I know, I know…. Party favors for kids are controversial. Most of them are, quite frankly, junk. That said, I know I can be a little over the top as a mom– the past two years I’ve sent out valentines on Jack’s behalf to his cousins and the kids of our friends. It’s just too fun, adding special touches to these celebrations!
Jack’s 2nd birthday will be here in the blink of an eye and I simply cannot believe it. If I were to do goodie bags for his birthday, I would want to be thoughtful about the parents’ preferences: nothing messy, involving too many pieces (especially little ones, which can be dangerous), or purposeless. Last year we kept things pretty simple, but who knows!
Party Favors for Kids
PLAYDOH // SUN CATCHER // BOOK SET
BAND-AIDS // TEMPORARY TATTOOS // BUBBLES
COLORING BOOKS // POPPERS // MINI PINATAS
Playdoh is a safe bet for a kids birthday party, and I love how efficient this 12-pack is. Just open up the package and pop them into bags! This DIY sun catcher kit caught my eye as a more crafty option. There are some less expensive options on Amazon (like this and this) but the Etsy kit uses transparent stickers instead of paint or tissue paper and glue. I believe you can never go wrong with a book, especially from a series as popular as Pete the Cat. The price for this set of 12 is unbeatable!
In my experience, band-aids are as good as stickers and would be right at home in party favors for 2 year olds. Of course, I’m partial to the darling illustrations on these bandages! As fun as temporary tattoos would be in a goodie bag, I predict they’d be a hit at a kids birthday party. Bubbles are another one kids would love at home or at the party!
These coloring books come pre-packaged with crayons, which I think is genius. Makes it so easy! I know poppers reached viral status years ago, but they’re still such an “it” toy. These ones glow in the dark!! Meri Meri has the most adorable party supplies, including these mini pinatas that make the perfect party favors. They come with two temporary tattoos and some confetti inside, but you can fill them up with other things as well.
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I love the classic favors of bubbles or play dough! So fun and easy to play with!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
I love the idea of giving books as favors.. I used to pick a book that meant with a theme or my children’s interest and buy in bulk (support local bookstores!) and it encourages a love of reading.. and no parent will complain about junk 😉
We always do custom cookies in a take home bag as a party gift.
I really appreciate this – I feel like all the favors that come home from preschool are so wasteful, lots of junk, so I try to be really thoughtful about what we use for treat bags. Playdoh comes in an even smaller package option that we used for class valentines one year, and we’ve also done the bubbles! This year for birthday treats we did multi-colored pens with a set of glow-in-the-dark star stickers for ceilings. We also found paint-with-water cards for valentines (Inklings Paperie!) this year that were so cute.
While I can appreciate the fact that people want to be less wasteful, I don’t understand kids party favors being controversial. Kids are young for such a short time – once they’re about 9 or 10, they don’t want favors anyway. Might as well enjoy all the moments when they are young. If a child receives a favor the parent doesn’t like, they can simply donate or discard it. Give whatever you like and don’t give it one second thought! 🙂
Wikki Stix & Scratch Art pads both come in party packs that are very reasonable. These are both great for all ages.
Omg that brought back so many memories as a kid… my sister and I loved those wax stick things!
Good ideas!! I ordered a pack of 25 mini Thomas & Friends trains for my son’s second bday a few weeks ago. We set them out with the cupcakes and the kids loved them!! Will def buy them again, for next bday or maybe daycare valentines.