Party Favors

I was just thinking that when I was a kid, one of the most fun parts of helping my mom plan the party was picking out the things that would go in the treat bags for my friends.  I don’t remember exactly what I picked - pencils, stickers and so on, I’m sure.  What party favors have been a hit with your kids?  And how do you send guests home with a treat without spending tons of money?

I think some of the best party favors we have had were ones the guests made themselves. We often did a craft and then the craft was the favor. One time, the guests all made a picture frame and we took digital pictures for each of them of the guest with the birthday boy.

Honestly, we never did the “party favor” thing when I was growing up. I sent thank-you notes, but didn’t give out favors. That being said, I did *attend* a few parties where favors were handed out at the end, which was really fun for me as a guest.

I like Debbie’s idea of doing a craft with all the kids—it kills two birds with one stone, so to speak. You get an activity and favor all rolled into one.

The key to a good party favor bag, in my opinion, is to make it personalized (goes with the party theme, or with each child’s personality) or to include a variety of treats. That way, if one child isn’t keen on the pen or bracelet, s/he will like the stickers or candy. HTH!

I don’t like doing goody bags. I hate when the kids bring them home. I don’t like making up bags of cheap toys! LOL.. For my kids birthdays, I’ve done one of the following:
*sand bucket personalized w/ each kid’s name. Inside was bubbles, sidewalk chalk, goldfish crackers and sunglasses
*basket at the front door where each kid could pick one toy as they were leaving: crayons, chalk, bubbles, racecar, etc.
*space shuttles filled with space-shuttle related items including pencils, blow up space shuttles, etc

Lorie Witkop - 11 April 2009 08:47 PM

I was just thinking that when I was a kid, one of the most fun parts of helping my mom plan the party was picking out the things that would go in the treat bags for my friends.  I don’t remember exactly what I picked - pencils, stickers and so on, I’m sure.  What party favors have been a hit with your kids?  And how do you send guests home with a treat without spending tons of money?

This year I hit the craft store and bought a canvas tote bag for each one of our little party-goers!  Inside we’re putting a little ‘thank you’ note from our kids, a tube of fabric paint (that they can use to decorate the bag when they get home) and a message about why we chose to give them the tote bag… a message about [doreen_bag2] considering the environment, obviously!  Cost of the tote – a dollar!  Cost of the fabric paint – a dollar!  Two whole bucks and we will have given the kids something that they can use again, and again, and again!… and isn’t likely to wind up in the trash.  (The little “eco-friendly” seal makes me smile too!)

We’re so excited to give all of the friends a really great favor and spread a happy little “earth message”.  Now, if we can just keep the moms from snagging the tote bag, we’ll have done a great job!

It seems like doing a craft with your guests is a great idea, your also “killing two birds with one stone.” Your giving the kids something to do during the party and then they are leaving with a great items. But if your child and your guests are young ones, sometimes it is easier to just do the goodie bags,but instead of the junking toys you can add, candy, or even better yet more of the health snacks. So many of the kids snacks nowadays are coming in individualized bags you cant miss, like Goldfish and even those snack bars. I know my oldest son use to love those snack bars….LOL

good luck

Krafty, the healthy snacks are a great idea! The kids can enjoy some non-sugary items when they get home and not be all hyped up. And, you make a good point—sometimes the kids are just too little to actually do anything without major help. In those cases, a goody bag probably is better than a craft/favor combo.

Thank you Amy. Having two boys one 13 and the other 6. I’ve been at both ends of the birtday party spectrum…lol