The 10 Best Kid's Party Favors
Special Honors
Glowing Bath Time Cubes This set of eight colorful cubes light up automatically in the water and turn off when it drains, helping to make bath time fun and peaceful. These liquid-activated toys feature two different personality types and will illuminate for at least eight hours in total. They’re hermetically sealed for your child’s safety and to ensure waterproof use. uncommongoods.com
Editor's Notes
July 25, 2020:
Party favors are often a last-minute purchase in the busy days leading up to a child’s birthday bash. Featuring crafts as well as toys, our list will help take the stress out of picking out something sturdy and safe that children will enjoy long after the party has ended. Today we added in the BeeGreen Bags, which are as practical as they are fun. These machine washable sacks are made from durable ripstop polyester with reinforced stitching and spring-loaded top fasteners. Kids are sure to love their vibrant designs featuring unicorns, penguins, sharks, zebras, and watermelon. Just fill them up with trinkets, crafts, or candy, and everyone will go home with a nice gift. And they’re large enough to be reused for practical purposes like taking some toys to a playdate or packing a swimsuit and a small towel for a trip to the local pool.
If you’re looking for something of a more arts and crafts nature, you can’t go wrong with the Play-Doh Bag, which comes with 15 small containers of modeling compound in an assortment of colors. They’re nontoxic and safe for kids as young as two years of age, and each can features a gift tag on the top. They’re great for imaginative standalone play, as well as when you bring out some corresponding Play-Doh activity sets. For another craft activity, check out the Wikki Stix Fun Favors, which comes with 50 activity sheets on which kids can form designs featuring bears, mice, and more using the included soft, bendable wands. Each sheet is individually packaged, with eight wands inside. They’re reusable, too, so siblings or friends can have fun passing them back and forth.
Since you can’t go wrong with flashing, colorful jewelry, the Novelty Place Bumpy Rings make for a fun sleepover or an outdoor after-dark party. They can light up for many hours, thanks to their long-lasting batteries. For a choice that’s as fun to put together as it is to play with, consider the Rhode Island Novelty Gliders, which offer a safe design with rounded edges and soft foam materials. They’re easy to assemble and can be launched into the air to glide around the room. After some deliberation, we removed the American Greetings "Frozen" Hair Clips from the list, since they don’t hold very much hair, and the clips could be a bit more durable.
No matter which set of party favors you decide upon, make sure it's age appropriate for the kids who will be receiving the items. Many of these selections feature small parts and are not suitable for children under three years of age.
March 19, 2019:
The Dreampark Emoji Keychains entered the list at #1 with a bullet — or at least a laughing-face emoji. The ability to buy as many as 64 at a time for a low price make them smart choices for large events, and they're something that can last kids for months, rather than a few minutes. Play-Doh is a classic toy, so it's hard to go wrong with a giant bag of it; parents can also get it for their own children to ensure a tub is always handy to allay boredom and prevent tantrums. The "Frozen" Hair Clips slid a bit as the movie begins to age somewhat, but it's still popular enough that kids should be excited to see any references to it.
Why Kids And Parents Love Party Favors
Party throwers of all ages send their guests home with favors.
Party throwers of all ages send their guests home with favors. Of course, adult hosts may send their friends home with miniature bottles of wine or gourmet chocolates, but no matter what stage of life we're in, we all love going home with a goody bag. There are a few reasons these appeal to us so much. Party favors keep the essence and the energy of the party you just left, alive, at your own home. If you want people talking about the fact that you throw the best kids parties in town, you don't need to shell out big bucks like some parents do. Simply passing out cute gifts that kids will play with for the next week will do the trick.
Parents will love the fact that you sent their children home with something to play with, too. You indirectly just gave them a present as well, since your favors will keep their little ones entertained for a bit, providing moms and dads with important alone time and helping them avoid the dreaded parent burnout. Plus, party favors are usually quite small, so they won't take up a lot of space in the boy or girl's room the way a new gaming system or dollhouse might.
It's quite possible that the kids you invited over brought presents for your child (or, at least, their parent did). So, giving them fun little trinkets and toys is a good way to show your appreciation for their gifts. Luckily, these keepsakes are typically pretty affordable, which is only fair since you already paid a pretty penny for the snacks, beverages, decorations, and other elements of your wonderful shindig. While kids may not remember the delicious buttercream frosting you spent hours making for their cupcakes, they will still smile when they think about your party when they find your favors in their backpacks or on bedroom shelves.
The Best Way To Pack A Goody Bag
There are lots of party favors to choose from, but don't just grab the first few you find. With a little thought, you can curate the perfect goody bag for kids, full of items that both they and their parents will appreciate you passing out. Considering that early childhood stimulation is important for cognitive skills later in life, think about adding figures, stickers, or coloring books that help teach kids concepts like letters and numbers. Parents will love the inclusion of educational items, and you can find ones that are colorful and entertaining enough to make it so kids don't even realize they're learning — they'll just enjoy themselves.
The child will think you're just giving him a toy, but the parent will understand that you actually just handed out an important studying tool.
Children also love to decorate themselves and their surroundings. Whether it's their school backpack, locker, lunchbox, or desk, kids like to adorn their personal space and belongings to reflect their personality. That's why stickers, pins, and sparkly markers are always a smart addition to the party favor bag. As for kids who prefer to prettify themselves, you can add hair clips, bracelets, and other wearable items. The right favors can help kids express themselves without drawing all over your walls.
Many children love to keep their hands busy, and parents are catching onto the fact that that can help focus their minds. Children who suffer from ADHD tend to do a better job paying attention in class when they can hold and play with some item that's unique to touch and manipulate. Stress balls with funny and cute faces drawn onto them or sticky items that kids can stretch and mold are other smart add-ons to a quality gift bag. The child will think you're just giving him a toy, but the parent will understand that you actually just handed out an important studying tool. Party favors can be more than just flashy, superficial items. When done right, they can be educational and inspiring.
How To Throw A Stress-Free Kids Party
Once a year, every parent faces this struggle: it's time to throw your child a birthday party. If you have several kids, then you may go through this every few months. Putting on an event that kids will enjoy, and that won't cost you too much, doesn't have to be stressful with the use of some helpful tips. Let's start with the food: keep it simple. Children do not care about aioli sauce or fig reductions. Give them some grilled cheese sandwiches, cut up into mini bites, and a veggie platter with ranch, and they'll be all set. Remember that they're really just waiting for the cake anyway. Keep in mind that children have smaller stomachs, so order accordingly or you'll have more leftovers than you know what to do with.
In fact, they're usually happy to be outdoors, so see if there is a park that will allow you to reserve an area.
Having an activity is key, but that activity doesn't need to involve expensive bouncy house rentals or a magician who charges you a small fortune an hour. In fact, kids like more DIY tasks that leave them feeling accomplished. Consider having a few face painting kits available. To give the activity some structure, you can have a theme — for example, kids can have their favorite zoo animals created or beloved Disney characters. They'll enjoy showing off their art to each other and talking about the images they chose. Pair this with one competitive game like a potato sack or three-legged race, and the children will go home saying they had the time of their lives.
Never be too shy to enlist help. You can often find older siblings or other parents who are happy to chaperone the party. They can help pass out food, administer toys and accessories for the activities, and just generally keep an eye on the rug rats. As for the venue, children don't require anything fancy. In fact, they're usually happy to be outdoors, so see if there is a park that will allow you to reserve an area. The beach is another great place for a child's birthday party — just make sure you have extra people acting as lifeguards. One of the best things about kids is how easy it is to make them happy, so don't overthink the birthday party.