Nine Things to Do with Your Tween at Dragon Con 2016
ATLANTA – July 26, 2016 – Dragon Con, Atlanta’s internationally known pop culture, fantasy and sci-fi convention, is a great way for families to make lasting memories together.
With so many different educational tracks, entertaining panels, and celebrity guests, it is often hard to decide the best family friendly schedule for Dragon Con members. To give parents a fun starting point for smiles and memories that will last a lifetime, we’ve created our Top 10 of things to do with your 9 to 13-year-old at Dragon Con
“As a convention by its members and for its members, Dragon Con is meant to be accessible to all ages of fans, including tweens and children,” said Convention Co-chair Rachel Reeves, “Parents and adults help foster creative thinking, fantastic imagination, and an atmosphere of camaraderie through social fandom for future generations.”
Children aged 15 and under must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Dragon Con does not offer any babysitting or childcare services, and parents or guardians must remain with their kids at all times.
Whether you are a new member or a seasoned one, here are nine things you should try to include in your weekend schedule:
- Pop Culture on Parade. The annual Dragon Con parade kicks off Saturday, September 3, at 10 a.m. Get there early to scout out the best location to view of all guests and costumed characters from television, movies comics and other imaginative realms.
- Get into Gaming. Join the Kids Gaming Adventure, a series of 45-minute sessions to introduce 6 to 12 year olds to board games, collectible card games, roleplaying, miniatures, and LAN-based video games. And, like everybody else, kids can participate in free gameplay or tournaments (for a nominal fee) in all those different areas.
- Scope out the Sun. View the closest star to Earth through a Solar telescope. Sunspots, prominences, and maybe even a solar flare are safely viewable during the daytime with this special telescope. (Weather permitting.)
- Sing a Tween Song. Enjoy Dragon Con’s Family Friendly Dance with the Kaleidoscope Track. The theme this year is “We Bare Bears” and geared for kids 13 years and younger. Or, come to the Kids Cosplay Encounter, where children of all ages can meet their favorite princesses, superheroes or other characters from television and the movies.
- Become a Mad Scientist. Take part in ten different hands-on experiments during “The Science Power Hour!” on Sunday. Launch soda-straw rockets, mix up some non-Newtonian fluids, use roses to find acids and much, much more.
- Discover a Great New Book. Meet young adult author Christopher Paolini and join him in an hour-long discussion of Eragon and the rest of his terrific Inheritance Cycle fantasy series.
- Learn Puppetry. Learn the fundamentals of puppetry through games and other fun at Puppetry 101. Have a laugh during the hilarious Star Wars or Dr. Who themed puppet shows for kids. Or, take part in a puppet-making workshop and go home with your own Dragon Con-shaped dragon puppet.
- Meet Lucius Malfoy. Actor Jason Isaacs, who portrayed bad wizard Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series of movies, is just one of just 400 actors, authors, artists and other creators, will lead panels and talk with fans throughout the weekend. Your tween can also meet other celebrities they may recognize including Bob Bergen, the voice of Porky Pig and other Looney Toons characters, Roger Bumpass, the voice of Squidward from Spongebob Squarepants, or a number of other famous stars on the Walk of Fame.
- Share Something You Love. Add a few surprises into the mix for your tween. You never know what might pique your tween’s curiosity. Introduce them to the fandom you love and you might have a tween who shares your interests.
Special Considerations: Plan time to visit the dealer rooms, schedule costume watching time in the lobbies and halls (maybe even a photo op with cosplayers), and time for refreshments and food. Also consider bringing a simple game (like Zombie Dice™ or Kittens in a Blender™) or a portable game system (maybe a Nintendo DS™ with extra batteries) for when you have to wait in longer lines. Do not forget to keep your children fed and hydrated for an optimal convention experience. Please remember that Dragon Con is a family-friendly convention during the day, but tackles more adult subjects after dark.
No matter what schedule you create, always remember to enjoy the time spent at Dragon Con with your family.
About Dragon Con
Dragon Con is the internationally known pop culture convention held each Labor Day in Atlanta. Organized for fans, Dragon Con features more than 3,000 hours of comics, film, television, costuming, art, music, and gaming over four days. For more information, please visit www.dragoncon.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
