Any ideas for surprising kids?

[Vero4us]

We are going to Disney in September and want to surprise our two DD's. I have been trying to think of a creative way to tell them. We don't want to let them know until the day we leave and we leave pretty early in the morning. The girls are 10 and 3. Any suggestions?

 

[WendyisDarling]

I haven't ever surprised my kids. I wouldn't be able to keep my mouth shut .
I think it is really cool, though. I'm sure you will get lots of good ideas here.

Maybe while they are sleeping you can sprinkle some "Pixie Dust" around them. I know some use glitter. I use the little package of shiney pieces that say Surprise and have curly q's, etc. Tink visits the kids every night at Disney. (The bigger pieces are easier to clean up. I don't want mousekeeping to have an extra mess).
Could you slip in a Mickey plush under their arm? Or their favorite character?
I'm sure they will be a little bewildered in the morning, but then telling them may get a bigger reaction.

BTW, at 10 you might think too old for pixie dust. My DS who scoffs most things like that was 11 at Disney last summer. One night I didn't do the pixie dust and he wanted to know why and I could tell he was disappointed. (When he went to the bathroom, I quickly tossed a bit under his pillow and soon after we found it. )

Have fun.

 

[pfp258]

Not sure this would work so early in the morning, but we did a surprise cruise over spring break with another family and had a cake made. I went to our local Jewel food store and asked them to write Disney Wonder Spring Break 2007 on top of the cake. After dinner we told the kids we were going to have cake (made up some story about belated birthdays.) We lit the candles, gathered everyone the table and began to sing until the kids start to read what was on the cake. The screams, shrieks and shouts of happiness could be heard for blocks around!
This Thanksgiving we are planning a week long trip to Disneyworld with 4 (different) families. We recently got together for a BBQ and later in the evening one of the dads said he a had a puzzle for all eleven kids to figure out. He gave them each an envelope with a boarding pass that had a letter stamped on it. After opening their envelopes they all started screaming as they knew they were going on a trip. They then had to unscramble letters to form the work "Mickey MOuse" Again tears, shrieks and cries of happiness for endless minutes!
Last Thanksgiving we celebrated MIL and FIL 50th anniversary with a week long trip. (Our family has folks living in Illinois, California and Arizona.) When we all got together at Christmas the year before we told them we had a special gift for them. (Those that weren't there were on the phone listening to the excitmenent.) They opened up beautifully wrapped boxes to find a large plush Minnie for MIL and a large plush Mickey for FIL.
Next we gave them a handprinted invite to spend a week with all their kids and grandkids in Disney. What a great week we had being together!

 

[pfp258]

ANtoher idea just popped into my head. How about having breakfast juice in a Minnie or Mickey cup...or cereal in a Minnie or Mickey bowl. Do you have a Disney store nearby? Maybe lay out their clothes and have a character t-shirt for them.
Good luck!

 

[kowalchicky]

I'm in the same boat
This past weekend we asked my BIL and his family to join us in 2008....and we are trying to think of something to surprise "all the cousins with"....so far I'm thinking of a scavenger hunt....the kids ages range from 6-10 years old.

 

[lnh'smom]

We leave Aug 26. We are gonna wake the kids up and tell them we are skipping church and are going out to Mamaw and Papaw's house (who are going with us!) I got my dd some tink earrings to give her but I am not sure what to give my ds7. (Any ideas?) Then I am not sure what we will do next to tell them.

 

[Vero4us]

Thank you so much WendyisDarling and pfp258! You have really gotten my creative side going. I just couldn't come up with anything. I love the pixie dust idea. How about this - we wake the girls up and tell them we think we just saw Tinkerbell, maybe even wake them up with some soft bells. Then we 'discover' that Tinkerbell left a trail of pixie dust. We follow the trail to where she has left us a present. Tied to some balloons are boarding passes for a magical carpet ride (airplane ride) to a magical Walt Disney World Vacation. Any suggestions for how I could tweek this? I am getting so excited! I don't know how I am going to keep my big mouth shut about this. I have to admit that I have been talking to DD3

 

[kowalchicky]

That is such a cute idea !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[FoundMyPrince]

We told our kids we were going to St. Louis to see the arch. After school we drove to St. Louis and went right to the hotel (across from the airport). At 4:30a.m. (ouch) we woke the kids and gave them each a wrapped gift - in Mickey paper. They each got a matching Disney t-shirt (like the ones DH and I were wearing), and a few Disney books for the plane ride. They had 20 minutes to get around and off to the airport we went. They were soooo excited.

As the plane circled over StLouis we told the kids, "looks - it's the arch".

 

[ChelleinNC]

We did this a few years ago. Thankfully for me, it was a quickly planned trip. For the couple of weeks leading up to our trip, when I did the laundry I didn't return all of the clothes to their rooms. I packed slowly and secretly so they had no idea.

Day of our trip DH and I went into each of their rooms at 4am and said "it's time to go" DD said "I don't want to" (in a very sleepy whining voice) We replied "fine, if you don't want to go to Disney World" I have never seen the child move that quickly in my life! We had the car packed already, put the kids in the car in their pj's and drove to Disney. As we walked around the pool area that afternoon we ran into their Aunt, Uncle and cousin, oops did we forget to mention that too?! Surprise!

That was June 02 and they still talk about that trip

 

[mnasf]

We are going to Disney in September and want to surprise our two DD's. I have been trying to think of a creative way to tell them. We don't want to let them know until the day we leave and we leave pretty early in the morning. The girls are 10 and 3. Any suggestions?

We've surprised them twice and it's so much fun! And the last time I had an older child, too. I think he was 11 then so he can read and is quite aware. I packed while they were at school - their backpacks for the plane, too. So last time, we took daddy to the airport for a meeting out of town. It didn't dawn on my kids that there was a lot of luggage. Then when we got by the airport, my dh asked if they'd like to go, too and just hang around (swim, etc.) the hotel while he's working. They said sure. So we said we'd packed for them. We check in telling the kids we were going to Ohio or something like that. My oldest was confused because he didn't see it on the board, but we just said it was probably a mistake. When we got to the gate, my oldest two could read and read Orlando. We said they hadn't changed the sign yet. But they were very suspicious. It became obvious we were headed for Orlando. Kids were so excited.

When my oldest was around 4 and couldn't read, we got him on an airplane convinced we were going somewhere else. As we were getting off the plane, a fellow passenger asked him if he was going to Disney World. He looked at them like they were crazy. But when we got off the airplane and he saw the airport he knew it wasn't where we said we were going. He didn't really know where we were though until we pulled at Walt Disney World.

Good luck to you!

 

[disneyfan328]

We are planning to surprise our little ones next month with our Sept trip to Disney. We have a DS - 5, DD 7 and DD 17 ( she knows already. It is part of her Graduation present for High School)

I have been secretly buying and packing up small things for them. Disney coloring books, crayons, disney shirts ( some bought and some made) Magnets that I made for our hotel room door, personalized autograph books ( still in the process of finishing these) And invitations for each child from their fav. character as well as DH and I who will be celebrating 20 years together to come and join them for 9 days of fun.

shout out to all of the Creative Diser's in the Design Forum as they helped me make most of this stuff!! Thanks guys

anyway back to the surprise. I have planned out a Disney themed dinner. I am making a homemade pizza out of one big round one and 2 small "personal pizza's for the ears and salads with cucumber and cherry tomatoe mickey heads on top of them for decoration. We aren't going to say anything and see if they notice. I am going to make homemade choc. chip cookies shapped like mickey heads too. During dinner, my husband is going to say oh hey guys by the way a box came for you. Don't let me forget, and you can open it after dinner. In it I am putting all of the stuff that we have bought and made with their invitations. I am bursting all ready. I can't wait. I know they are just going to flip.

I have also made up some "surpises for during the trip" I have invitations done for all of our meals to "invite" them to come and dine and for the fireworks and fantasmic as well. I have some deocrations for our room and windows from Mickey Garland which I made from Mickey head paint samples from home depot and window clings ect. Also the magnets that I made for our door too!!!!

I will post some pics once we do it of the dinner and hopefully the surprised looks on all of their faces!!!!!

 

[raysmom]

I am so glad I found this thread. I am going to surprise my daughter as well. She has heard me talking about Disney but has no clue we are going Aug31th. She is thinking that I am talking about it becuase thier cheer team goes every March for Nationals. Our flight is leaving at 5pm friday night so I would like to keep her in the dark until we arrive in Fl but not sure how???


Tia

 

[stacy6552]

We suprised our son once. We got him up. We took him out the school bus. We let him get on and then called him back off and said, "how about going to WDW instead of school, today." Here is my thought......

It so was not worth it.

And here's why. In the weeks leading up to our trips, we always let the kids earn their own spending money. They are always the most wonderful weeks in our home. I offer Disney money for good behavior in places like the mall, walking the dog without complaint, the older one helping out the younger one, fetching something from the basement, cleaning house.....

The anticlimatic not sure what to make of this response to the suprise we got to the suprise was so not worth the bribe factor of the Disney dollars.

 

[team disney]

We ordered the Free Disney Planning DVD. Once it came in the mail we said we where having family movie night. We popped some corn and played the "movie". After a few moments my 6 year old said.... "why are we watching this?.... Are we going to Disney? when they heard yes... they were so excited... We watched the dvd and made a list of all the things they wanted to do! We also video taped it... we placed the camera on the tv to get there reactions as they watched the dvd.

Another idea would be to play the magic kingdom Board game. Has anyone every played this? That game is so much fun... You walk around the park having to "ride" a list of five attractions. The first to ride all 5 and exit the park wins. It is a game we play over and over again!

Good luck with your surprise... it is such a magical momen t!

 

[mickey2minnie1]

My three think they are going next summer. Well we are actually leaving for their first time to the World in Oct. I plan to tell them in September once they get settled in school.

I have spent the last month organizing a treasure hunt where the three of them will travel throughout the house to a corny rhyme picking up little treasures (ages 10, 7, and 5) before learning what the date actually is. Rough draft. It is corny, lol.

Got to the room where you like to cuddle for fun and there you will find clue # 1.

Clue 1: Disney was originally planned for next summer, but the super heat would really be a bummer so we have had to rethink. Go the the room where you would find an overnight guest. Pick up fruit snacks to eat along the way.

Clue 2: Easter in March looked great until we were told the huge crowds would change our fate. We are still deciding when to go. Pick up the Birbaums for Kids and take with you as you travel. Go to the room where you would eat and you will find your next treat.

Clue three: You know me and how I love you three. Take these matching Mickey tees so you won't get away and go to the room where you will read today.

Clue four: Trick or treat smell my feet give me something good to eat, or NOT! Decide who you want to be for it is Mickey and Minnie you will soon see. That is right! You will fly to Disney World for Halloween and trick or treat with Mickey and his friends.

Grandparents will be there as they are going with us.

My kids love trasure hunts!! Hopefully, they will love this one even more!

 

[FoundMyPrince]

Cute treasure hunt!

Our kiddos' grandparents also met us at Disney. We told the kids once we got to Disney they had one surprise waiting for them. On our third day we ate at LTT in MK and the grandparents met us there for dinner.

 

[mnasf]

I should say my kids have the best memories of being "tricked" and "surprised." They know about our next trip, but I hope to surprise them again someday.

 

[tripletots]

Anyone else get emotional reading these surprise stories or am I just a sap.

I remember getting all teary eyed back in '94 when my then 18 mo. old (now 14 yo) DD was riding IASW. Her eyes were wide and her mouth fell open.

 

[the Fidge]

If you peak at the KOTS keeper of the secrets thread you can find some wonderful fun ways to share the surprise!