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Ahoy, me hearties! All hands-on deck with your little pirates to make the most of this diary day. International Talk Like a Pirate Day is a great time to get silly and fun with the kids, by channelling your best Jack Sparrow impersonation. Here’s our top tips to get you going.
Dressing up
If you want to talk like a pirate, you’ve got to feel like a pirate, and if you want to feel like a pirate, you have to dress up (that includes you Mum and Dad!) You can get a good fancy dress costume for the little ones from most party shops, but if you want to go for a more DIY approach, try making some of your own. Here’s some things you might need:
- An eyepatch (made from material and string)
- Big hoop earrings
- A headscarf
- Some big baggy pants
- Big boots
- A drawn-on beard (for the little ones, and Mum.)
The kids will love dressing up in the pirate gear, plus you’ll definitely feel more the part strutting around in your cracking Captain Hook couture.
Sea shanty singing
If there’s one thing that pirate’s love (other than rum and treasure) it’s a good sea shanty! Unfortunately for your little mateys, most of them aren’t appropriate for younger ears, but you shouldn’t let that stop you. There are plenty of child-friendly pirate songs on YouTube, and if you’re feeling really adventurous, you could try making up your own. Here’s our attempt:
“What should we do with a sleepy sailor, what should we do with a sleepy sailor, what should we do with a sleepy sailor early in the morning? Hooray, the sun is rising, hooray the sun is rising, hooray the sailor’s rising early in the morning!”
Don’t forget to dance around with the little ones during the shanty and (if you think your ears can handle it) you can even get some pots and pans for your little pirates to make a good ol’ shanty racket.
Pirate movies
When you think you’re getting (sea)sick of the sound of the sea shanties, you’ll probably want your little pirate crew to take a rest for a while. Why not put a pirate film on for a while instead? Luckily, some of the best children’s films ever have pirates in and there’s enough choice to find something they’ll love. Here’s some of our favourites: Peter Pan (Disney version is the best), Treasure Island (the Disney and Muppets versions are both classics), Hook (full of stars: Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins) and the Goonies (which is a great twist on a kid’s pirate film). The options are so good that you could have a couple across the day if you wanted – we’re sure your little ones won’t mind.
‘Bury’ some treasure
Treasure is almost all that pirates think about, so you can’t have pirate day without some loot hidden away. You can use whatever goodies you think your kids will like best, then ‘bury’ it – either somewhere in the house or (if you’re committed) at a secret spot in the garden. Draw a map for your little pirates to follow and tell them a tale of a long-lost treasure that they’ve got to find. If you want to make it a bit more educational, you could also add some clues which will lead them to different spots on the map. Burying some treasure for your kids is a guaranteed way for them to feel like proper pirates and enjoy the day to the fullest.
Language
Last, but most certainly not least is to get yourself versed in some proper pirate lingo. This is the main reason for the day after all. Here’s all the sea-faring phrases you’ll need:
- Ahoy = Hello
- All hands on deck = Emergency / Attention
- Arr = I agree, I’m happy, Let’s go, That’s funny
- Aye = Yes
- Me hearties = My friends
- Matey = Buddy
- Ye = You
There’s plenty more but these are the essentials you’ll need to get yourself chatting away like a bunch of ol’ sea dogs!
It might be International Talk like a Pirate Day, but we think the little ones will treasure it so much more if you pirate-it-up to the max. This is a great day to get silly with your little hearties and create some great family memories. We hope our tips help you to bring out your inner Blackbeard and have brilliant day with the kids.