kiwi Kamikaze, Pacific Cooler Rum Punch, and Tropical Gin Fizz, all without alcohol, for a kid-friendly version. Recipe here
3. Summer Party Drink Flight: This drink flight is as stunning as it is delicious. Try the Mangonada, a zesty blend of mango, chamoy, and chile lime seasoning; the tart and smoky Passion Fruit Mule mixed with ginger beer; the refreshing Cucumber Paloma; and the sweet and fruity Pineapple Hibiscus Agua Fresca. Recipe here (Please note that the original recipe includes alcohol, but you can easily make it kid-friendly by omitting the alcohol.)

Adjust the recipes according to your little guests’ dietary needs and preferences (or invite them to bring their special picnic). Enjoy your Teddy Bears’ Picnic!

Set Up Your Picnic Area

Of course, you could ask other parents to bring their picnic blankets and join/overlap them to make one extra-large sitting area.

Games and Activities for a Teddy Bears Picnic – Make a Timetable

Get all the Teddy Bears together and set them up in a circle on a picnic blanket. Maybe the children could introduce their favourite toy.

Then it’s time to kick off the fun by singing and dancing to the famous teddy bear picnic song ‘if you go down to the woods today’.

Have some simple games planned – depending on the age of the children, maybe Tag, Hide and Seek or ‘What’s the Time, Mr Wolf?’ could be good options!

When it comes to creating a party timetable for smooth running – you don’t want to be too inflexible because, for one thing, you’re dealing with children here. In addition, you don’t want all the fresh food you and other parents have prepared to spoil by lying out too long.

A rough (and adaptable) timetable for your Teddy Bear Picnic games and activities could go something like this:

1. Get all the Teddy Bears together and set them up in a circle. Maybe the children could introduce their favourite toy.
2. Then it’s time to kick off the fun by singing and dancing to the famous teddy bear picnic song ‘if you go down to the woods today’. And, of course, you can also find some other teddy bears picnic rhymes to sing.
3. Have some simple games planned – depending on the age of the children, maybe Tag, Hide and Seek or ‘What’s the Time, Mr Wolf?’ could be good options!
4. Enjoy your picnic food!
5. Burn off some of the energy by having some dancing – why not check out YouTube for some great traditional children’s songs and dances? You might recognise some old favourites from when you were that age!
6. Quieten down with a story (with an appropriate Teddy Bear theme, of course!), or if you have an indoor Teddy Bears Picnic, pop on a movie.

Recommended Products for Hosting a Teddy Bears’ Picnic

To make your Teddy Bears’ Picnic even more unique, here are some recommended products from Amazon.co.uk:

1. Teddy Bear Picnic Party Supplies: This kit includes plates, cups, napkins, and a tablecloth – all with a cute teddy bear design. I love the teddy bear picnic boxes so much – like a HAPPY Meal but cuter!
2. Children’s Picnic Basket Set: A picnic basket set designed for children, perfect for packing all your picnic treats.
3. Teddy Bear Cookie Cutter: This fun cookie cutter makes your teddy bear-shaped cookies.

Conclusion

So why not pack some sandwiches, grab your children’s favourite teddy bears, and head out for a Teddy Bears’ Picnic? It’s a timeless tradition that creates smiles and laughter, and it’s a wonderful way to make the most of a sunny afternoon.

Remember, the magic of a Teddy Bears’ Picnic lies in its simplicity and the joy it brings to children.

As Alexandra, the party planning queen and picnic pro, would say, “The hosting of the Teddy Bears’ Picnics are filled with laughter, imagination, and, of course, lots of teddy bears!”