Helpful hints for a fun family health day
A family-oriented health fair requires special planning and targeted elements to appeal to new audiences especially young participants. If you’re planning a family and child-oriented health fair, consider these strategies for fun and entertainment:
• Invite a local disc jockey or celebrity master of ceremonies (from a local children’s show). These people are professional entertainers, and with them in charge, you’re free to oversee the logistics of the health fair and solve last-minute problems.
• Give each child a bag of goodies at the door. Let them pick up additional items at each booth.
• Hold raffles every 15 minutes. Prizes can be donated by health care providers or local merchants. The grand prize might be a bike (be sure to include a helmet).
• Provide a break area with tables and chairs. Parents holding small children will appreciate an opportunity to sit down. Let them "refuel" with a variety of healthy snacks and beverages (donors might be local grocery stores and soft drink bottlers.)
• "Charge" a non-perishable food item as an entry fee. This helps the local food bank and gives contributing children a feeling of community involvement.
[Editors Note: The suggestions listed above were excerpted with permission from Health Fairs for Your WealthFare, by Fern Carness, Gina Brandenburg, and Sylvia Dvorak, published by the Wellness Councils of America, (WELCOA), Omaha, NE. These recommendations were contributed by Dee Dee Colling, United Autoworkers/General Motors, Bodycare Health & Wellness representative. For more information about the book, please contact WELCOA at: (402) 572-3590.]
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