Star Wars is a religion in our house. Seriously. My husband often uses examples from the movies when talking to the boys about their behaviors and the choices they make. To say we are “excited” about the opening of “The Force Awakens” would be a bit of an understatement. To help make the wait a little more manageable, I’ve put together a list of daily family friendly activities that we will be engaging in to get us to December 18.
Oh course, all of the activities below are great but if you need a substitute, the best one out there is celebrating The Force at Disneyland! You can learn more about Season of the Force at Disneyland by clicking here and the Star Wars Launch Bay by clicking here.
December 6
Follow Star Wars on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to stay up-to-date on everything from the Star Wars universe as it happens. (I recommend checking out the Star Wars 360 experience on Facebook. It’s super cool.)
December 7
Get a new Star Wars shirt! Rumor has it that no costumes will be allowed in theaters, so the time is now to run out and purchase a new Star Wars shirt to wear to the theater. Target has a great selection of Star Wars apparel for fans of all ages. And while you are out shopping, don’t forget to pick up the game for the December 11 game night below.
December 8
Head to your local comic book store and check out the adventures of Leia, Lando, Vader and others with the new line of Star Wars comic books. New comics hit the shelves on Tuesdays, so this is the perfect day to hit your local store. If comics aren’t your thing, there are a TON of great books you get on Amazon. Many books bridge the gaps between movies. Click here to check out the wide array of Star Wars books for readers of all ages!
For the record, as a former reading intervention teacher, I highly endorse kids reading comic books. They are a really great way to get reluctant readers to read and provide children with a really rich reading experience.
December 9
Make some Star Wars crafts with the kids! Click here to download a really fun Star Wars Force Awakens activity pack that includes coloring sheets, crafts and more.
Below is a list of other great crafts from some of my favorite bloggers.
- Star Wars Stitch Craft by Sara over at Mom Endeavors (great for fine motor skill and hand muscle development in younger children)
- Make Star Wars Mickey Ear Headbands (or decorate an existing plain set of ears with this tutorial by my friend Mindy at Inspired by Dis or Sara over at Mom Endeavors.
- DIY Lego Crayons by Simply Darrling
- Pool noodle light saber from Muddy Boots Blog.
Make your own Star Wars mouse ears! Photo by Mindy from InspiredByDis.com
If one of the kiddos has a birthday coming up, consider checking out our two posts on planning a Star Wars birthday party because there’s no better time to start planning! Click here for our first post and here for our second post.
December 10
Download and have fun playing with the Star Wars app. You can download it for iOS by clicking here and then head over to Inspired by Dis by clicking here for a full tutorial on how to have the most fun with it. (Kids love it too!)
The Star Wars app is fun for parents and kids alike. Image courtesy of InspiredByDis.com
December 11
Make this Friday night a game night with the family or a group of friends and play Star Wars Pictopia with the family. We are HUGE fans of the Disney Pictopia game and were so thrilled when we were asked to take a look at the Star Wars version. This game is THE ultimate trivia challenge for Star Wars fans. If you have a Star Wars fan on your shopping list this holiday season, THIS is the gift to buy them! The game has 1,000 questions covering everything in the Star Wars universe from planets to ships to villains and heroes. Seriously… this game is THE ULTIMATE. What I love about Star Wars Pictopia is that it incorporates team game play and independent game play allowing for friendly competition while making my boys work together.
Star Wars Pictopia is available at Target. You can buy it in store or through their website. Click here to check it out on the Target site.
December 12
Watch Episode 1 The Phantom Menace OR, if you already know the secret that most Star Wars fans are clued into, which is the fact that Episode 1 is not exactly Lucas’ best work, you can replace this activity by binge watching all of the trailers that are currently out by clicking here.
December 13
Watch Episode 2 Attack of the Clones and if time permits, get out and have a Sunday lightsaber fight in the cool evening air. If you don’t have lightsabers, use pool noodles or cardboard rolls from wrapping paper or paper towels. The last half hour is the best part of the movie, so if your kids have a super short attention span, just skip ahead.
December 14
Watch Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith–definitely the best movie of the “new” trilogy, by far. However, it may be way too intense for little ones. We tend to fast forward through a lot of the scenes. This was the first Stars Wars movie to be rated PG-13… and there is a reason why it got that rating.
December 15
Watch Episode 4 A New Hope. The original. It’s awesome.
December 16
Watch Episode 5 The Empire Strikes Back. It’s even better.
December 17
Watch Episode 6 Return of the Jedi and then head over to Babes In Disneyland to read our article about what we learned about the movie at the Star Wars: The Force Awakens press junket! The article will go live December 17 at 9a.m.
December 18
IT’S MOVIE DAY! If you don’t have tickets to opening day, simply repeat the preceding days until you get in to see the movie and then come back here and leave a comment below and let us know what you thought!
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