Birthday Party Favor Ideas for Kids

Since I am still in the mood for making lists and it’s still the little one’s birthday week, I thought I’d quickly share some ideas for putting together nice and useful party favor bags for kids (this is actually me documenting my ideas before I forget them myself).

Whenever I want to gift someone something, I try my best to keep it useful for them and not spend mindlessly (unless I am buying myself a gift which seems to be happening quite often ever since I started earning again and my mind seems to be going on vacation automatically the moment I open a shopping app. Now is the time when you assure me that I am not the only one in the world with this problem!). With kids, it’s all the more overwhelming because you never know what they’d like and what they wouldn’t.

But there are certain things which are almost always a success (even if it’s a success for just 5 minutes, it still counts, okay? Okay.).

So, presenting five easy favor bag ideas that you can put together with minimal effort and also customize according to your budget.

Art Kits/Coloring Books & Stationery –

Be it adults (hoarders like me, especially) or kids, anything nice and colorful is always a winner (unless it’s Actor Govinda’s costumes). Putting a favor bag with some art supplies, stationery, and a coloring book is one of the easiest and most fun favor bag ideas. You can add as much or as little as you want. We gave the kid’s at A’s daycare a coloring book, crayons and some sweets this time.

Tip: Add coloring books/sketch books and supplies of different sizes if you can and/or if your budget allows it. This way, the parents can use one for the kids when they are out and about (the mini sized ones) and use the bigger ones when they are home.  This is super useful and gives you the satisfaction of spending wisely.

Books –

Books are another option that will not go waste. This can be done for all age groups as well. Pick a Touch-and-Feel book or a Sound Book for younger babies and something more age appropriate for toddlers. Again, this is something you can customize according to your budget. Pick one or a few or if you are following a theme for the party, choose something that goes with the theme. The possibilities are endless.

Tip: Plan in advance and get stuff when there is a sale a.k.a hoard whenever you can. This way you can save some without compromising on the quality of the books you want to gift.

Bath Toys –

Bath toys are always a good idea. Everyone enjoys them. These aren’t very expensive and again, the option of customizing it, is endless. If you want to make it fancy, add a baby friendly bubble bath or a customized towel (if you have a bigger budget).

Tip: As much as we love those squirt-y bath toys, they are a breeding ground for mold. So choose toys that do not have holes or are difficult to clean. This way the parents can worry less about mold and general maintenance of the toys.

• Black Board & Chalk/ White Board and Markers –

Another fail-proof idea since kids just love these things anyway and no one is going to complain about having a few extra white board markers because we all know we can never find one when we need one.

Tip: Don’t forget to get dustless/dust-free chalks and kid friendly markers.

If you want it to be all fancy and don’t mind getting something shipped internationally, I highly recommend the Jaq Jaq Bird Doodle Book (not a paid post).

• Homemade Snacks –

I am afraid we can’t be friends if you thought I’d end this post without talking about food. I mean, food is life. It’s my solution to everything. How can a list I prepare with ‘useful’ ideas not feature food? Anyway, if you have the time and patience and the number of favour bags you are preparing isn’t too many, make some toddler/kid friendly snack bags for everyone to take home.

Tip: Try not to fill the bag with unhealthy stuff. A simple popcorn or baked pita crisps or savoury cookies + a sweet treat (like a kid friendly version of these energy balls) are more than sufficient to put together a bag of snacks that’d be well enjoyed.

• Bonus Idea –

If you want to give your mommy friend(s), your kid’s teachers or any lady friend a little something too, then go ahead and make this ‘Spa in  Jar’.

I put together a mini manicure set, some homemade lip scrub, a face pack, added a few compressed towels, a little trinket, some homemade masala chai mix, few thin mints – all in a mason jar (which can be reused by them for anything they fancy – extra points!) and added a little handwritten note to it too. This was really appreciated.

Unfortunately, I did not get around to taking a picture of it, so the picture above is something similar I put together to give you guys an idea.

Tip: If you have the time, give it a nice personal touch by making everything at home. There are a lot of recipes online for making skin care essentials at home. Pinterest is a treasure trove for such things and this is one of my favorite boards.

What do you typically do? Share your ideas.